2012 Illinois Derby Field and Breakdown
Contributed By Big Daddy No BucksPosted on 4/6/12 8:00 PM
This year's Illinois Derby field features two or three possible stars surrounded by a mob of second and third stringers. That said, longshot and exotic bet opportunities abound. I'm sure I'll make some kind of superfecta bet, but have no idea what it will be until I see the odds at about a minute to post. The early favorite is Currency Swap. I think he has way too much going against him to win this race. He's returning to race fairly quickly, going two turns for the first time, and shows some indication that he doesn't want to go over a mile. Horses that I think are strong contenders to come in first here are Pretension, Z Rockstar, and Morgan's Guerrilla. If the odds remain good, I will likely use them in an exacta box.
Here's the field for the 2012 Illinois Derby:
| No. | Horse / Sire | Trainer | Jockey | Last Race | Morning Line Odds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 |
Romancing the Gold Medallist |
J. Englehart | I. Ortiz | 1st - AQU ALW | 15-1 |
| 2 |
 |
Hakama First Samurai |
M. Trombetta | J. Pimentel | 2nd - Price Terms (LS) | 6-1 |
| 3 |
 |
Ring It Up Toccet |
C. Richard | L. Wade | 13th - Rebel (G2) | 15-1 |
| 4 |
 |
Currency Swap High Cotton |
T. Pompay | R. Maragh | 2nd - GP ALW | 4-1 |
| 5 |
 |
Pretension Bluegrass Cat |
C. Grove | J. Santiago | 5th - Gotham (G3) | 5-1 |
| 6 |
 |
Skyring English Channel |
D. Lukas | T. Thompson | 1st - OP MSW | 20-1 |
| 7 |
 |
Saturday Launch Any Given Saturday |
K. McPeek | J. Leparoux | 1st - GP ALW | 15-1 |
| 8 |
 |
Z Rockstar Rockport Harbor |
D. Von Hemel | L. Quinonez | 1st - OP ALW | 10-1 |
| 9 |
 |
Fastestwhogetspaid Henny Hughes |
B. Williamson | C. Hill | 1st - Gazebo (LS) | 30-1 |
| 10 |
 |
Frankie Is Rock Rock Hard Ten |
R. Aguilar | J. Felix | 4th - HAW ALW | 30-1 |
| 11 |
 |
Our Entourage Street Cry |
T. Pletcher | J. Velazquez | 1st - GP ALW | 9-2 |
| 12 |
 |
Morgan's Guerrilla Ghostzapper |
M. Maker | R. Dominguez | 1st - AQU MSW | 10-1 |
| 13 |
 |
Done Talking Broken Vow |
H. Smith | D. Cohen | 10th - Gotham (G3) | 20-1 |
| 14 |
 |
Slamit Grand Slam |
T. Ice | C. Landeros | 1st - Hou Stakes | 30-1 |
| 15 |
 |
Explain Broken Vow |
D. Von Hemel | C. Marquez | 2nd - OP ALW | 20-1 |
| 16 |
 |
Arm Force Tiznow |
E. Harty | J. Leparoux | 1st - GP MSW | 15-1 |
| 17 |
|
Defiant Flyer Early Flyer |
L. Davis | F. Torres | 5th - HAW ALW | 30-1 |
