Daddy Nose Best
Kentucky Derby
Contender Profile
5/5/12
(Starts: 10 Win: 4 Place: 2 Show: 1Earnings: $633,623)
Trainer: Steve ASMUssen (21.1%)
Jockey: Garrett Gomez (17.3%)
THE CONNECTIONS: Trainer Steve ASMUssen has started nearly 30,000 races and won over 6,000 of them. Top class all the way, ASMUssen is known for conditioning champions like Horse of the Year Curlin and another Horse of the Year, Rachel Alexandra. Jockey Garrett Gomez is no slouch either. He is a two time Eclipse Award winner and was the leading jockey by earnings Four times in a row from 2006-09. Gomez has won just about every major race out there, but a victory in all three legs of the Triple Crown has eluded him. His best finish was second aboard Pioneerof The Nile in 2009.
THE HORSE: Daddy Nose Best has been classy his entire career, but has only truly blossomed as a three-year-old. He won the Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby despite a poor trip. The bay colt showed a ton of heart to outduel second place finisher LUcky Chappy in that spot. His final Derby prep came in the Grade 3 Sunland Derby where he drew clear by ¾ of a length after a nearly perfect set up in which he closed into an ultra fast pace.
THE PEDIGREE: Refer to Daddy Long Legs profile for information about sire SCat Daddy. Daddy Nose Best is out of the 0 for 12 maiden mare Follow your Bliss. The only sibling of Daddy Nose Best is Money Included, a 1 for 18 son of Include. Kentucky Derby winner Thunder Gulch is the sire of Follow your Bliss. He has been a very good producer. His best progeny include Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner Point Given and three time Grade I winning filly Balance. While not overly flashy, this pedigree boasts more than enough stamina to get the ten furlongs distance of the Derby.
CONCLUSION: Daddy Nose Best is proven on dirt and has the stamina it takes to get the distance. As a closer, he projects to get a beneficial setup. Avoiding traffic will be imperative. He is training like a monster and enters the race very confident. At the end of the day, for all of the good things I’ve said, I have to believe he is a step or two below the best horses in the race. It’s going to take a little luck for him to win, but he’s certainly in with a shot. He is a worthwhile bet at his listed fair odds, but due to his status as the “wise guy horse” he will likely be an underlay.
PEDIGREE GRADE: B
OVERALL Grade: C+
FAIR ODDS: 20-1