Derby Notebook: Thoughts after returning from Louisville

Here are some thoughts and liner notes upon my return from Louisville:

--There were so many people in the Kentucky Derby winner's circle that Big Brown apparently didnt' make it into the photo since he was obscured by the entorauge.

--It looks like Dennis of Cork and Tale of Ekati will be pointed to the Belmont with most other Derby contenders falling off the triple crown trail.

--Colonel John may go to the Preakness...

--Proud Spell, Casino Drive, Behindatthebar, El Gato Malo, Harlem Rocker and Salute The Sarge are all non-Derby contenders who could be potential Triple Crown spoilers.

--It will be about 10 days before the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority gets the test results back and we will find out if Big Brown's romp was the result of ability or a syringe. Sure it's cynical, but it's not like this trainer doesn't have a track record -- and it's not like it has never happened before (Forward Pass).

--Churchill Downs had the genius idea to begin selling buttons of all the Kentucky Derby contenders this year for $1. On Saturday I heard several people in the grandstand and paddock area offering to buy the sold-out Eight Belles buttons for more than face value -- who knew there might be a secondary market for these things? So far none have cropped up on Ebay...

--PETA is asking for jockey Gabriel Saez to be suspended, does this group really have any credibility with anyone anymore?

--I stood next to William Rhoden of The New York Times when Larry Jones addressed the media late Saturday night -- we've all known for a while that Rhoden hates horse racing, but what I found out was that the guy uses a 80s-era walkman to collect his quotes. He kept flipping the tape during the interview (did he only had 4 minute tapes?), so no wonder it seems like he went to a completely different interview than the one I did. Seriously, a quality digital recorder is less than $30...

--Some of the buzz last night after I left Churchill Downs for dinner was that CNNSi had posted some AP photos of Eight Belles being euthanized. I'm now starting to see the photos everywhere...