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Two elite trainers seeking their first Kentucky Derby win will saddle the favorites, Zandon and Epicenter, for Saturday’s race

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — When Steve Asmussen walked out of his barn on the afternoon of May 5, 2007, he knew, just knew, that he was going to win the Kentucky Derby.He grasped the inherent uncertainty around a 20-horse field, but he had that much faith in Curlin, the contender he had trained for the moment.AdvertisementAsmussen was right about the tough chestnut colt; Curlin would go on to win Horse of the Year twice and make the Hall of Fame. “But not on that day,” his trainer said, reflecting on the third-place finish that dowsed his Derby dreams.Fifteen years later, Asmussen will exit his barn at Churchill Downs with another contender, Epicenter, who has done everything right on his way to the first Saturday in May. In that span since Curlin’s Derby, Asmussen has won two Preakness Stakes, the Belmont Stakes and six Breeders’ Cup races. Last year, he became the winningest trainer in North American history, with his total now approaching 10,000. But he still has not won the first leg of the Triple Crown series, the race he began fantasizing about in the 1970s as the younger son in a horse-obsessed family in Laredo, Texas.AdvertisementAfter 23 unsuccessful attempts, has his time come with Epicenter?Kentucky Derby entrant Epicenter works out at Churchill Downs on Thursday in Louisville, Ky. “He has done everything that you would have wanted him to do, in his training and in his races, from last fall until now,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. (Charlie Riedel/AP)“I’m unbelievably excited, I really am,” Asmussen said. “He has done everything that you would have wanted him to do, in his training and in his races, from last fall until now. He gives you very little to talk about because we’ve been seeing this for a long time: a confident horse who’s a great physical [specimen] that’s doing well.”The only horse with shorter odds in the morning line, Zandon, also comes from a highly accomplished trainer with no Derby victory on his resume. Chad Brown won the Eclipse Award for outstanding trainer every year from 2016 to 2019. His dominance on turf is unparalleled in North America. But he has not put as much focus on preparing 3-year-olds for the Derby as Asmussen, Todd Pletcher or Bob Baffert, his peers at the highest level of the profession. Though Brown won the 2017 Preakness with Cloud Computing and finished second in the 2018 Derby with Good Magic, he sees Zandon as his best shot so far at a Derby triumph.“It just seems like everything’s lined up the right way for this horse,” Brown said.The battle between Epicenter and Zandon, and by extension Asmussen and Brown, will headline a Derby packed with viable contenders. We have Pletcher-trained Mo Donegal, who impressed with a furious charge in the April 9 Wood Memorial. We have White Abarrio, who did nothing but win on the Florida prep circuit for fast-rising trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. We have the speedy West Coast duo of Messier and Taiba, who came up in the barn of the suspended Baffert and are now under the care of Tim Yakteen.‘A regular Joe’: Tim Yakteen steps in for suspended trainer Bob Baffert at Kentucky Derby https://t.co/sw30eEofVh— Baltimore Sun Sports (@BaltSunSports) May 5, 2022

Rival trainers seemed most focused on Epicenter and Zandon, however, when handicapping the field. “Those are the two that, I’m going to be watching where those two are,” said Kenny McPeek, whose Smile Happy finished runner-up to Epicenter in the Feb. 19 Risen Star Stakes and runner-up to Zandon in the April 9 Blue Grass Stakes. “Especially Epicenter.”He was asked if Epicenter might get jammed up because he’s breaking from the No. 3 post with a crowd of 17 horses to his outside. “Yeah, but he’s tactical,” McPeek said. “He laid on the inside in the Louisiana Derby. He didn’t get all wrapped up in an early speed duel, and he kicked on home. He looks great out there right now; he’s the horse to beat.”Brown agreed, despite his faith in Zandon. When the top contenders met in the Risen Star at Fair Grounds Race Course in Louisiana, Epicenter led the entire way and was never seriously threatened.AdvertisementKentucky Derby entrant Zandon works out at Churchill Downs on Wednesday in Louisville, Ky. “He just doesn’t give up,” trainer Chad Brown said. “When he has horses in his sight, he’s eager to go get them.” (Charlie Riedel/AP)“This horse has done nothing wrong,” Brown said of his rival. “He’s versatile. He can win from the front. He can rate off horses. He’s not going to have a problem with the distance. He has a great trainer and a great team preparing him. He’s got a wonderful pedigree. If you find a fault in him, let me know, because I don’t see it.”In recent years, the Derby has favored horses that run on or near the lead. Epicenter has won from both positions.Zandon, meanwhile, fell well back of the pace in his last two races after running much closer to the lead in the Dec. 4 Remsen Stakes.Brown did not feel Zandon’s third-place performance in the Risen Star, where he jumped up awkwardly at the break, reflected his ability. He also did not love the colt’s trip in the Blue Grass, where Zandon fell to last before fighting his way through traffic to catch Smile Happy.The trainer acknowledged he was worried watching the opening half of that final prep race. He left it wondering how good Zandon might be with an ideal trip in the Derby.“He just doesn’t give up,” Brown said. “When he has horses in his sight, he’s eager to go get them.”AdvertisementHe’s not convinced his horse is the deep closer he appeared to be in the Blue Grass, predicting Zandon, a 3-1 morning-line favorite, could run in the front half of the field early in Saturday’s Derby. “If he gets a clean break and goes on with it in the first turn, I want him in that front 10, not in the back,” Brown said.It’s fascinating to hear high-level trainers contextualize their quest to win the Derby. Some openly acknowledge it as the race that animates their dreams. Others take a cooler approach, paying deference to the luck required to have the right horse and the right race setup at the right moment.“It’s no disgrace to have never won the Kentucky Derby,” McPeek said, ticking off names of great trainers who came up short at Churchill Downs. “You can still be really good at this and not.”Trainer Steve Asmussen talks to the media after workouts at Churchill Downs on Wednesday in Louisville, Ky. Epicenter is running faster at an early age than any of them, but Asmussen has seen enough to know talent isn’t the end of the story. (Charlie Riedel/AP)Brown, 43, said it would be an honor to win the Derby but that it would not change his perception of his career. The diverse successes of his stable are more important to him than one race.“It’s a part of our stable to try and have these dirt colts to get to the Triple Crown,” he said. “But sometimes, you’re running against stables where the majority of their stable is dirt type of colts. They don’t have a lot of turf horses or a lot of female horses. They don’t keep older horses around.”Asmussen, 56, has lived through more years of disappointment at the Derby, not just with Curlin but with other standouts such as Gun Runner, who finished third in 2016 before winning Horse of the Year honors as a 4-year-old.AdvertisementEpicenter is running faster at an early age than any of them, but Asmussen has seen enough to know talent isn’t the end of the story.“The feeling of wanting to win the Derby started probably the first time I ever watched it on TV as a kid, growing up in a racing family,” he said. “Whether it’s the 20 runners, the post position, the track conditions on that day, there are so many things. More than any race, the Kentucky Derby is an event. It’s just, it’s larger than an actual race.”148th Kentucky DerbySaturdayPost time: 6:57 p.m.TV: Chs. 11, 4 (coverage begins at 2:30 p.m.)AdvertisementHorse (by post position); Odds (as of Friday morning)Mo Donegal (1); 10-1Happy Jack (2); 30-1Epicenter (3); 7-2Summer Is Tomorrow (4); 30-1Smile Happy (5); 20-1AdvertisementMessier (6); 8-1Crown Pride (7); 20-1Charge It (8); 20-1Tiz the Bomb (9); 30-1Zandon (10); 3-1Pioneer of Medina (11); 30-1AdvertisementTaiba (12); 12-1Simplification (13); 20-1Barber Road (14); 30-1White Abarrio (15); 10-1Cyberknife (16); 20-1Classic Causeway (17); 30-1AdvertisementTawny Port (18); 30-1Zosos (19); 20-1Ethereal Road (20); 30-1*Rich Strike (21); 30-1*-scratched

Sports

Today’s Chicago Cubs series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers is postponed to Saturday because of rain

A rainy forecast has again impacted the Chicago Cubs’ home schedule.The Cubs’ 1:20 p.m. game Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers was postponed because of inclement weather.AdvertisementIt was rescheduled to 6:40 p.m. Saturday as the second game of a split doubleheader. The originally scheduled game that day has been changed to 12:05 p.m., bumped up from 1:20 p.m. Gates will open about 90 minutes before first pitch for each game.Separate tickets will be required to attend the games.AdvertisementThe Cubs have not yet announced how the rain out will affect their rotation setup for their series against the Dodgers.Friday’s starter had not yet been announced — left-hander Drew Smyly was likely going to start if he came off the bereavement list in time. Left-hander Justin Steele was slated to pitch Saturday while right-hander Marcus Stroman had been lined up for a marquee matchup versus Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler for ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball.”The rotation should soon get a boost. Left-hander Wade Miley threw four scoreless innings in his rehab start Thursday at Triple-A Iowa. Miley allowed only two hits with no walks and three strikeouts on 41 pitches (28 strikes).The outing represented Miley’s first game action since the end of last season. Left elbow inflammation prevented him from pitching in a Cactus League game during spring training.The Cubs will need to assess how Miley feels coming out of Thursday’s start, but he might not need a long rehab stint before making his Cubs debut. As a veteran, Miley has a good understanding of his arm and what he needs to be ready. It will be interesting to see how much the Cubs want Miley to build up his pitch count before activating him off the injured list.

Sports

Meet the exclusive club of big-league pitchers likely forever stuck on one career home run

On Oct. 3, 2021, Giants’ pitcher Logan Webb tucked a home run just inside the left field pole at San Francisco’s Oracle Park.Four months later, Major League Baseball announced the designated hitter’s arrival in the National League, making it a near impossibility that pitchers (Shohei Ohtani doesn’t count) will get to hit anymore, let alone hit a ball over the fence.AdvertisementWhat would it take for the Mets to send a pitcher to the plate again?“It’d have to be late-inning, late in the season where injury wasn’t a factor,” said Buck Showalter.Advertisement“We’re out of people,” Taijuan Walker guessed. “Some freak stuff happens and we need someone to go up there.”But with pitchers not hitting anymore, there are no more pinch hitters subbing in for them, meaning that benches are still mostly intact late in games now. There are two other boogeymen that could exert their power and force a pitcher to grab a bat: one that’s been around forever, one that’s hyper modern.“Enough injuries,” Seth Lugo chimed in. “That’d be bad.”“COVID everywhere,” added Max Scherzer, in a tone that made it abundantly clear he was joking.Unfortunately for fans who miss seeing out-of-place ballplayers swing for the fences, the chances of a Met pitcher taking a hack are pretty close to zero.“I don’t know that we’d ever send one up to hit,” hitting coach Eric Chavez said, while allowing the possibility that maybe they’d send one up to bunt. “If we’re in a situation where we have to hit a pitcher, it’s a bad situation.”Walker, Lugo and Scherzer are part of an exclusive club. They are three of the 41 active pitchers who have clubbed exactly one home run. The new rule changes have made their chances at a second one virtually nonexistent. While, from an entertainment standpoint, fewer pitcher at-bats is a net positive, it eliminated one of the game’s quirkiest charms.There are still a few active pitchers — Madison Bumgarner, Zack Greinke, Max Fried and Jacob deGrom chief among them — who are legitimate hitters. But guys like Walker, Lugo and Scherzer (who have a collective .161 batting average), admittedly got their moment of glory through sheer luck.AdvertisementTaijuan Walker, seen here after 2017 homer off Braves’ Mike Foltynewicz, may never get a chance to add a second. (Ross D. Franklin/AP)Walker had the most impressive homer of the Mets’ three one-timers. On July 25, 2017 while playing for the Diamondbacks, Walker took Braves’ pitcher Mike Foltynewicz deep. Like, really deep.“It was my first game back after having my first son,” Walker said. “0-2 fastball, 97 [miles per hour]. If he had thrown anything else I would have swung and missed. It should have been anything else, but it was a fastball right down the middle. I swung, and the next thing I know I’m jogging around the bases. People say this, but I really blacked out. It was crazy.”The ball soared a majestic 455 feet at 109.9 mph, stunning the crowd at Chase Field, and also the man who couldn’t believe he actually hit a baseball that hard.“I knew I got it good but I was sprinting, thinking double,” Walker said. “It was beat.”The pitch selection helped him a bit, but nothing could rescue Walker from the immediate realization that he had to execute a home run trot.“Really embarrassing,” Walker said of his trot. “I didn’t look cool. I wish I could do it over. I’d do some cool s–t. My hands, I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. It was ugly.”AdvertisementLugo, who also had the benefit of a grooved fastball, sent a 104.4 mph laser over the left-center field wall at Citi Field. His strategy, unlike Walker who was in an 0-2 hole, was to ambush Rockies’ pitcher Chris Rusin.“As a pitcher, leading off the inning, you’re supposed to take the first pitch,” Lugo said. “I’m getting ready to go out there, and our hitting coach, Pat Roessler, says this pitcher likes to throw first-pitch fastballs right down the middle to pitchers. Go ahead and let it eat first pitch.”The Mets were up 7-0 at the time, adding an air of relaxation to the moment, and when Lugo got back to the dugout his teammates gave him the silent treatment. Lugo is also the only member of the Mets’ threesome who hit his lone dinger without the help of batting gloves.“I’d just cake the pine tar on, and that was enough grip,” Lugo said. “I like the old school look, too.”Scherzer’s feat of strength is the most recent of the three, coming on Aug. 1, 2017. By his account, an ironic factor is most responsible for his three-run shot in Miami.“My neck was hurt,” he said. “I hit the homer because I couldn’t pull my head off the ball. My neck was barking and I was actually going to come out of the game, but my spot came up, and when I was up there, I tried to bunt the first two pitches.”AdvertisementDusty Baker ordered a slash after that, in which Scherzer showed bunt before pulling back for a big boy swing. The future Hall of Famer says he had no scouting report whatsoever on Marlins’ pitcher Chris O’Grady, who only played 21 total games in the big leagues.“I got lucky, and somehow, by a miracle, I hit a homer,” Scherzer said.Scherzer also came out of the game following his moon shot, meaning he didn’t have to calm himself down from the adrenaline rush and go pitch again. The typically intimidating Scherzer could hardly contain his smile as he circled the bases, perhaps because that was his favorite part of getting to hit.“I do miss hitting,” he said. “I actually miss base running more. I love being on the bases, because it added another conditioning element to a start. To pitch on a hot day, run the bases, and then go back out there and pitch, that was a conditioning thing I really took pride in.”The 37-year-old self-identified as a 50-grade runner, putting himself right in the middle of baseball’s 20-80 scouting scale.“I’m a tick faster than you think,” he winked. “I’m not going to say I’m a burner.”AdvertisementOne common thread between Walker, Lugo and Scherzer is their inflated belief in their own hitting abilities. Walker said he gave up hitting when he signed his first contract but “for sure” had some pop as a kid. Lugo led his high school team in home runs as a senior. Scherzer even went as far as estimating that he was better at hitting in high school than he was at pitching. Only Walker was brave enough to say that he was trying to go yard, though.“Always, 100 percent,” Walker confessed.The other two humbly described themselves as gap-to-gap, selfless batsmen.“I’m actually the opposite [of Walker],” Scherzer revealed. “I was trying to get a base hit, hit the ball the other way.”Lugo, who said he was a decent bunter and would have been better if he wasn’t always trying to move the unhurried Rene Rivera up a base, was also going for a simple base hit.“I’d take batting practice, swing and miss, pop them up,” he acknowledged. “I wasn’t even swinging for the fences there. Once I get in pull mode I tend to strike out.”AdvertisementOne thing they can agree on is that they all miss hitting, especially Walker, who wanted a chance to get one as a left-handed hitter too. As for maybe getting another shot, the Mets’ manager says he’s very aware of which pitchers on his roster have some documented offensive power.“Of course, are you kidding me?” Showalter said, before walking away to manage yet another game in which pitchers were robbed of any opportunities to hit a precious home run.

Sports

Mike Napoli is perfecting his coaching chops with the Chicago Cubs — and playing some cribbage in the process

It is not unusual during a road trip to see Chicago Cubs first base coach Mike Napoli at a table in the visitors clubhouse playing cribbage with a player.Veteran left-hander Wade Miley has been one of his toughest opponents while infielders Nico Hoerner and Nick Madrigal have started learning to play. Napoli views card games as important relationship builders between players and even coaches. It goes back to his playing career, recalling how he would square off against manager Terry Francona during Napoli’s one season in Cleveland.AdvertisementThose settings allow for personal connections and bonding where the focus isn’t about baseball.“Being able to go back and forth between player-coach-type personality stuff, it’s just so valuable,” manager David Ross said of Napoli to the Tribune. “It really is.”AdvertisementNapoli, 40, always figured he would get into coaching once his playing career ended. But he thought he’d take more time off after he retired in 2018 because of a torn ACL suffered in Triple A. He quickly realized, however, he didn’t know how to fill so much free time.So when Ross, his teammate for two years in Boston, reached out after taking over as Cubs manager in October 2019 to see if he was interested in joining his staff, Napoli knew he was ready to commit to coaching.Napoli, in his third season with the organization, has enjoyed a different side of the game while taking on a bigger role this year as first base coach.Chicago Cubs first base coach Mike Napoli runs onto the field in the first inning against the White Sox at Wrigley Field, May 3, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)“I know the game of baseball, but actually being able to teach it and get into the players’ heads and try to help them out, I’ve been learning,” Napoli told the Tribune. “I’m trying to pick my spots to getting the message out. It’s a little different than when I played.“It’s been a learning experience, but I think I’m growing every day to become better as a coach.”One aspect of coaching that has surprised Napoli is the amount of hours spent at the ballpark. As a player, Napoli didn’t realize how much time coaches put in daily: “Shoot, coaches are underpaid,” he added with a laugh.The long hours are a worthwhile investment for Napoli, both in his desire to help Cubs players improve and his long-term career goal to become a major-league manager.“I’ve always wanted to manage, but I knew I was going to have to take the steps to learn,” Napoli said. “I’m always up for that. I always want to make myself the best I possibly can. I don’t know everything about this game. I’m going to learn new stuff every day.”AdvertisementNapoli’s big-league résumé made him an attractive addition to the coaching staff, and he had garnered attention from other teams before committing to the Cubs. Over a 12-year career with four organizations, Napoli made an All-Star team, appeared in three World Series — winning a title with Ross on the 2013 Red Sox — while producing a career .246/.346/.475 line with 267 home runs and 117 OPS+ as a catcher-turned-first baseman/designated hitter.“He’s got a really good reputation in the game,” Ross said. “He’s done a lot and he’s somebody that, one, we have history together, we’re friends, but he’s also somebody that carries a lot of weight when it comes to experience in this game. That goes a long way in the dugout with the players.”Napoli is one of six among the Cubs’ field staff with major-league playing experience, joining Ross, bench coach Andy Green, pitching coach Tommy Hottovy, third base coach Willie Harris and assistant pitching coach Daniel Moskos.Chicago Cubs first base coach Mike Napoli warms his helmet during the fifth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Wrigley Field, April 18, 2022. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)“They know how hard the game is, they know the league,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer told the Tribune. “They relate a little bit better to them and I think it’s important to have a mix of those guys on the staff. You don’t want a full staff of guys like that. You also don’t want to have an entire staff made up of guys that won’t necessarily understand what these (players) are going through.“Rossy and the people that were around (Napoli), everyone spoke so highly of not only was he a great teammate, but a great base runner, really paid attention and focused on things and he’s got a real presence about him.”After spending his first two seasons as a quality assurance coach, the Cubs moved Napoli to first base coach and shifted Craig Driver, who had filled that role since 2020, into the dugout as their game strategy and catching coach prior to the 2022 season.AdvertisementThe Cubs felt the change upgraded both areas and played to each coach’s strengths. Base running instruction is among Napoli’s duties.“It’s given him accountability, fire, does his homework on the pitcher, does the small little things you have to do on the opposing team that has made him even more invested in the guys,” Ross said. “Because he wants all of them to have success and tries to create friendships with all those guys.”Napoli is enjoying his new role. He admitted he was getting worn out by his previous position and didn’t have much to do in the dugout during games.Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.“I felt like I was turning into a psychologist,” Napoli said. “I was trying to talk people down, like, ‘Bro, everything’s OK.’ It just turned into that kind of thing. But being out there now, every time having something to do, to worry about and have my own area, it’s been awesome.”Veteran catcher Yan Gomes and Napoli were Cleveland teammates in 2016 when they ultimately lost to the Cubs in the World Series. Gomes describes Napoli as a quiet, intense guy who loves baseball. He isn’t surprised by Napoli’s transition to the coaching side. Even then, six years ago, Gomes envisioned Napoli going this route.Chicago Cubs first base coach Mike Napoli stands on the field in the first inning against the White Sox at Wrigley Field, May 3, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)“He’s definitely putting in the work and is wanting to get better at it, which really has been his M.O. his whole career,” Gomes said. “He’s done a tremendous job. He just has to figure it out a little bit of being a mentor and a coach, but for me, he doesn’t have to change who he was with me in 2016.”AdvertisementNapoli generally considers himself a chill, laid-back guy. Maybe that sounds surprising given the “Party at Napoli’s” moniker that gained attention during Cleveland’s run to the World Series. A fan created a sign with the phrase in April 2016, inspired by Napoli’s celebration style after winning the title in 2013. The sign caught Napoli’s and the team’s attention, which turned into an official t-shirt with proceeds reaching more than $200,000 donated to the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital.Whether it’s bonding over card games or putting in long days at the ballpark, Napoli is embracing his role with the Cubs.“I did like to have fun off the field, I mean, I think everyone knows that,” Napoli said. “But I think that’s where you get to know your teammates, and I always like bringing people together. Sometimes we get a little cliquey in the clubhouse. If it was off the field, you want to have a party or do whatever, it was that. But people become closer when you get away from the field.“In this game people are tough on themselves, so that demeanor hopefully helps people relax a little bit.”

Local

The Price Kids Pay: Ticketed at school

Thousands of Illinois students a year are receiving tickets at school for conduct that violates local laws, an investigation by the Tribune and ProPublica has found.…