Notes - May 8

- I was right about a few things on Saturday. English Channel. Brother Derek not being favored. I almost was right about Barbaro being the favorite….only that late surge of money on Sweetnorthernsaint prevented him from becoming the third favorite in the last seven years to win.

Another thing I was right about, unfortunately, was that the ratings would suck.

The National Broadcast Co.'s May 6 telecast of the Kentucky Derby (G1) registered a preliminary overnight rating of 7.4—the lowest since NBC began broadcasting the Derby in 2001.

The rating marks a 9.8% decrease from last year when the 131st edition of the race earned an 8.2 overnight rating. NBC officials were quick to point out, however, that this year's rating is still higher than the overnight ratings the American Broadcast Co. earned from 1998-'00.

The telecast peaked between 5:45 and 6:45 p.m. EDT with an 8.9 rating and a 20 share. The rating figure was down 11% while the share dropped three points. [Thoroughbred Times]

Hopefully, all the Triple Crown talk about Barbaro, as well has his spectacular win, will pick things up for the Preakness. But one thing I’d like to know is this: What would have happened if the hockey game preceding the telecast had gone into triple overtime? Would they have switched to the Derby between periods for updates?

- Last year at this time, we were hearing some of the stories about people who hit the Derby big time. No such payoffs this year, but still, the exacta with Bluegrass Cat returned $587, and my mole in Philly reports that the 8-13 combo was extremely popular at Delaware Park, where Barbaro debuted and the runner-up’s rider Ramon Dominguez rides regularly.

Another big winner, though I imagine he didn’t really want it this way, was Ron Bamberger, the executor of the will of Lawyer Ron’s late owner James T. Hines. The majority share of the horse that he sold just before Derby Day is certainly worth less today than it was then.

Bamberger, saying it was his duty to maximize the value of the estate, sold a chunk of the horse and his breeding rights to Audrey Haisfield of Stonewall Farm for a seven-figure sum two days before the race. He wouldn't get as much today.

"It was a pretty opportune time," trainer Bob Holthus said. "I think everybody got a good deal. Just because he lost one race is not the end of the world." [LA Times]

Reminds me of last year when the owners of Closing Argument sold the horse before the Preakness. He never ran again.

- Dick Jerardi on some pertinent numbers:

After attending that pace and running his first four fractions in :23.2, :23.7, :24.6 and :25.5, Barbaro cruised to a 3-length lead at the quarter pole. All Prado could see was an empty stretch, a shimmering finish line 440 yards away and, out of the corner of his eye, some of the 157,536 at the Downs, the second largest Derby crowd.

Without ever cocking his whip, Prado finally told Barbaro it was time to run. And the colt tore down the stretch like some of the great Derby winners in history, running that final quarter mile in :24.34 seconds, finishing the mile and a quarter in 2:01.36, earning a sensational Beyer speed figure of 111 and stamping himself as a serious threat to end the Triple Crown drought that goes back to Affirmed in 1978. [Philly Daily News]

Walter doesn’t even believe that those last two quarters – 25.5 and 24.34 – are accurate. “..Not even Secretariat can speed up during the final quarter of a 10-furlong race, let alone shave more than a second off the previous quarter.” But I’ll have to go along with the official time unless someone whips out a stopwatch and proves it wrong.

- I got to see the 2000 Guineas on TVG Saturday morning, and George Washington (Danehill) exploded out of the pack much in the way that Barbaro did. I’ve already fantasized about the two of them meeting on Breeders’ Cup day. Except which race would that be? The Classic or The Turf? Well, there’s a long way to go for that, and I’ve already read trainer Aidan O’Brien question whether George Washington can go as far as a mile and a half. In any event, the British Horseracing Board handicapper (referred to as “the official assessor” …you just gotta love those Brits) says: "George Washington appears to have run to a mark of at least 121, which is the highest I've got recorded in the race since King's Best ran to 124 in 2000." [Sporting Life] That of course is Timeform numbers, generally considered to be 12-14 points higher than a comparable Beyer fig.

I’ve also read some rumblings that Barbaro’s owners would love to see him run in the Epsom Derby, which is June 3. I don’t think anyone believes they would pass up a shot at the Triple Crown at this point. Matz told the Newark Star-Ledger that Barbaro would be a worthy Triple Crown winner, and not just because of his racing talent. “He has a nice personality. He's not a mean horse. He's got a lot of class.” OK, but is he a Democrat?