By virtue of winning the (G1) Louisiana Derby on March 24, Noble Indy grabbed the 100 Kentucky Derby qualifying points and vaulted to the top of the leaderboard. He had previously picked up 10 points for running third in the (G2) Risen Star Stakes, also at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, and currently sits in a tie for first with Audible. He'll make his next start in the Kentucky Derby on May 5.
With the Louisiana Derby win, Noble Indy ran his record to three wins and one third-place finish in four lifetime starts. A late starter in his juvenile season, he won his first career race at Gulfstream Park going wire-to-wire at seven furlongs back in early December.
He made his 2018 debut at the allowance level racing 1 1/16 miles at Gulfstream, where he went head-to-head with Mississippi - who was recently a well-beaten third in the Florida Derby - before prevailing by 3/4 of a length. In the 1 1/16 mile Risen Star he was bumped as they broke from the gate and then chased the two longshot leaders around the track to finish third by two lengths.
His sire is Take Charge Indy, who won the 2012 (G1) Florida Derby and then finished 19th in that year's Kentucky Derby. He went on to win the 2013 (G2) Alysheba Stakes at Churchill Downs, and was second or third in four other graded-stakes races in his career. His grandsire was Hall of Famer A.P Indy, who won the 1992 Belmont Stakes and Breeders' Cup Classic. Noble Indy's dam is Noble Maz, who won a pair of lower-level stakes races as a sprinter.
One of the big questions for all Derby horses is if they can last the 1 1/4 miles, farther than any of them have raced before. Despite the fact his dam was a sprinter, Noble Indy is loaded with distance pedigree on his sire side - including A.P Indy and 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew - and his performance in his last three races would indicate distance shouldn't be a problem.
It's not all that common to see a horse re-engage and fight back to get the win as he did in the Louisiana Derby, and that willingness to battle will serve him well in the 20-horse Derby field. Trainer Todd Pletcher won last year with Always Dreaming, and Super Saver in 2010.
In recent past history, the Louisiana prep races haven't been the path to Derby glory, with the last horse to turn the LA Derby-Kentucky Derby double being Grindstone in 1996. The jury is still out on the level of competition he has raced against. The two horses that finished ahead of him in the Risen Star were 21-1 and 42-1, respectively, and they came back to finish eighth and fifth in the LA Derby. As a horse that likes to run on or near the lead, he's more of a grinder than a pure speedster.
If you like Noble Indy's chances, you can bet him right now at Bovada and get future odds for a Win bet of 22-1. Come race day, he'll probably be somewhere in the mid-teens, and is a solid bet on trifecta and superfecta wagers.
See Also: Kentucky Derby Contenders: Mendelsshon
Category : Betting Picks
Tag : Bovada , Horse Racing
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