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With all the hype surrounding Kentucky Oaks winner Rachel Alexandra vs. Mine That Bird, we tend to forget that entering into the 2009 Kentucky Derby, there was no clear favorite and the ultimate winner turned out to be a 100 to 1 long shot at some online gambling sites.
Sure, Rachel Alexandra was the talk of the Kentucky Oaks Race and she won it with an exclamation point. But was she considered "not ready for the Kentucky Derby"?
Mine That Bird, meanwhile, was barely even profiled prior to his huge upset win.
Gambling911.com focused much of its attention on a handful of contenders with single digit odds. These horses included the likes of General Quarters, who is running again in the 2009 Preakness Stakes this weekend.
General Quarters had odds of 7/1 or +700 coming into this race.
The good news is: He's got a shot, and with 7/1 odds the payout would be quite good.
The bad news is: There are plenty of variables going against General Quarters.
From Doc Sports:
"General Quarters finished 10th in the Kentucky Derby. He managed to avoid trouble, but he was his own worst enemy. He didn't settle around the first turn, burning a lot of energy in the process. In the second turn he was forced wide and again looked unsettled. As a result, he didn't have much left when he was asked to mount a final rally in the stretch and had to settle for just maintaining his position. Like so many horses, he didn't have anywhere close to his best day in the Derby, but he came out of it all very well."
That's not to say General Quarters has not enjoyed some degree of success in the past. His 7/1 odds are reflective of his potential based on two big wins: the Sam F. Davis and the Blue Grass.
General Quarters was not having the best of luck this week.
The truck and trailer hauling General Quarters, the one-horse stable of owner-trainer Tom McCarthy of Louisville, was involved in a fender-bender down the road from Pimlico but General Quarters was unhurt.
General Quarters did manage to breeze a half-mile in :50 1/5, to which McCarthy proclaimed "Perfect. Looks like he finished up better than he started."
"It was the first time I had worked the horse and I was impressed with him," exercise rider Justin Court said. "I had a lot of horse and I think he will do well over there."
Odds on the 2009 Preakness Stakes race were available at Sportsbook.com
Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
