Arazi (horse) - 1992 Kentucky Derby

1992 Kentucky Derby

For the 118th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 2, 1992, Arazi drew post position 17 in a large field of 18 horses. The outside post meant he would begin the race from an auxiliary starting gate on the outside of the track. Despite this handicap, bettors wagered as much on Arazi to win as on the other seventeen horses combined. Having raced only once in the previous seven months (apart from the Prix Omnium at St Cloud, which was more of a public workout than a race), from the start of the Derby the energetic colt had to be kept under wraps by his jockey. Near the back of the field for most of the race, after the quarter pole pole Arazi made a quick move. Running eight horses wide, and mirroring his dramatic performance in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, the colt flew past horse after horse with ABC television announcer Dave Johnson exclaiming, "Arazi is flying! - Arazi is gaining ground with every stride!" The crowd roared as the colt surged into third place, tightly bunched with the leaders. As they approached the homestretch, instead of pulling away as he had always done previously, Arazi tired badly and faded to finish eighth. Lil E. Tee, a little-known colt and an 18-1 longshot, won the most prestigious race in America.

The racing world's reaction to Arazi's performance was dismay, and the consensus that his knee surgery had affected his ability. Some blamed his poor showing on the fact that the colt had made only one prep start on soft grass before the Derby, while others said he was a "miler" horse and the Derby's extra quarter-mile was too much for him. The upset spawned a book, The Longest Shot: Lil E. Tee and the Kentucky Derby, by Baltimore Sun sportswriter and racing commentator John Eisenberg.

Returning to France, Arazi raced four more times, where he won the Grade II Prix du Rond Point. His final race was a return to the US, where fans made him the 3-2 favorite in the Breeders' Cup Mile at Gulfstream Park. He finished 11th.