To Win the Derby, a Jock Needs All the Right Moves

A puff of white smoke appeared above the Keeneland grandstand earlier this week, signifying that the highly anticipated selection had been made. Praise be. Irad Ortiz Jr., the most accomplished active jockey without a victory in America's most famous race, had chosen to ride Renegade in the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby (G1) May 2 at Churchill Downs. Renegade and Ortiz won the Arkansas Derby (G1) March 28 with a blistering final furlong. It was the kind of closing flourish unleashed by the likes of Rumbo, Menifee, Ice Box, and Commanding Curve to almost win the big one at Churchill Downs, confirming once again that it's the little things that count just as much during the first 8 furlongs of the chaotic stampede. The drama surrounding the Ortiz decision also served to distort the importance of the jockey in the Derby. More than any other major race, blind luck plays a disproportionate role in the outcome. Rarely does a rider on a horse with a solid chance going in emerge from a heartbreaking loss claiming no excuse. There are no holds barred at the start. The first turn is a whirlwind of aggression and compromise. And that final turn, where the weak begin to surrender as the strong prevail, can wither even the bravest souls as they probe for a clear way home. Ortiz has yet to hit the board in nine Derby rides. This means nothing, really, when viewed through the eyes of Laffit Pincay Jr., who did not win his lone Derby until his 11th try, or Mike Smith, who rode in 11 Derbies before Giacomo came along or, especially, Javier Castellano, who had every right to give up the quest after going 0-for-15. Then he was blessed with Mage. Make no mistake, Ortiz has proven to be a game-changer no matter what the circumstance. If there is a moment during Renegade's Derby trip that calls for a defining moment, the talented Puerto Rican has the tools to make a difference, just as Gary Stevens did in the first turn of the 1997 Derby when he moved Silver Charm without hesitation to secure a position between horses, or as Bill Shoemaker did when he made an abrupt leftward correction in the stretch of the 1986 Derby aboard Ferdinand. Eddie Delahoussaye was in the field that day, although he was too far back with California Derby (G2) winner Vernon Castle to see Shoemaker take that daring dive inside Vince Bracciale Jr. and Broad Brush with the winning move. "After I saw the replay, I told Shoe he was a helluva rider," Delahoussaye said. "He was what, 54? But he still had it. I also told him he was lucky that other guy gave him room when he did, otherwise he probably would've ended up in the infield." Shoemaker's reply? "'You're right,'" Delahoussaye recalled. "'But I had to go for it.'" Delahoussaye, who had 6,384 wins when an injury ended his career in 2002, won the Kentucky Derby twice on his way to the Hall of Fame, first with Gato Del Sol in 1982 and then with Sunny's Halo in 1983. To that point, only Isaac Murphy, Jimmy Winkfield, and Ron Turcotte had won the Derby back to back, a list later joined by Calvin Borel and Victor Espinoza. Delahoussaye's Derby trophies have a place of honor at home in his native New Iberia, La., where he retired with his wife, Juanita. He has dabbled in bloodstock, served on the state's racing commission and, at the most recent September yearling sales in Kentucky, he could be found at the side of Aron Wellman of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. "Once Sunny's Halo got away clean, he felt like a winner all the way," Delahoussaye said of the white-faced chestnut. "I think anybody could have ridden him that day, but I'm glad I did." Gato Del Sol, on the other hand, needed a few things to go his way, and the right rider to make it happen. They had finished second in the colt's previous appearance, the Blue Grass Stakes (G1), for trainer Eddie Gregson. "For his first start outside of California, that was a good race in the Blue Grass," Delahoussaye said. "There were horses heading into the Derby I thought were going the wrong way, and I knew our colt could get the distance. I told Eddie that we just might back into something. "If I made a difference with him in the Derby, it was keeping him out of trouble," Delahoussaye said. "Knowing him was the key. He was a big plodder, so I didn't try to cut that last corner. I just stayed outside and lost ground. If I hadn't ridden him before, I'd have probably tried to cut the corner and taken a chance on getting stopped." Gato Del Sol, last of 19 at the half-mile pole, was in front by 2 1/2 lengths at the wire. If not for three-quarters of a length at the end of the 1981 Derby, Delahoussaye could have won three straight. That was the winning margin of Pleasant Colony and Jorge Velasquez over the onrushing Delahoussaye aboard Woodchopper. "That was the first time I ever rode the horse, so I really don't know if I made a difference or not," Delahoussaye said. "I suppose if I'd known him, maybe he would have won." Then there are the days when not even the reincarnation of Bill Hartack (he of the five wins from 12 Derby mounts) could have made a difference. Bad luck abounds, and Delahoussaye found it with the lightly raced Strodes Creek in 1994. "Strodes Creek should have won the Derby," Delahoussaye declared. "He got wiped out on the first turn, then again on the last turn when two or three horses could have gone down. Nothing you can do about that." They finished second, beaten 2 lengths by the front-running Go for Gin. In searching for his first Derby score, instead of Renegade, Ortiz could have ridden Commandment, winner of the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) and Florida Derby (G1), or Further Ado, winner of the Blue Grass. He knows them all well, having ridden all three in their racing debuts, as well as in major victories. "For him to pick Renegade tells me he must think a lot of him, especially when he had his choice of those other nice horses," Delahoussaye said. "And Renegade has won at Oaklawn, so he shouldn't have any trouble with Churchill Downs. At least that's what I found over the years." Delahoussaye discovered that early with Sunny's Halo, who knocked off both the Rebel Handicap and the Arkansas Derby before his triumph at Churchill Downs. "Yeah, but when he was right, he could have run on anything," Delahoussaye said. "If I made any difference with him, it was just letting him do his thing. He was a good horse, which is what it takes to win the Derby. That, and a whole lot of luck."