Tuesday, May 4, 2010

RAIN, MUD AND GEOMETRY – THE 136th KENTUCK DERBY

The strategy of the shortest distance between two points

To cheers of “Bo-rail” the fastest two minutes in sports concluded the festivities of “Super Saturday” the running of the 136th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. All the post race hoopla about the jockey and not the colt is understandable. The name is Borel, Calvin Borel. He just rode to his third Kentucky Derby victory in four years (the first jockey to do so) using simple geometry, the shortest distance between two points. He took his favorite winning position along the rail and rode Super Saver to the winner’s circle. Borel used a different strategy in this race on his home track. In almost all of his past races Super Saver was never farther back than second in the early stages of the race. On this grueling, mud puddle of a track he decided to hug the rail allowing many of the other horses to squander t heir energy well off the rail in the muddy center of the track. A winning strategy as the 8 -1 second choice won and paid $18.00 $8.80 and $6.00. A $2.00 bet on Super Saver would more than pay for the cost of a Skwoosh Stadium gel seat. Better yet, all the rain and muck wouldn’t touch any of the super comfortable, super waterproof, maintenance free gel cushions by Skwoosh. So while the name of the winner of the this year’s Derby outing sounds more like a special airline fare than the winner of the first leg of the Triple Crown everyone at Churchill Downs who carried their compact, convenient, light weight stadium gel cushion was a winner. Now it’s off to Baltimore for the Preakness on May 15. Can “Bo-rail” and the “FARE” Super Saver, keep it up and equal the feat of Affirmed, the Last Triple crown winner who did it 32 years ago?

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