Year 23’s Louisville Derby-What A Race!

Original article written by Chelsey Craig posted 15 years 1 week ago

For anyone who missed this year’s Louisville Derby, I pity you. The call of the historic Grade 1, the excitement, the electricity. It was incomparable to any other race. As the night ended, the only thought left on everyone’s mind was ‘WOW.’ Even the competitors had to admire the winner. No one left with sour feelings. How could anyone deny that Awake As I Am deserved the win.

The night started out with prestigious Grade 1’s all over the world. The Desert Oasis Race Track hosted a fabulous night of racing, with the Desert Golden Sprint, Desert Duty Free, Desert Turf Classic, Desert Mile, and Desert World Classic luring in a lot of fans and causing much excitement. Then, the Louisville Oaks. Undefeated superstar filly Five Fading Lights romped in the Oaks. By this point, fans were really on edge. The Louisville Derby, likely the most prestigious race all year, was mere minutes away. The 19 contenders were led into the paddock. 9 Grade 1 winners were included in the field and every competitor looked strong. The handsome black Anvil trotted around the saddling enclosure, dragging an excited Eric Nalbone behind him. The dignified gray colt Leopardi stood patiently while he was being saddled, but his eyes gave away the anticipation he felt at being in such a big race with such a large crowd so close by. Dark brown Commendation, who had won races on dirt, turf, and synthetic, had interested many people as an intriguing prospect, as few multi-surface horses had ever entered the Derby. East looked handsome under the floodlights, his black coat shining as he trotted around, swishing his tail. Some people made jokes about the maiden Ice Cream, but the small colt certainly looked handsome in the paddock. Amidst all the excitement, the big favorite Awake As I Am stood quietly. His black mane blew slightly in the breeze as he stood waiting to be saddled. When he was led around the walking ring a few seconds later, the night lit up with flashing lights. Any fan with a camera rushed to get shots of the undefeated colt. And he certainly looked the part of the favorite. His unblemished coat absolutely shined, and his withers and hindquarters were spattered with dapples. The colt radiated confidence, health, and happiness. He would be tough to beat.

The field was led out onto the track and the anticipation built as they filed into the starting gate one by one. The field broke from the gate in tandem, with a few of the horses a step or two slow. 3 of the contenders, Salvistar, Anvil, and The Court Jester, were instantly at each others throats in a vicious duel up the backstretch. Awake As I Am kept out of that fray, settling in the clear in about the 5th spot early on. The other contenders jostled around to try to find a good position as the 3 frontrunners continued to duke it out with each other on the lead for much for the 1 ¼ mile voyage. As the field began to round the turn to head down the home stretch, Salvistar and The Court Jester were spent and began to back out of it, leaving Anvil in the lead. East was quick to get after him before he could get away. Suddenly, every Awake As I Am fan held their breath. The favorite was completely boxed in, with his stablemate Something Better blocking his path. For a few seconds that seemed like an eternity, Awake As I Am held his head up as he waited for a way out, begging to be able to uncoil that massive stride of his. As suddenly as the favorite was put in the tight spot, he was out of it, bursting through after Anvil and East. As soon as he had clear running room, he let loose an electrifying turn of speed that will be remembered for many Derbys to come. He drew even with Anvil and East and kept right on going, hitting the wire 1 ¼ lengths in front in a very fast time of 1:59.13. Awake As I Am, the handsome dark brown colt, found the courage to stay undefeated.

Now, we must wait for the unbeaten superstar to take the next step in the Baltimore Crown. Could this be a Triple Crown winner?

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