Kentucky Derby Profile: Helium

Both our in-house handicapper take a look at all the horses in the Kentucky Derby.

All their results over the past 12 months are listed below along with their Morning Line Odds and the full field of runners for the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby.

This piece is all about the Mark Casse trained undefeated Helium who has got Post Position 12 and it is fair to say that neither Sean nor J.N. are overly keen on his chances...

Sean's Take...

This horse was a surprise winner of the G2 Tampa Bay Derby in his 3-year-old debut and first dirt start, which earned him a Beyer of just 84. You’d think given that lowly number his connections would want to test his mettle a bit more before throwing him to the wolves, but nope, here he lands having not raced in almost two months. Given his lackluster speed figures and relative inexperience, all I can say is good luck.

J.N's Take...

If you ever had the opportunity to watch Ironicus run on the turf, then you know he had a major set of late gears in the deep stretch that made him extremely dangerous in Graded Co. Now as a sire, he has had little success when it comes to his progeny. This colt will be one of his best, especially if he can make a nice showing in America’s greatest race.

When it comes to being backed by a strong barn, there is no one you would rather have in your corner than HOF trainer Mark Casse. His ability to condition continues to impress, and he just keeps bringing a strong set of runners into each of the divisions. The major question is can this lightly raced colt be ready to contest the kind of pace he is going to see in KYD147? He has only run once this year, and that was certainly an impressive win in the Tampa Bay Derby (G2).

Then Casse and D J Stable decided to shut this one down and wait till May. That decision may have taken a very good horse, and decimated his chances to reach the level of fitness he will need in this spot. Who would disagree with Casse? Not me . . . but it is certainly worth mentioning, as he goes to one of his old-standard riders in Julien Leparoux. 

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