People in the Bay Area have a reputation for being laid back. Turns out their horses are much the same.
Kentucky Derby long shot Rousing Sermon -- as of Tuesday morning he was at 40/1, according to KentuckyDerby.info -- is apparently pretty chilled out himself.
From the San Francisco Examiner:
"He's a real laid-back horse," [trainer Jerry] Hollendorfer said of Rousing Sermon. "I could probably send him to China and it wouldn't bother him. But he's trying to get into the big time. And we'll find out soon if he can."
The 1¼-mile, two-minute hot-blooded race will surely test the steed, but Hollendorfer, a veteran of over 6,000 racing victories, likes his chances.
"It seems like there's going to be a considerable pace factor in the race," he said. "And our horse is a horse that comes from off the pace. And it looks like he can get the distance. So in theory, if you can get a fast pace up front, and be finishing at the end, you'd have a chance to run very well."
The Kentucky Derby will be this Saturday -- always the first Saturday of May -- at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
Union Rags and Bodemeister are the favorites at 9/2. But if you favor big returns over safe bets, then keep an eye on Rousing Sermon. The longest odds belong to Hero Of Order at 100/1.
For a schedule of Kentucky Derby events, check out this post. You can also go here for SB Nation's official Derby updates.