LOUISVILLE (WHAS11) -- There are always favorites in the Kentucky Derby, but in a field of 20 horses, the Derby is essentially a race for long shots.
Who can forget Mine That Bird at 50 to 1 or Giacomo, who paid $102 for a $2 winning ticket.
And in 2018, the ultimate long shot could be Firenze Fire at 50 to 1 on the morning line. In addition to the long odds, Firenze Fire drew the dreaded number one post position. His owner is just delighted to be in the Derby.
Sometimes the Derby experience is just being here. Ron Lombardi has been in the horse racing game for ten years. He owns a chain of physical therapy centers, but he also breeds and races thoroughbreds. And Firenze Fire is one of his homebreds. Getting him to the Derby is a dream come true.
“Well, when I got into racing, I always dreamed about being able to run in the Derby and never thought it would happen,” Lombardi said. “And to be here with a homebred is just something really special.”
His dam is a filly, who was claimed for $16,000. She was bred to Poseidon's Warrior. The result was a colt who has won almost $700,000. Firenze Fire burst on the racing scene as a 2-year-old in the summer of 2017.
“He won in Saratoga. He won the Sanford, a grade three. And then a couple of months later he won the Champagne at Belmont. So, it's been a great run,” Lombardi said. “And then he won the Jerome.”
It is a family thing, and when Lombardi talks about his horse, it sounds like he's talking about a member of that family.
“He's a great horse. His temperament, he's just mature for his age. He handles the paddock well, he handles the crowds well,” Lombardi said. “We'll see about this, he hasn't faced 170,000 fans so it will be exciting.”
Firenze was a word that Ron Lombardi kept hearing during a visit to Venice. And now there's a little bit of Italy, tucked away in Barn 41, as a family celebrates their journey to the Kentucky Derby.