Kentucky wagering will have Ice Box as one of the horses with double-digit odds in the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby.
The horse might be an interesting longshot to consider in Kentucky odds. Kentucky wagering favors Eskendereya and almost all of the other horses are longshots including Ice Box. In the Florida Derby, Ice Box won at odds of 20-1. The horse is trained by Nick Zito so he has to be respected. If the Kentucky Derby is run like the Florida Derby then Ice Box has a chance. In the Florida Derby the pace was hot and the favored Rule ran himself into the ground and lost as the 9-5 favorite. Ice Box bided his time and ran down the pace setters. That scenario could happen in the Kentucky Derby as a number of speed balls are going to fight for the lead. Ice Box looks to be similar to Summer Bird who ran last year in the Triple Crown races.
The Derby is going to be top heavy with speed horses. There are already a number of horses that like the lead. American Lion, Conveyance, Discreetly Mine, Line of David, Rule, Sidney’s Candy and Super Saver are horses who have led a race wire to wire in their careers. If Paddy O’Prado makes the race he would be another speed horse. Even the favorite in Kentucky odds, Eskendereya is a horse that likes to be close to the lead.
Ice Box is by the A.P. Indy stallion Pulpit and he has the pedigree to run a distance. His damsire is Tabasco Cat who won the Preakness and Belmont in 1994. His jockey is Jose Lezcano and that might be his only drawback as Lezcano is not considered one of the top jockeys.
The question with Ice Box is whether he has the class to beat a horse like Eskendereya. Last year Summer Bird didn’t have what was needed in the Derby but ended up winning the Belmont. Ice Box could be a similar horse to consider in this year’s Triple Crown. He is not going to get a ton of action in the Derby and perhaps the distance is not quite far enough for him. He does have appealing Kentucky wagering odds though and anytime a horse is trained by Nick Zito he has a chance to spring the upset.