Owensboro-owned Confidence Game a contender in upcoming Kentucky Derby
Confidence Game is a Kentucky Derby horse owned by Owensboro natives Robert and Katie Edge. | Photo provided
With two weeks remaining until the Kentucky Derby, horses and trainers are putting in last-minute work to prepare for the races. One such horse is Confidence Game — owned by Owensboro natives Robert and Katie Edge — which currently stands at 29-1 odds.
“This is an absolute dream come true,” Edge said. “God has blessed my wife and me with this wonderful experience – we are very excited.”
A release from the Churchill Downs media team said the horse’s trainer Keith Desormeaux has ramped up his work pattern for Confidence Game, who recently won the Ocean Reef Racing’s Rebel Stakes. Jockey James Graham said after the race, “There was fuel left in the tank.”
“He had a ton left down the lane,” Graham said. “He keeps maturing and doing things the right way. I think the sky is the limit for him.”
Confidence Game enters the derby after 10 weeks off, using the time to prepare for the big race. According to the release, Desormeaux has several good things to say about the 3-year-old thoroughbred.
“At first when I looked at the final time, I was a little disappointed,” Desormeaux. “Then I got back to the barn and went through the splits and I had a renewed sense of confidence – for a lack of a better term. He really started to pick it up late in the work even when he went fast early during the work. … The gate works at Churchill are timed when the doors open so if you take into account that during a race there is a little bit of a run-up before the timer starts, he worked really well. I was definitely looking to get a lot of out of the work and I think we accomplished that. He needed it.”
Edge and company have positive thoughts entering the race.
“We feel great, and we’re very excited,” he said. “We have an awesome trainer in Desormeaux, and we fully trust what he’s doing. Confidence Game has a fantastic team surrounding him.”
The Kentucky Derby will run on May 6. Television coverage begins on NBC at 5 p.m. central time, with post set for 5:45.
