Daily to Derby

Brad Cox Joins the Monster Pod

The trainer of three Kentucky Derby contenders sat down with JK for a special edition of the Monster Podcast. Brad Cox — who has Commandment, Further Ado, and Fulleffort in Saturday's field — talked preparation, temperament, and what he's seeing from each horse heading into the final week.

Commandment arrives with four wins from five starts and over $1 million earned. Further Ado is coming off an 11-length Grade 1 demolition at Keeneland. Fulleffort won the Jeff Ruby Stakes on synthetic and now transitions to dirt for the first time in the Derby. Three horses, three different profiles, one very busy trainer.

Also new on the ITM YouTube channel this week:

👉 Right to Party Monster Pod with Kenny McPeek — you'll never believe the bet JK made

👉 Albus & Incredibolt Monster Pod with Riley Mott

Final Answers: TOMORROW in Lexington

Sean Boarman Is a Full-Time Modeler Now — And He's Got Derby Picks

One of the most popular guests in ITM history is back — and he's changed. Sean Boarman, the former figure maker and one of the sharpest horseplayers we know, has gone full-time modeler, using AI to automate the wagering decisions that he says have been holding him back for years.

"I've got really good information and over the last couple seasons have been extremely poor at wagering and expressing the proper opinions in the proper pools," Boarman said. "In the hands of a novice, AI can be extremely dangerous. But in the hands of a real expert, it could be deadly."

The modeling conversation alone is worth your time. But Sean also went horse by horse through the entire Derby field — and his top pick might surprise you. He thinks Further Ado is the most likely winner, loves Golden Tempo underneath at a huge price, considers Emerging Market a top-three contender, and has some very pointed thoughts about Renegade from the rail that align with what we've been hearing all week.

He also confirmed something we floated yesterday: Chief Wallabee going favored? "100% within the realm of possibility."

This one's for the real ones. Audio only, old school, no video — the way it used to be.

👉 Listen to the full Sean Boarman Derby show [LINK]

For Plus subscribers: we've broken out Sean's full LP5 picks, horse-by-horse analysis, and wagering strategy. Sign up at inthemoneyplus.com to access the full breakdown.

Derby Bet Share Is Open

Our Bet Share for the Derby is open until Thursday. We will be swinging at the Derby LP5 and Superfecta with proper ticket construction. If you want to join us, sign up for our Inner Circle service, which has numerous other benefits, and reach out to let us know you want in. You can do that via inthemoneyplus.com or contact us directly here.

The Most Reliable Big-Race Jockey in the Country

Our friend Chris Fallica pointed out a stat worth knowing: Flavien Prat has had 16 mounts in Triple Crown races. Only once has he finished worse than fourth — and that was with his second TC mount, Solomini. His 16 mounts have produced two wins, two seconds, seven thirds, and four fourth-place finishes. He's riding Emerging Market on Saturday from post 15. The most reliable big-race jockey in the country on the only undefeated horse in the field.

Free Derby Contender Profiles — 19 Live

👉 Browse all contender profiles

Links & Resources

👉 Yesterday's D2D: Could Chief Wallabee Go Off Shorter Than Renegade?

👉 Is Todd Pletcher Actually Bad in the Kentucky Derby? (ITM Original)

👉 Derby OddsWatch — updated April 26

👉 Wonder Dean + Six Speed Monster Pod with Michael Adolphson

👉 Danon Bourbon Monster Pod with Alex Henry

👉 Every Derby Winner of the 21st Century, Ranked — with Duke Matties

👉 Free Bris Derby PPs (PDF)

ITM's Frank Scatoni was asked on Twitter who the best closer of all time not in the Baseball Hall of Fame is. His answer: "Zenyatta." We love this man. He also joined us for the Intrepido Monster Pod — watch here.

Weller Antique 107

MSRP ~$50 · 53.5% ABV · Wheated Bourbon

Yesterday we promised to chase Pappy on a budget. Here's the move.

Weller Antique 107 is made by Buffalo Trace — the same distillery, the same wheated mash bill, and the same family of recipes as Pappy Van Winkle. The difference is age and allocation. Pappy sits in barrels for 15-23 years and is allocated in quantities that make Willy Wonka's golden tickets look like a $2 win on the chalk when a Triple Crown is on the line. Weller Antique 107 — while not always easy to find — actually shows up on shelves at its $50 MSRP if you know where to look.

What you get: butterscotch and cinnamon on the nose, baking spice and vanilla on the palate, and a warm, full finish with real weight to it. At 107 proof it actually has some backbone — this isn’t a sipper that disappears on you. It won’t blow your mind the way Pappy does, but it will absolutely make you wonder why you’ve been paying more for less interesting whiskey. At around $50, this is the best dollar-for-dollar wheated bourbon on the market and the perfect bottle to bring to a Derby party where you want to look smart without looking like you’re trying too hard.

Tomorrow’s Derby Dram: the iconic bottle with the little horse on top — and what a Warehouse H barrel actually tastes like.