Patch, the one-eyed thoroughbred racing in the the Kentucky Derby tomorrow, is this year’s lovable underdog. He’s also a horrifying, part-Nazgûl-looking beast.
Patch’s trainer, Todd Pletcher, told Bloodhorse last week that the horse has adjusted well since he lost his eye mysteriously less than a year ago.
I mean, there is common sense stuff, like I don’t come up to him without letting him know I’m there. You don’t want to startle him, things like that. But really, you really wouldn’t know it and you don’t really have to do anything special with him either from a rider standpoint on the track or around the barn.
Patch is not the favorite at 30-1 odds. Patch is also starting in the outside post, meaning he won’t see any other horses when the race begins. Patch might be in for a rough race. Good luck, Patch.