133rd Derby Tastes Chalky

Approximately eight seconds into the 133rd Kentucky Derby, I realized why this event is one of the best in all of sport. It's not the fancy hats or the bespoke suits or the silver cups. It's something much more primal than that. After the week-long coverage and the hour-long made-for-TV build up, you're left with a two minute race. It's a physical competition as old as man, something that happens naturally in backyards and playgrounds the world over. Line them up and let's see who is the fastest.

In the biggest such race in America, that horse was Street Sense. His impressive rally from 19 horses back to win snapped a number of Derby streaks:

• First Breeder's Cup Juvenile winner to win the Derby.
• First 2-year-old champion to win the Derby since Spectacular Bid in 1979.
• First horse to win the Derby with two or fewer prep races since Sunny's Halo in 1983.
• First horse to win from the seven slot since Pleasant Colony in 1981.
• First Derby win for jockey Calvin Borel.

But there was one more thing that rarely happens at the Derby: the chalk came home. Street Sense was the longest favorite ever to win the Derby, but he was still the favorite. Hard Spun, the fourth choice by the time the race went off, held on to place after leading the field for much of the race. The morning line favorite and post time second choice, Curlin, came in to show. The $2 trifecta paid $440, the lowest total since 2000.

The reason the Derby is such a great, and difficult, race to handicap is because anything can happen. We see it almost every year. A lightly regarded horses hits the board (Bluegrass Cat, 2006) or even wins the whole thing (Giacomo, 2005). It's almost impossible to predict.

This year, however, the Run for the Roses was painfully logical. If not for Hard Spun's polarizing workout earlier in the week, this race could have finished 1-2-3 on the toteboard. Does this mean the race was in some way disappointing? Not in the least.

Street Sense's back of the pack rally to win could become the stuff of legend. Seeing the colt cut through the field like a shark fin through water is as good as it gets on the track. Was there greatness in that move? Unquestionably.

Is there greatness in that horse? We'll find out in two weeks at Pimlico but right now, I'm a believer.