Renowned trainer Todd Pletcher has two colts, Gemologist and El Padrino, running in this weekend’s Kentucky Derby, and while the former is garnering more attention, the latter should not be dismissed. El Padrino comes from great stock and should be a contender in the 138th Run for the Roses. The odds makers are not completely sold on the colt, though, as the latest Kentucky Derby Picks going for +2500 Horse Racing Odds.
El Padrino needed two shots to break his maiden, but the chestnut colt has been impressive since, posting two wins in four races. The Pulpit sired horse, which has never competed on anything but a dirt surface, won a 1 1/16 miles Allowance race in late January before capturing its first graded stakes title in February at the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes.
Unfortunately for El Padrino, his two worst finishes came in his two longest races. The colt took third at the Remsen Stakes (G2) last November and it placed fourth in its final Derby prep race, the Grade 1 Florida Derby. Both of those events features a 1 1/8 miles distance.
However, stamina and distance should not be of any concern for El Padrino come Saturday, not according to his pedigree anyway. The colt’s great-grandsire was 1992 Belmont Stakes winner A.P. Indy (by Seattle Slew) and its dam, Enchanted Rock, comes from bloodlines that include Giant’s Causeway, Storm Cat, and the great Secretariat.
Peruvian jockey Rafael Bejarano, who now calls Louisville home, will be aboard The Let’s Go Stable’s product for the 138th running of the Kentucky Derby. Bejarano, who guided Blind Luck to first place at the 2010 Kentucky Oaks, did not serve as El Padrino’s jockey in any of the colt’s previous six races.
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El Padrino Odds 2012 Kentucky Derby Picks: Provided by Bovada.lv
El Padrino +2500 (To Win 2012 Kentucky Derby)
