Sport: Roses for a Fast Female

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A filly wins the Derby for the first time since 1915

The 106th running of the Kentucky Derby was a handicapper's nightmare. After the past three years of supercolts and solid favorites, bookmakers and bettors were forced to sort through a bewildering field of sometime winners, oftentime also-rans and even a filly. Not only was there no 1980 equivalent of Seattle Slew, Affirmed or Spectacular Bid among the current crop of three-year-olds, there was not even an Honest Pleasure around to make things interesting.

Last season's top two-year-old, Rockhill Native, entered the 1980 season as the whiter book favorite, but when it came time for winter racing, he could not match his illustrious predecessors. Rockhill Native campaigned in Florida, at times giving a good imitation of a colt slogging through the swamps, not tuning up for the Triple Crown. Horseplayers promptly started looking for other contenders.

What they found was a series of colts whose owners could not even keep matters straight. Actor Jack Klugman gave his horse a feminine first name, apparently in hopes that Jaklin Klugman would become the first colt to win the Kentucky Derby in drag. Plugged Nickle's chances were rated highly after he won the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park and the Wood Memorial at New York's Aqueduct Racetrack, but the odds on his owner's winning a spelling bee were not worth a plugged nickel.

To misnomer and misspelling was added missed opportunity. The top California colt, Codex, was ineligible to com pete after his trainer forgot to enter the horse's name on the Kentucky Derby nominating list. Codex had won the Hollywood Derby and beaten Affirmed's time in winning the Santa Anita Derby, so his absence weakened the field considerably. Training injuries kept other key colts from the contest. Adelphi University Mathematics Professor William Quirin ran a computer comparison of Derby entries and passed harsh judgment: "This is the second worst crop of three-year-olds to come along in 25 years."*

Indeed the lineup was so unimpressive that Trainer Leroy Jolley took the uncommon step of entering a filly against the colts. Genuine Risk was the first filly to make the run for the roses since 1959. Only one female had ever won the race, Regret in 1915. Said one bookmaker: "Any time a Derby field isn't strong enough to scare off the girls, you've got trouble."

As it turned out, this girl had nothing to fear. While 132,000 fans watched in astonishment, she roared into the lead at the top of the home stretch, rushing away to a one-length victory over two California horses, Rumbo and Jaklin Klugman. The filly, carrying 5 Ibs. less than her male counterparts over the 1¼-mile Derby distance, was still running strongly at the wire, adding a convincing show of stamina to an upset victory that may well rank among the most remarkable in thoroughbred racing history. Genuine Risk won $250,550 for Owner Diana Firestone, and, as a 13-to-1 long shot, $28.60 for each of her $2 bettors.