Local Racing Fan Releases Much Anticipated Kentucky Derby Picks

Today, the first Saturday in May, is traditionally known as ‘Derby Day’ – the biggest day in the horse racing year! Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky is the site of the 138th running of the Kentucky Derby and hope springs eternal for a winner who can put together a string of three big wins and take the Triple Crown over the course of the next couple of months.

My parents live in Kentucky – my mom was born and raised there. In our house, Derby Day was akin to the Super Bowl. It was always a big deal, complete with party and betting forms ($2 bets just to have a horse in the race).

Years ago, when I met life-long Hancock Park area resident Jack Mansour and discovered that he was involved in horse racing, I was fascinated by his passion for the horses. I appreciated his dedication – especially knowing what it takes to be actively involved and how difficult that could be living in our neighborhood…you just don’t roll out of bed and down to the barn in Hancock Park!

Mansour’s interest in horse racing came from his paternal grandfather who loved to spend a day at the races. They shared many afternoons at the track in his teenage years. In his last few years of life, Jack was in college and his grandfather wasn’t able to drive anymore so Jack looked forward to coming home to Los Angeles and spending an afternoon at Santa Anita or Hollywood Park together. Years later, Mansour named his racing stable after his grandfather and they were lucky enough to have 13 winners over a span of 10 years including 3 grade 2 victories and a trip to the 1995 Breeders’ Cup.

Although Mansour doesn’t currently have any horses, he is still a big fan of racing and has deep roots in the horse racing world. For the past 21 years, he has released what has become a much anticipated overview of how he sees the Kentucky Derby playing out. In fact, he predicted the order of finish in 1991 – Strike The Gold, Best Pal & Mane Minister (which is exactly how it ended up) and picked 3 of the last 4 Kentucky Derby winners.

I enjoyed reading the Kentucky Derby article this morning and Jack was gracious enough to share with our Larchmont Buzz readers. So grab your mint julep, fire up the TVG account and put your $2 bet down on Jack’s predictions!

According to Jack, his 11 year old son even waits for his article so he’ll know who’s going to win the Derby. Someday he’ll find out Dad isn’t always right – but let’s hope it’s not this year!

Analysis – Jack Mansour’s 2012 Kentucky Derby Overview 

Website – Kentucky Derby