DERBY NOTES: Uh Oh.. No Bango; Noble's Promise 50-50
 

Uh Oh Bango injured, out of Derby
By Jay Privman

Uh Oh Bango, the fourth-place finisher in the Arkansas Derby and the 21st horse on the list of graded earnings among prospects for the May 1 Kentucky Derby, came out of the race Saturday with a fractured left front cannon bone and will be sidelined from four to six months, his trainer, Kory Owens, said Tuesday morning.

"He's going to have surgery sometime this week in Oklahoma, where a lot of people at Oaklawn send their horses," Owens said from Turf Paradise in Phoenix, where he is based during the winter. "He cooled out okay after the race, but the next day, we could tell something was not really right. He'll have a screw put in it. He should be out four to six months."

Uh Oh Bango's defection, and the continued uncertain status of Noble's Promise, helps horses on the bubble in terms of Derby earnings, such as Jackson Bend and Backtalk.

too bad....he is a nice horse.

they are dropping like flies.

McPeek puts Noble's Promise at 50-50 for Derby
By Marty McGee

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Trainer Ken McPeek said Tuesday morning that Noble's Promise, second on the graded earnings list and a potential key domino in who does and doesn't make the field for the May 1 Kentucky Derby, is "maybe 50-50 to make the race."

Noble's Promise colt emerged from his fifth-place finish in the Arkansas Derby with cuts and scrapes and a lung infection. The Cuvee colt has $738,000 in graded earnings, second only to Lookin At Lucky on a lengthy list that extends far beyond the 20-horse cutoff point.

"He went to my farm [Magdalena] in Lexington [on Monday], and he'll stay there until we bring him over to Churchill Downs very early Thursday morning," said McPeek. "He'll gallop after the break Thursday, and if all goes smooth, he'll work on the 20th or 21st.

"The cuts are a non-issue; we're already taking care of them. His status for the Derby will depend a lot on how he works and how he scopes after."

Gotta love the excuses of why a horse didn't run

Ran 5th cause of a lung infection? Is that what McPeek is saying or he just got it in past 2 days?

Also I wouldn't mind Jackson Bend in the race to add more speed at the front however is there any chance he even makes it around the 1st turn:D

Pretty typical, actually. Last year you had the two faves drop out--that's bad.

Yeah, last year was way worse. Nowhere to Hide. Flying Private. Mine that Bird. Er...

'Any chance he makes it around the first turn'? What's that supposed to mean? For starters, he isn't a speed horse or need the lead type in the slightest. Jackson Bend has repeatedly demonstrated uncommon gameness and has already outrun his pedigree in a career that has seen him finish, let's see, no worse than 2nd in 9 career starts. His efforts in the Fountain and Wood leave some doubt as to how honest he is? I personally would prefer to see him tackle more suitable targets, but you best believe he will give everything he has when many others have quit by the eighth pole.

Much has been made about how Awesome Act was supposed to get by him in the Wood. I just don't see it with this horse. Where's his good race? Clearly, he has a knack for hanging around but that only gets you home when good fortune knocks.

I like Jackson Bend as well

More speed at the front I meant as he can push them if need be(Didnt mean he was a front runner speed only horse)

Also agree he is a horse that wont give up,I just dont think he will factor in with the other horses out at the end is what I meant. He has shown he can run on dirt as well as push horses.

There's nothing to see or get... He is what he is. He's never been worse than 2nd in 9 starts. That's not an accident. He's a commonly bred hard-trying type. A quintessential "Calder horse". A knack for hanging around = keeps trying when supposedly classier foes quit.

I'd be happy to own this kind of ATM horse.

AA did get by Jackson Bend briefly but JB came back on him. He's a tough horse. He's been beaten 9+ by Eskendereya in his last two, but he was clearly best of the rest both times.

JB could have a very nice career in Gr. 2 & 3 races.

He was one of three horse I bought futures on back in November (Eskendereya and Buddy's Saint being the other two). I don't think JB has a chance in the Derby on this projected field, but there is nothing to knock on him except he is a bit out of his league--he's a gutty little SOB.

And if he were to win, somehow, it would be probably be called a "bad" Derby, but it would make me very happy, and not just because of the future book ticket.

More Than Ready held on for 4th. See no reason JB couldn't do the same.

It amazes me that JB has simply disappeared of many analyst's radar...a striggle to find him in many people's top ten or twenty...DRF put him back in this week but had him out the last two. Haskin has him nowhere near top 12. He was a well beaten but capable second to a possible odds on derby favorite, yet all I have heard is how he CANT get the distance. While I agree that he is not a logical horse to win the derby, no one can say he does not belong in the field. I also have him in a future book bet from this past November, but have really come to appreciate how hard he runs and his heart. Any idea who would ride him if he does get in? I believe Borel will probably stick with Super Saver

Funny you mention him. I was at Vinery yesterday and the poor guy was set to mount his 3rd mare of the day and couldn't get it up.

All I could think about was this being the polar opposite to Sumitas' legendary post.

I don't think Jackson Bend is going to win, but that horse has guts. No doubt about that.

Given his pedigree and size, I doubt that Jackson Bend will ever have to worry about that problem. (And I say that liking the horse.)

I assume the poster meant that Jackson Bend might not make it around the first turn, simply because of his small stature in a 20-horse field.
I've become an admirer of the horse, as he's shown more heart and determination than most of the 3-year olds.

I kind of like the top horses that have come out of that Flordia stallion series of races over the past few years (Big Drama, In Summation, High Fly, etc..).