certain Derby horse

Question
Hi - can you tell me the name of a horse who won a past Derby and was bred here in California?  It would have been bred on the Bishop Ranch in Monterey County. The owners were probably the Bishops and or McIntosh.  Thanks for any help you can give me!  Pam   Oh, and since I have you here, what are your thoughts on this years Derby.  Do you have a favorite over Empire Maker?

Answer
Pam -

I'm not sure who your Derby winner is.  I find 3 California-bred Kentucky Derby winners - Morvich in 1922, Swaps in 1955 and Decidedly in 1963.  My Derby book stops in 1998, so maybe there's a more recent one, but I can't think of who it might be.  None of my three were bred by the Bishops or anyone named McIntosh.  Sorry I can't be more helpful, but based on my research, there doesn't seem to be such a horse.

As for my Derby choice, Empire Maker is certainly impressive, and nothing else has really shown all that much.  Maybe Ten Most Wanted, which won the Illinois Derby (the same race War Emblem used as his Kentucky Derby prep) by 4 lengths despite traffic problems, could be a threat, but his Ill. Derby time was slow and his competition wasn't much.  He does seem to be a rapidly improving 3-year-old, however.  You could find a less interesting longshot.

I'll probably use the same tactics that won me a few bucks in Fusaichi Pegasus's Derby - play trifectas from the top choice to everybody to everybody, and hope for longshots in the place and show spots.  It's an expensive way to play the race, but a nice longshot running second could lead to a payoff in excess of $1000.  In Fusaichi Pegasus's race, the trifecta cost $132 and paid $220 or so, which was less than I'd hoped for, but on the other hand, it was profitable.  

Thanks, as always, for your question, and best of luck in the Derby.

- Mark Shrager