The first Derby horse I have a clear picture of rooting for was Genuine Risk ; when she won, I figured this whole picking winners thing was pretty easy. The next horse I recall backing was Slew O'Gold , who finished 4th in 1983. I was back in form with Swale in 1984 (and was devastated when he died...

Although I was duly impressed by Bellamy Road 's Wood Memorial victory back in 2005, I confess I never got on his bandwagon; I stayed with Afleet Alex , who had been my pick since before the 2004 Juvenile. (For the record, my Derby trifecta that year was Afleet Alex , Flower Alley and Bandini --...