Jones' Filly: Eight Belles Derby Bound

Larry Jones' filly Eight Belles is now all but etched in stone as being Kentucky Derby bound.

This morning Jones said that only a far outside post position or possibly the rail would keep his horse from going in the Kentucky Derby, with the 6th selection this afternoon, Jones is guaranteed to get a position that keeps his filly from an unfavorable gate.

This morning I asked Jones what he thought about Rick Dutrow's statement that no filly could beat Big Brown.

"I don't blame him for thinking that he's got a very good horse," Jones said. "He's had good horses before, he knows a good horse when he sees it, I have total faith in the fact that he likes his horse. I think he's made that clear to more people than just me."

Jones said that in addition to Big Brown's light racing record and history of feet problems, he sees other questions about the horse.

"I know his horse ran a little crooked in Florida," Jones said. "We're seeing his horse make a few mistakes, he may have them all ironed out and he just may show he's a super horse. But right now we'll just take our chance and see what happens."

Jones said that he is friends with D. Wayne Lukas and Leroy Jolley, the last two trainers to have a filly win the Kentucky Derby. He said he has had them both come out and look at Eight Belles.

"Both of them seem favorable and said, 'Larry this is the year to give it a try'", Jones said. "And I respect their opinion, both of those guys are in the hall of fame. If they don't think I'm crazy, then I'm okay with it."

Of the three fillies that have won the Derby, Regret (1915), Genuine Risk (1980) and Winning Colors (1988), each one of them had previously beaten boys prior to the Derby, something Eight Belles has not done.

"That was one thing that Mr. Lukas had suggested that I try, and we even had thought about it in the Arkansas Derby, but they moved the Fantasy a week away, it was going to give us an extra week to prepare," he said. "

"We thought it was better to take the short field, and get the extra weeks rest and tackle the boys here," he said.

He said he can't tell owner Rick Porter anything other than the fact that Eight Belles is working the best she ever has.

"She's just doing so well, we've just got to do it," he said. "The last thing we want is a poor performance in this Derby. I've been beat at Churchill a lot, I don't look forward to it happening."

"If we didn't think we could do this and do very well, we wouldn't be in here," he said.

"It's too expensive to just go out there and say we're in the Derby. We really feel like number wise she fits. If she will go out there and run her race with the colts and not get intimidated, we think she'll be right there," he said.