oaks day is here

It appears the ladies will be running in the slop this afternoon.
Just after this reporter stepped off the shuttle bus Friday morning and began walking toward the entrance gate, a hard rain began to fall at Churchill Downs, followed by some claps of thunder. Weather maps indicate there is a pretty significant batch of rain over Louisville, so the track could get messy real quick.

The Oaks, the 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-old fillies, is scheduled to go off at 5:45, the day's 10th race. Rags to Riches, the 5-2 morning-line favorite, should remain the favorite at post time.

Hopefully, the rain stops at some point during the day and I get to take in the surroundings of Derby weekend. So far, though, I'mn not that lucky (which does not bode well for my betting decisions).

One thing to take note of is how much the Derby odds are changing early. Within less than five minutes, Hard Spun (15-1 on the morning line) went from 29-1 back to 18-1. Not much has been bet, so these kinds of swings are normal, but it is still interesting to watch.