Saturday is the Kentucky Derby

It is time to look at some of the past races:

2008: Big Brown:



2007: Street Sense:



2006: Barbaro:



2005: Giacomo



2004: Smarty Jones:



2003: Funny Cide:



2002: War Emblem:



2001: Monarchos:



2000: Fusaichi Pegasus:



Official Kentucky Derby YouTube channel is here.

There Was No Triple Crown Winner

this year, but there were several jewels in the series.

Street Sense

will pass up the Belmont Stakes and run in the Travers instead.

Street Sense

may well be entered in next month's Belmont Stakes.

The Baltimore Sun's Jerry Jackson caught Curlin and Street Sense right at the wire in yesterday's Preakness.

Andrew Beyer

was quite impressed with Curlin's Preakness victory yesterday.

The colt began to gain ground, stride by stride, and Street Sense -- who had finished so powerfully to win the Derby -- couldn't offer resistance. Racing fans may debate whether this was all Curlin's doing, or whether Street Sense lacks a killer instinct in such situations, but the two combatants hit the wire almost simultaneously. The finish was so close that television viewers couldn't tell who won, but Borel knew. He turned to his friend Albarado and said, "You got me!" and Albarado raised his whip in triumph.

This would have been an amazing performance for a veteran racehorse -- let alone one whose racing career began only 3 1/2 months ago. Curlin's maiden win was so smashing that a partnership, harboring Kentucky Derby dreams, paid $3.5 million to acquire him. Curlin ran away with his next two starts and went into the Derby with much acclaim. But everybody knew the history he was trying to overcome. No horse with fewer than five career starts had won the Derby since 1918. No horse without 2-year-old experience had won it since 1882. Despite these competitive disadvantages, and despite being blocked in the run to the first turn, Curlin managed to rally and finish third.

Carl Nafzger

was disappointed his Street Sense didn't win the Preakness yesterday, losing to Curlin by literally a whisker, but he is now looking forward to a rivalry.

Perhaps therein lies Street Sense's lone flaw: the failure to realize that a race isn't over until the winner crosses the finish line. After the colt passed the field and saw nothing but empty space ahead, he apparently let up.

"When my horse gets to the lead, he's just sort of happy. He won't quit running, but he's not intense," Nafzger said. "And Curlin ran an unbelievable perfect race today."

Especially over the final 100 yards.

"It was almost a match race at the end. One champion and another potential champion," one of Curlin's owners, Jess Jackson, said. "Street Sense deserves a lot of credit."

Maybe so, but that won't get him a Triple Crown.

It sounds like Street Sense "loafed" on the lead and never saw Curlin coming.

Curlin caught Street Sense right at the wire to win the Preakness by a nose. Another step and Street Sense would have won. (Photo by Z/Vincent Dusovic)

It

was one hell of a race today, as it appears Curlin has won by a whisker against favorite Street Sense in this year's running of the Preakness.

Curlin won by a head in 1:53 2/5. Hard Spun was third in the race.

Street Sense seemed to have the race won, but Curlin caught him in the last steps in a photo finish.

This was the best Preakness since the Easy Goer-Sunday Silence matchup in 1989.

Street Sense

is the favorite going into Saturday's Preakness.

Triple Crown Watch.

The top three finishers in the Kentucky Derby will be in Pimlico for the Preakness.

Derby winner Street Sense will encounter some new competition there.

Street Sense doubled his lifetime earnings today when he won the Kentucky Derby by two lengths. (Amy Sancetta/AP)

Here

is another report about today's race won convincingly by Street Sense.

Street Sense

has made history as the first Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner to ever win the Kentucky Derby. Hard Spun was second, Curlin finished third, and Iamawildandcrazyguy finished fourth.

Street Sense also made history as the first two-year-old champion to win the Kentucky Derby since Spectacular Bid did it in 1979.

As the media noted to no end, this race was notable also for it being Queen Elizabeth II's first Kentucky Derby appearance although she has been in Kentucky many times over the years.

Street Sense was the post time favorite, which has been unusual in recent years. The final time was 2:02.17, way off the legendary Secretariat's time of 1:59.2 in 1973.

Trainer Carl Nafzger had his first victory in this race since his memorable win with Unbridled in 1990.

Let's hope this horse can do the job and win the Triple Crown.