Leading jockeys face agonizing decisions as Kentucky Derby nears

Musical chairs, as it pertains to the Kentucky Derby, has nothing to do with child’s play. It is an annual spring ritual played among the nation’s leading jockeys trying to secure a strong Kentucky Derby mount.

Ten weeks remain until the Derby, and some jockeys soon will need to make agonizing decisions. For example, Javier Castellano had a conflict when Algorithms and Union Rags were scheduled to run in the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park on Sunday. He was the regular rider of both horses.

Castellano is the rider on three Todd Pletcher-trained Derby colts — Algorithms, El Padrino and Gemologist. Plus, he rides dozens of other horses for Pletcher. Castellano decided to give up the ride on Union Rags, forcing Union Rags’ trainer, Michael Matz, to hire Julien Leparoux.

This scene will be played out often between now and Derby Day on May 5.

Many top jockeys are regular riders of multiple Derby contenders. For instance, Rafael Bejarano is riding five nice colts for trainer Bob Baffert: Bodemeister, Castaway, Fed Biz, Liaison and Secret Circle. Expect jockeys such as Martin Garcia, Mike Smith and Chantal Sutherland to get in line.

Ramon Dominguez rides Alpha and Hansen, last year’s champion 2-year-old. He can delay his decision on which horse he rides in the Derby as long as in a prep race they don’t face each other or run on the same day at different tracks.

Joel Rosario rides two colts for Mike Harrington — Creative Cause and Empire Way. Sometimes riding multiple horses for the same trainer, as with Castellano and Bejarano, can be an advantage — the reason being the trainer also is trying to avoid running his colts against each other.

Sometimes sitting on the sidelines without a strong Derby commitment can work out in the long run. Garrett Gomez is out injured but expected back soon to ride Out of Bounds. If for any reason Out of Bounds does not improve, and Gomez goes looking for another Derby mount, he would be the first call for many trainers.

Winning a Kentucky Derby is the ultimate goal of any jockey. Just think of it this way: No one asks Calvin Borel if he has won the Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs. But even casual sports fans know he has won the Kentucky Derby, three times to be exact.

■ ANOTHER VEGAS JACKPOT — On Dec. 22, an unidentified bettor at The Orleans won $315,119 in the Black Gold Pick 5 at the Fair Grounds. Pari-mutuel lightning struck again in Las Vegas, this time on Feb. 8 at Sunset Station.

Davis Bao won $237,765 in the Rainbow Pick Six at Gulfstream Park. In both instances, the player had to be the only winner to cash in on each bet’s progressive carryover pool. It doesn’t surprise me that a lot of smart money is bet on the ponies here.

Richard Eng’s horse racing column is published Friday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He can be reached at rich_eng@hotmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @richeng4propick.