Roguish favourite

Press, 7 May 1983, Page 21

Roguish favourite

NZPA-Reuter. Louisville Marfa, a. roguish colt with an unusual and aggressive running style, is the leading challenger in an undistinguished field of 20 bidding to land the Kentucky Derby, first stage of America’s horse racing Triple Crown. The grey colt goes into the 109th Derby today — the Belmont and Preakness Stakes complete the Triple Crown — as a winner of two major preparatory events but with nis main claim to fame the notoriety of his distinctive style. Marfa was lightly thought of early in the year and a winner of only one in seven races as late as March but became a Derby contender when he beat a fine field in the Spiral Stakes and then won the Santa Anita Derby in California. In both of those races he

crowded other runners, a trait which came to the forefront in last week’s Kentucky Blue Grass Stakes, the most prestigious pre-Derby event. Many experts believe Marfa could have won that race had he kept a straight line. Marfa instead rushed up on the outside of three front runners and veered in, deliberately trying to hit them and caused a bumping match that scattered the horses across the race track. Once straightened out, Marfa challenged Play Fellow, a 20-to-l outsider, but could not pass that long shot in spite of a furious whip-slashing ride by his jockey, Jorge Velasquez. The result further muadled an already confused Derby picture in a year in which the ton three-year-olds have all fallen far snort of the potential indicated by their breeding.