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On today’s TB Podcast, I’m joined by Ryan Hasenauer of OTB and Batavia Downs to preview Saturday’s “Run for the Roses.”
Ryan gives us his four horses with the best chance to win followed by a quick breakdown of every horse in the field.
Then he fills us in on all the OTB and Batavia Downs events on Saturday including the first-ever Derby Gala — where you’ll get dressed up and enjoy an open bar!
Can’t make it to an OTB branch? No problem. Place your wagers at BataviaBets.com.
Post time for the the 144th Kentucky Derby is 6:50pm with TV coverage on NBCSN beginning at noon and on NBC at 2:30pm.
Take a sneak peek at the Derby program here.
And, for the first time in TB history, here’s an approximate transcript of the entire podcast.
[00:00:00]
What’s up? Trending Buffalo Podcast May 3rd. 2018 is one of my favorite times of the year. It is our first in a series of podcasts with OTB and Batavia Downs Ryan Hasenauer because Derby Day is upon us. Saturday’s 144th running of the Kentucky Derby takes place Post Time 6 p.m. TV coverage beginning at noon on NBC Sports Network.
And then at 2:30 on a regular old NBC channel to podcast as always brought to you by Consumers Beverages. It is Buffalo’s beer store. So if you’re not in the mint julep Market, the beer thing works really well for the Derby, uh organize your day around the beer and that is available, of course that consumers.
Just Ryan. [00:01:00] What’s happening man? How are you? Not too much better. Yeah, it is a great time of year. Very excited. Lots of things going on around the Derby this year and OTB Batavia Downs were ready to uh, just have all the all the people wants to New York come and visit us the first Saturday in May as per usual.
Yes. We like to visit you. Uh, we will get to some of the promotional stuff you guys have going on on Derby day, but let’s start with the important thing. Let’s make some money, uh, who’s going to win this thing? Who do you have? We’ve got uh, 20 horses or 21 horses in the field. There’s 20 horses in the field.
There’s a 20/20 first or tension also eligible, but the only way that horse could get in is if somebody had scratched before yesterday, but because nobody scratched anybody scratches from here until Saturday, they won’t replace that. All right, so we’re sitting at 20 how many horses do you put in like your Elite Class the ones you give a real solid chance to be in the money.
Right. Now I really only have four horses that I think can win this race now, but that’s a BB at the Derby is when a horse or what a race like this is so wide open what happens is is [00:02:00] all the better out there all across the world. They have to make more bets to kind of cover, you know, the you know, I need this horse.
I think that horse and so when you make more Wagers, of course the pot gets bigger and bigger and bigger and that’s why the Derby is so great because it already starts at 20 horses, but then people are you know, what about this horse? What about that horse? Oh, It really increases the pot because you have to come horses and then anybody can just win so much money.
I mean last year you’re talkin about $150,000 for the $2 superfecta. So they’re certainly money to be made here with uh with OTB. All right, let’s uh will go through every horse as we always do but give me those four and let’s talk a little bit about uh, the horses that you think have an actual chance to win this.
All right, so we’re no particular order. I want to go ahead with one horse that I think is going to great story is both the oral the number 11 horse Victor Espinoza rides. Of course. The Victor is the horse the jockey that won the Triple Crown on American pharoah both the aura if you like the movie Rocky of course, okay an American, [00:03:00] what do you think question?
Right so get this so both the I read this amazing story and I’ll probably send it to you guys. So you get posted on Buffalo, but this horse was. At auction as most yearlings are uh for a substantial amount of money like $650,000 but a lot of times one of these these big Stables are they do when they buy these yearlings is they take in the California to take into Florida.
They take them to some place nice they pamper them and they get them out of the stable and they you know, they do all the nice flowery things to make sure the horse doesn’t get hurt and does all the you know, just kind of eases their way into the whole racing things. You don’t really erase or still the two years old anyway, right, but just to kind of get them used to racing being around racing.
Into it right in California and Florida the people that bought both or ship them up to Montana to a ranch and they just like let him run. Why just you know, let them run in the cold Mountain Air, you know, you know being the wildflowers taking them on rides through the trails looking at bears and howls and you know, all that kind of fun [00:04:00] stuff.
So this horse is kind of like Rocky and Rocky 4. And just like trains in the wilderness big matchup. So that’s what that’s what I’m thinking for both. The uh, of course both the oral. He’s named after Usain Bolt and his his father. The aura was a very good horse who made some noise there in some of the uh, the Triple Crown races and the Breeders Cup.
I had a really good wet number. It is a 60% chance of rain right now for Saturday. So you might have to be taken and I and keeping an eye on that weather, but I really like both he comes in at eight to one. Uh, and uh, really got a good chance. I think it’s to Make Some Noise here in the derby. All right, so there’s horse number.
I’m not going to say there’s your first horse number but these are not in order. These are just the for you like. Yeah. Yeah, the next horse is going to be justified, which is the favorite Legend of Mike Smith is the jockey and of course the legendary Bob baffert is the trainer. He was first in the Santa Anita Derby just beating out both the by about three lengths [00:05:00] justify as a fart running horse.
He’s going to go probably to the front now. He’s only ever raced against fields of like, you know, Later last I mean this this horse doesn’t necessarily have a lot of you know experience is mostly sources don’t racing against Big Field. So the fact that he’s never had dirt kicked in his face and he’s never really done anything other than win makes it very difficult to Think Jesus.
This horse has a bad break or some of the horses a little bit more Speedy because they get a little bit ahead of him to the first turn. How is he going to react when he’s got mud getting kicked up in his face as he can, you know Fade to the back and he doesn’t run that way. He runs he’s a front. So what could happen with justify?
The one thing about justify is though he is a couple hundred pounds heavier than most. It’s all muscle his stripes. Absolutely huge one thing that’s interesting about the number seven justify is if he’s never raced as a two-year-old the only races a three-year-old lifetime starts realized time wins.
There’s something called The Curse of Apollo. Have you ever heard of that? I have not the curse of Apollo [00:06:00] references a horse named Apollo who won the Kentucky Derby way back in 1882. And no horse who did not raise his two-year-old has ever won the Kentucky Derby since that’s 135 races every horse.
That’s one since then has at least had one race as a two-year-old before racing the Kentucky Derby which of course is a race for three-year-olds. So it’s very interesting to think that the favorite. Could break the person Apollo on the first Saturday in May which justify the number 7 interesting.
All right, so the 7 and the 11 give me two more 11 up. Next we’re going to talk about the number six good magic now good magic is a great horse. He’s the Breeders Cup juvenile Champion. So he’s the horse that won basically the dirt version of the two-year-old, you know, All-Star Race that they have in November.
Uh, and so whoever wins that race is kind of anointed as the possible Derby winner the front-runner if you will, uh, Ortiz’s on his back he’s trained. Uh, well and he won the Blue Grass Stakes which of course is a derby preparations, but this horse who won prep race [00:07:00] and won the Breeders Cup juvenile race is going off at 12:00 to 1:00.
There’s a very good value there and I don’t expect that price to say 12. Of course, I think it’ll dip down as people make some Wagers there. So we’ll see what happens with it. Uh, but but good magic is certainly a horse to keep an eye on. All right, there’s three of four you got the six. The salmon and the 11 right now.
Give me one more. You’ve got any Elite Class here. All right, and that’s gonna be audible number five how their tests on the back at eight two favorites. Uh, you know, he’s a third choice favorite. I think at eight to one the Florida Derby winner. Uh, and of course, the the other thing about the Florida Derby is the first service produced The Derby winner the Kentucky Derby winner for the last two races in a row and on top of that the horse that won last year always dreaming came out of the five post as well.
So. It’s going to be an interesting go for audible. Uh, you know, he’s a good race course racehorse and he’s gonna have to really just see how the setup for me kind of benefited from a very early Pace in his [00:08:00] uh races in Florida. So up to see what kind of of a race it kind of happens at the Kentucky Derby a lot of horses going to go out to the front and they going to kind of hold back and save their energy.
You always got to look out for those late clothes or so, who knows what’ll happen, but audible is definitely someone to use. In your Wagers on Saturday. All right, five six seven and 11 are your top four in some order? Let’s walk through. We’ve only got 16 more to discuss here Ryan. So let’s let’s get rolling.
Let’s go right to the top and go, you know 1 through 20 skipping past our our favorites here. That sounds good. And I’m not gonna spend a lot of time on the horses that I don’t think have much of a chance idea. Yeah, priest fires number one. If it doesn’t rain this horse doesn’t have a chance. He’s 52 one.
He’s coming out of the one post is going to be bogged into the rail. So forget about the what. Uh number two is free drop Billy. Of course, he’s named after a golfing term if you like Golf and you want to throw some money out of horse with the name Billy’s your guy 32 1 he was ninth in the briefest cup Juvenile and fourth the Bluegrass Stakes his dad was Union Rags who won [00:09:00] the Belmont on my wedding day back in 2012.
Um, but uh Billy again, he’s been training pretty well. He some people were calling him one of the Wiseguy horses, you know that the decent long shot. So maybe keep him, uh, you know in 3rd and 4th at your bedding tries and supers but I don’t think he’s got what it takes to be first or second time out sure.
How was your wedding on the same day as Velma? I mean, did you not have this job? I did I just have this funny story. So we getting married during the Stanley Cup finals or you know what the Rangers were actually in the playoffs I think as well, but they didn’t play that night which made it even like even crazier for me because as a Rangers in person, you’re not on the Rangers, I know well we got engaged my wife and I the lovely least we got to engage in March and so immediately because you know how it is.
Did you get engaged you gotta pick a venue in a date because otherwise it gets snapped up pretty quick. Right? So in fact the [00:10:00] date we wanted which was June 9th up 2012. Um, because both of our luckiest numbers is number 9 so we want to get married on the 9th of Any Given month. And of course the 9th of June was a Saturday.
So it made sense. I wasn’t even thinking I was just like, oh, yeah, then I wasn’t thinking is the I just I didn’t do the math correctly from the first Saturday in May and then two weeks and then 3, oh my gosh. So, um, We went ahead and booked the day and it will say that to other places. We looked at.
We wanted those places. They uh, they were booked up on that date already March of the previous year. So, you know, we were like this hot date we got to get this date wherever we get. So we got it. And so then sure enough, uh, we come to 2012 and I try to wreck my brand. I think it’s I’ll have it I’ll have another I’ll have another won the first two races So Not only was it the Belmont.
It was a Bama with a title shot with a Triple Crown shot. But if you remember it the day before the race, he dropped out with an injury. So we ended up not racing in the race. [00:11:00] So on the day of the Belmont on my wedding day woke up course can’t see the bride’s she’s off with her family and and the Bridesmaids doing her thing.
So me and the guys we get in the limo we go to the OTB Branch. I just so happen to go to the same OTV Branch where wgr was broadcasting live in my tux got on the radio and about, uh, 2:30. It’s like yeah, I’m getting married in like two hours and they’re like, oh, that’s cool. So, all right. I appreciate.
Yeah, but I’ve never lets me forget that it is like, you know, you worked on our wedding day. Remember radio I could just spend some rain work. That’s what I do on my day off. I talk to people like go bet on horses. All right, let’s keep moving here. Uh number three. Number three promises fulfilled uh, Dale Romans was a great trainer ninth in the Florida Derby, uh, he won the Fountain of Youth but he really did terrible in the Florida Derby out of speed but it’s probably gonna fade.
This is a longer race. So 32 1, I’d look out. Swear number four flame away. His dad was scared. Daddy [00:12:00] who uh was one the Florida Derby but was 18th in the Kentucky Derby when he raced back in the day, uh, the grandfather of flame away, uh is of course named Pegasus Pegasus when they can see Pegasus, Back in the year 2000 2000 and stand the previous right?
I believe so. Yes and 32 1 not really, you know got some good lineage, but probably not much of a factor. The Bluegrass Stakes isn’t exactly a hotbed of uh, you know, getting Kentucky Derby Champion. So we talked about audible we talked about good magic we talked about justify. The number eight is Lone sailor second in the Louisiana Derby he closed late in that race, and he was beaten by a neck by another horse in this race.
But again 52 one shot. Probably not going to factor much. On Saturday hoffberg the number nine horse William Mott is a trainer and he likes to bring his horses along very slow second in the Florida Derby and dad was AP Indy who of course won the Breeders Cup Classic in the Belmont and a decent wet number there [00:13:00] 405 and hoffberg is another.
Horse that is being hailed as a wise guy launch at favorite. So, uh, this course has been improving in each one of his races since he started somebody’s Definitely Maybe keeping your, you know, you’re 30 or fourth if you’re betting tries in supers number 10 is my boy Jack and it’s uh, Kent desormeaux.
And uh his brother there there the the Jackie trainer, uh, uh, you know crew there they go together the brothers first the Lexington Stakes which is just three weeks ago and third in the Louisiana Derby, which is two weeks before that. There’s some talk of this horse getting a little bit tired because he has.
Um, give me Racing 3 times in about a month and half which is pretty difficult to do if he’s also going to try to go on to the Preakness and the Belmont he’s coming first or second and six of his lifetime races and he’s got some great lineage. He is also a late closer. And if you’re at a Sabers fan That’s my boy Jack, you know, we’re gonna make the you know, the thing with Jack eichel there, uh, but it 15 to 1 maybe not a bad horse to kind of keep in with your tracks and Superstar.
I am gonna be using [00:14:00] my boy Jack, uh for for my Trifecta and supers the hoping he kind of. Down late and picks off horses at the end. Right, we talked about the 11 number 12 is enticed with uh, Alvarado on the backside of the Wood Memorial first in the Gotham state was some decent lineage. But again this horse not really sure if he’s gonna do much say if the number 13, but our Louisiana Derby is 50 to 1 maybe not number 14 is interesting case Mendelssohn.
He’s a second choice favorite at five to one. He’s got a win on turf at the Breeders Cup juvenile race, which is back in. Remember and then he picked up his Derby points by winning the United Arab Emirates Derby on the 31st of March, uh way back at back there in March and he got his points there and he won that race quite handily.
Uh, but no horse has ever come from Europe and shipped in and won the Kentucky Derby and this horse is bred in Kentucky, but he races almost exclusively over in Europe and in the [00:15:00] Middle East so uh, definitely a horse to keep an eye on but at the same time he just got shipped in late. He got delayed at Customs they had.
Have this light go to Indianapolis instead of Louisville. So then he had to take um a a van they had to Fan him from Indianapolis. He only just got into Kentucky I think on Monday, so, you know, you gotta Maybe. Buddy’s horse gets shipped in like a week we can half ago. So he’s maybe not used to the surroundings.
There might be a little bit tough for him who is scat that he gonna root for of Scat that he’s still alive got that he’s got kids all over this race. I know curling’s got a few in there. So we say never say anything bad about a horse. Please been dead for ten years. All right, because of all of a sudden a horse starts to pop out a couple kids that do well in and then you’re looking at uh, it’s a good horse.
He’s looking like Archie Manning right now. That’s right. All right, 15 15 is in still regard for Santa Anita Derby. His dad’s got some good lineage and he’s got a good wet number. So keep that in mind if it rains but if they don’t want to [00:16:00] look elsewhere Magnum is another horse trying to break the curse of Apollo as never lost.
But he never raises a two-year-old. So keep an eye on em, he did win the Arkansas Derby and he does have Todd Pletcher as his trainer, but uh, you know, Todd’s only won twice out of 50 something starts. So, uh be tough going for Magnum Moon and audibles a horse, too. Five and that’s one of the ones you like.
So even if you are thinking yay, Todd Pletcher go the other. Yeah, exactly. Uh the number 17. So this horse is bred to go the distance. Uh, so that might be something good for the Belmont. Uh, he’s got bad baffert as his trainer. Of course the 17 post is uh for the Derby. Uh, so he’s going up against that I was curling who was a legendary horse and he’s coming for a second or third and six lifetime starts, but third in the Arkansas Derby is pretty poor.
It’s a great race and uh, he’s gonna have a lot of traffic to deal with so he’ll be closing late though. So you might see them pick up some horses. Not sure if they’ll get all the way up. Though we know the number 18 horse. Another horse is being touted as a Wiseguy horse the [00:17:00] last quiz on the back Todd Pletcher the trainer first in the wood Memorial, he’s won three out of his five starts in lifetime.
And his dad was curling 12 to 1 odds at decent horse to keep in mind for your maybe your supers in your tries. I’ll definitely be doing that, but I’m not sure if he’s got what it takes to win the. Never 19th Noble again is the trainer, uh is on the back first thing in Louisiana Derby needs 1/3 of his for Lifetime starts and got some good lineage, but a lot of people not really liking this horse again that 16th or Twenty, uh spots in the race very difficult.
If you remember watching clips of the Derby will know that the they actually have an extra gate they bring out so there’s a gap between 15 and 16 there anybody who’s 16 or higher? They’ve got a severe disadvantage from trying to get past all those horses and into a good spot on that first turn. So while he is a good horse.
Maybe his odds would be a lot better if he was in the top 15. The last horse there the number 20 combatant forces in the Arkansas Derby does get lineage but not a great horse and way on the outside definitely [00:18:00] going to look out swear. They’re all right. So we’ve taken taking you through every horse here.
Um, again, five six seven eleven were your favorites and you mixed in a few more there, uh, nine ten eighteen seem to be your other three favorites in maybe the next tier uh and horses that you’d kind of recommend using if you’re going to play some of the Exotics. Um, Tell me what people should do and where they should go.
Um, tell me what’s going on and go tell me what’s going on at potato. So if you are a person who likes to visit the branches and you don’t mind the lines, okay, that’s fine. We open at 10 o’clock on Friday for advanced wagering and we open at 10 o’clock on Saturday for the Derby wagering. But if you know, you’re not gonna be able to get there too late.
And you want to deal with the crowds but wait sign up for a potato that’s account. It’s super easy. You can use your credit card to make a deposit and we’ll even match your first couple wagers with some specials that we have going on. You know, when you make a deposit we kind of do some matching things there.
So the Tavia Betts is the way to do it. You can also watch the race outfits. So if you got a [00:19:00] birthday party or something else going on you can’t actually watch the Derby wherever you’re going to be watching on your phone, you know, you’ll be able to do it all from the tape. Uh, if you are going to be visiting a branch, I would advise that you do it on Friday.
If you can if you can’t do it 10:00 Saturday, you know visiting OT be easy. Maybe there’s these events all around Buffalo. Uh We’ve Got What It Takes we’ve got a whole bunch up in Niagara County. We’ve got one of the arcade hotel if you’re down arcade way. If you’re out kind of on the lake Stroh’s Tavern and then man snooze down in Dunkirk, we got ones down there too.
Usually the lines aren’t too bad at the easy bets. But of course the ranch is going to be packed. We’ve got our volunteer. From the office going to be going out to the branches to do drawings for t-shirts and glasses those beautiful movement. Julep glasses will have those out there. Uh, they’ll be doing drawings throughout the afternoon all the way up until about five o’clock the race of course goes off at 650, but you got all day to make that wager, but I’d advise you to get there as early as possible because you do not want to wait.
All right to make that wager but. It’s going to be unbelievable. So not [00:20:00] only do we have the normal party. It’s $15 to get in downstairs. You’re going to get 15 bucks back in free play immediately. Once you earn a point on the gaming floor. So that almost takes care of your entire meal there or your entire expenditure there.
You’re going to get lunch. It’s going to be your choice of either beef stew pulled pork beef on wax Caesar salad or meatloaf. And you also get a soft drink with that and you get a $2.00 wager on the Kentucky Derby. So really you’re getting a lot of value there’s free programs everywhere and all these places you’ll have that as well.
That’s. Going on inside the Panic Room. We’ve also got black button distilling doing some great, uh bourbon sampling with you know, because it is the Kentucky Derby. The mint julep is bourbon. That’ll be going on inside of the Panic Room inside 34 brush. We’re going to have uh, some sampling with our friends from Angry Orchard Road, which is the official sponsor of the Derby.
They’re going to have all kinds of giveaways and sampling going on but also have uh, the radio stations going to be broadcasting live down there. She’ll hear myself and taught again that day will kind of fill you in on so many last. It’s up to date information about the weather [00:21:00] and what not and will also have that night because it is Cinco de Maya, uh Coronas gonna be doing sampling at night.
So we’ll have angrier to the afternoon and then those sampling it right also Jim Beam going to be stopping by with some sampling as well from 4 to 6. So angry after 4 to 6 is going to be Jim Beam and then 79 is Corona. So if you like beer definitely check 34 person free beer sampling on Saturday bourbon, man.
All right, you got it all going on. And now I understand when you said when I said what’s up, you said everything you know everything we’re not done yet. So then the last thing were to do which is new this year and something people have been asking about they said oh, you know, how come we know you guys don’t have anything where you dress up like?
No, that’s a good point. So this year the Derby Gala at the downs is upstairs inside of our grandstands Banquet Hall. It’s 50 bucks to get in but listen to this you get 25 bucks back in free play immediately $10 wager on the Derby. It’s open bar from 4:30 to 7. Good God. Not to mention grazing stations with all kinds of great a little Foods cheese [00:22:00] crackers, uh, small little shrimp things.
You don’t stuff like that. That’s all going to be going on upstairs. It is dressed to impress. So for the guys who are coming and you can get tickets by the way on the TV concerts for guys that are coming. Absolutely no jeans. No shorts. No sandals. It’s okay to wear sneakers because listen everybody’s got a bad back.
I understand, uh, see where your sneakers that’s fine. But you got to wear dress pants or some sort of, you know classy pants you want. One of those crazy Kentucky Derby suits about that. We want to see we want whole point. Yeah, so but you can’t wear anything that’s going to be uh, you know, kind of ragtag sweatpants, you know, none of that for the ladies, you know, a nice skirt a nice dress pant suit, whatever have you?
That’s nice. You guys can wear sneakers to about worried about you know, any sort of uh designer Footwear you want to that’s fine, but we’re not going to kick anybody out for bad Footwear unless sandals hats you need the hat and you need the hat. So we have a hat contest if you’re if you’re late or come with that guy coming with that.
We’re not going to discriminate. You got a fun hat you want to where we’re gonna have a contest to win prizes for [00:23:00] my friends at Four Roses Bourbon. They’re going to be on site with uh, with the exclusive, uh, drink upstairs. It’s open bar. But if you go up there and you get your mint julep, it’s going to be a four roses.
But we’ve also got our friends from local Winery going to be doing some uh, some wine casing in that room that’s exclusive to the room. So really any part of you go to whether to $15 party the 34 Rush hanging mingle party or the high-end party. You’re gonna see all kinds of beer, you know liquor and wine sampling you’re gonna see a lot of people having some fun and hopefully going to see some people making some money you guys have good ideas.
And this is my new favorite one. That’s awesome. Of course, there should be a party like that. It makes total sense and I’m glad to hear that you’re doing that’s awesome. Right? Thanks a lot. Absolutely. All right good to talk to you in two weeks. Appreciate it. Thanks. All right, Ryan Hasenauer from OTB and Batavia Downs all that information.
Um will be posted on our website as well the posts that goes along with this podcast. So if you download the podcast but don’t actually go to trying to offload [00:24:00] you should do that because you can get all this stuff written out for you got all of it, but enough of it we’ll get you some links we get y’all that stuff.
Thanks. Again. Ryan Hasenhour thanks to Consumers Beverages Buffalo’s beer store and thanks to you for listening to the podcast here trending Buffalo. [00:25:00] [00:26:00] [00:27:00]
