A filly will try her luck in the Kentucky Derby for the first time in nine years. Eight Belles attempts to become the fourth to visit the winner’s circle since Regret in 1918.
Regret lived up to her odds and was the only female favorite to whip the boys. She immediately went to the lead, never looked back and defeated 15 challengers by two lengths.
In ’80, Genuine Risk took command in the stretch and triumphed by neck over a dozen runners. In ’88, Winning Colors lived up to her name, broke on top from the inside post and led all the way over 16 rivals to win by a neck.
Unlike those two, Eight Belles has never faced males or traveled 1 1/8 miles. However, her speed figures have been comparable to the colts, which prompted her connections to try the Derby instead of the Oaks.
Trainer Larry Jones entered her in both, but drew No. 12 in the Oaks. She fared much better for the Derby and will break from post 5. And she’s coming into the big one with a four-race winning streak, including two graded stakes victories at Oaklawn Park. Jones said he would have opted for the Oaks only if his filly ended up in the auxiliary gate from post 14 outward. “We wanted a ground-saving trip. She’ll run up behind the early leaders. She’ll be fine in there.”
The daughter of Unbridled’s Song is named after Eight Bells, the Maine home that belongs to the family of American contemporary realist painters Andrew Wyeth and N. C. Wyeth.
“We’ve been friends with the Wyeths for years, and I’ve named horses after his paintings because it’s just something I do,” owner Rick Porter said. “”I was going to name a colt Eight Bells, but I’d been holding onto the name and then I fell in love with this filly as a yearling and decided to use the name Eight Belles for her.”
Her sire came into the ’96 Derby favored off victories in the Florida Derby and Wood Memorial, but in capturing that prep at Aqueduct hit himself in the left forefoot, causing a cracked hoof.
Racing with a special bar shoe and acrylic patch, the son of ’90 Derby winner Unbridled tracked the pace five wide and gained the lead after six furlongs, but weakened in the stretch and finished fifth.
I remember a decade ago when all the talk was about another outstanding filly -- Serena’s Song. She showed promise in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in ’94 when she battled Flanders, but lost to her stablemate by a head.
Serena’s Song beat the boys in the ’95 Blue Grass Stakes. But on Derby Day, the winner was Thunder Gulch, who finished fourth at Keeneland, while the favored filly ran 16th after setting a blistering pace.
In all, 38 fillies have run at Churchill Downs. In ’99, two tried the boys and ended up fifth and 19th while a favored entry finished eighth and 19th in ’84.
The first female runner failed to live up to her name in the inaugural 1875 Derby. Gold Mine finished 15th and last.
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