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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
📣 LAST CALL: Final Answers TOMORROW in Lexington
Wednesday, April 29 — TOMORROW · 6:30–9:00 PM
Final Answers: The ITM Oaks & Derby Handicapping Event
The Manchester Hotel · Lexington, KY
This is it. Premium open bar, buffet, Friday & Saturday PPs included. $155. If you’ve been thinking about it, stop thinking. This is your last chance. Get yours here.
Thursday, April 30 · 5:30 PM
Derby Inquiries with PTF and JK
The Galt House Lobby · Louisville, KY · Free and open to the public.
🎙️ 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.”
Sean 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.
He also confirmed something we floated: Chief Wallabee going favored? “100% within the realm of possibility.”
👉 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.
🎰 Bet the Derby With Us
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.
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📊 Prat Fact
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
📋 ICYMI
👉 Is Todd Pletcher Actually Bad in the Kentucky Derby?
👉 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
🐴 Crossover of the Week
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.
🥃 Derby Dram No. 2
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.
❓ Today’s Open Question: Brad Cox has three horses in the Derby. If you could only use ONE on your tickets, which one — Commandment, Further Ado, or Fulleffort — and why?
Previous editions: Edition 18: Could Chief Wallabee Go Off Shorter Than Renegade? · Edition 17: Who Is the Favorite Now? · Full archive
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