Eightyfiveinafifty likely for Derby Trial

Don't call it Derby fever, but the connections of Eightyfiveinafifty have a slight temperature.

Trainer Gary Contessa said Monday that he plans to run Bay Shore winner Eightyfiveinafifty in the Grade 3, $200,000 Derby Trial at Churchill Downs on April 24. Should the horse win that one-turn, one-mile race, he could very well run back one week later in the Kentucky Derby.

"If all goes well, I'm going to the Derby Trial," Contessa said Monday. "He could punch his own ticket to the Derby. I don't have to go to the Derby by any means, but if the Derby Trial is an easy race for him, he comes back a week later in the Derby and that would probably be good for him; it would take the edge off him."

Eightyfiveinafifty, wearing a one-cup blinker outside of his right eye, basically went gate to wire in the Bay Shore, though he had his head cocked to the left in the early stages and appeared to be getting out. He drifted a little bit through the lane down the stretch while winning by 2 1/2 lengths. He ran seven furlongs in 1:21.89 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 100, his second triple-digit Beyer Speed Figure of the year.

In between those two races, Eightyfiveinafifty bolted entering the first turn of the two-turn Whirlaway Stakes. He unseated his jockey and jumped two rails before being caught on the backside. Contessa said he's not convinced one way or the other about the colt's chances to get two turns.

Meanwhile, Contessa is convinced that Castaneda is a solid New York-bred sprinter. Castaneda won his third consecutive race - a second-level New York-bred allowance race - last Friday. Contessa said Castaneda could make his next start in the $100,000 Blue and Gold Stakes at Charles Town on April 17. Castaneda also is eligible for the $100,000 Mike Lee Stakes for New York-breds on June 20. Both races are at seven furlongs.

Oh brother...

The only two-turn start this horse has made, he literally freaked out and went through the outer rail. Now they wan to put him in THAT pressure-cooker? This may be the worst case of Derby Fever on record.

isnt that the stupid thing you ever heard in your life...come on now..the horse is still very green. I dont know if you saw him on sat. but when he broke his head was pointed to the infieldfor the first 50 -100 yards....that is just a accident waiting to happen....i knew that was coming though because why would he ship him to churchill when they have the withers on the same day in his backyard......big mistake...but he would insure a hot pace..lol

I just feel bad for the horse. He's very nice, but he obviously has some mental problems. Imagine if he suddenly bore out while taking the Derby field around the first turn. That could get pretty damn hairy if he isn't clear at the time. And I've already witnessed a horse going mental in the Derby (Afternoon Deelites) due to the overwhelming crowd noise. That was a horse with no pre-existing condition, either. Like you said, Eightyfiveinafifty in the Derby would a recipe for disaster. And on top of that, he'd have virtally zero chance to win. Contessa must be on crack.

agreed...crack it is

When he had trouble in the Whirlaway- Bolting- I think they said his bit broke and then couldn't control him.

Brilliant. Lets bring a horse with proven mental issues into a twenty horse field of the best colts in the country with one week's rest!

sounds good to me...correct in the fog they said his bit broke when he bolted but they did not say why he was looking in the infield in his last.

I never heard that. I even posted an article here after the race where Contessa said he didn't know what happened. If the bit had broken, they would've known immediately after they corraled him.

I believe announcers on tvg/hrtv thought it was the bit when the race happened, but Im sure that was just speculation (I assumed the same thing). After reading articles nothing was mentioned of this so I think DC is right, I don't think there is a firm answer as to what happened.

I can see this horse wiping out half the derby field on the first turn.

yea they said on tvg that his bit broke...