Betting The Horses

On March 20, Ice Box won the Grade 1 Florida Derby as a 20-1 long shot.  The victory earned him a handsome $450,000 and more than likely ensured that trainer Nick Zito will have a starting horse at the May 1 Kentucky Derby.  Zito will be going for his third career Run for the Roses victory.

Ice Box is currently in 8th place on the graded stakes earnings list with $457,500.  After finishing fifth at the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes, he won the Grade 1 Florida Derby.  After a slow start to his racing career, he has won three of his last four horse betting races heading into the Kentucky Derby.

His pedigree suggests that the distance of the Kentucky Derby will not be an issue.  He was sired by Pulpit, fourth place finisher in the 1997 Kentucky Derby.  His mother, Spice Island, won at distances between 1 1/16 miles and 1 1/2 miles, on both turf and dirt.

By winning the Florida Derby as a 20-1 underdog, Ice Box has earned himself a spot among the top contenders for the Kentucky Derby.  The Associated Press currently has him listed as the number 3 overall horse.  Zito decided his earnings and preparation were sufficient to keep him from racing before May 1 and allowing the colt to train specifically for the Derby.

Zito won the Derby in 1991 with Strike the Gold and again in 1994 with Go for Gin.  If Ice Box delivers on the first Saturday of May and wins the Run for the Roses, Zito will take his place with six other men as the only trainers with three Kentucky Derby wins.