by Milky Way Maid
Recently I posted an article predicting the first-round results for the March Madness college basketball tournament. I did pretty well considering I don't even follow basketball! It looks like I hit about 60 percent, which is about what all the other sports handicappers can accomplish.
But now the first Saturday in May beckons, with the most exciting two minutes of sports. The most exciting two minutes of ANY sport!! Millions who never watch any other horse race watch the Kentucky Derby.
Aspects referred to in the notes are between the horse's natal chart and the transits for the race, or vice versa. Interpretations are based on a finish-line race time of about 6:10 pm Eastern Time in Louisville, Kentucky. I have read that Churchill Downs is adding a race earlier in the day, so I do not know if that will affect the time that the Derby is actually run. If so, that can definitely affect my interpretations and choices.
So without too much further ado, here are my readings of the prospects for the 20 entrants of the Run for the Roses. They are more or less in alphabetical order. Actually, I have 21, because as of this writing, we do not know if Quality Road's second quarter crack (an injury to the hoof) will cause his owners to scratch him from the race.
Advice: A February foal, he has some very bad aspects. Both the transiting Moon squares his Mars, and transiting Mars squares his Moon. This usually produces a horse who tries to go to the front and won't relax. This is not the best style for trying to win the Derby. I would not even put him in my exotic bets. He also has Mars squaring the Neptune-Jupiter conjunction, which ordinarily would not be a bad thing.
Papa Clem: This is the other entry with the same bad aspect. Mars squares the Moon, which usually produces a rush to the front and nothing left in the stretch run. However, Papa Clem also has his Sun conjunct transiting Jupiter, which is extraordinarily lucky and could give him enough gas to get to the finish line. His aspects are mixed, shall we say. It will all depend on whether his jockey can control the pace of the race in the early going.
Chocolate Candy: He has a couple good aspects, but nothing major. Mars is squares Jupiter, which usually produces a good effort. And Saturn is trine Mars, for a disciplined and controlled effort, or perhaps a good jockey ride.
Desert Party: His Sun is squaring the nodes, and I am not sure what to make of that because I have never seen that before. Jupiter is also exactly sextile Saturn, which is sometimes a positive indicator. I read that he and his stablemate are blossoming in Kentucky and training well.
Dunkirk: His Sun is near the North Node, inconjunct Pluto. Plus Saturn is trine Mars, probably indicating a good job by the jockey. These aspects are fairly minor and do not have a strong aspect to his Mars or Sun or back them up. I do not see him making an impact on Saturday.
Flying Private: He has only a sextile between his natal and transiting Mars. This is a fairly minor aspect.
Friesan Fire: Mars is three degrees from an exact trine to Jupiter, which is a minor plus. It is also a couple days after his birthday, which usually produces a feeling of well-being in both people and animals.
General Quarters: He has only one strong aspect and that is an opposition between Sun and Saturn. I have not seen this in past Derbys, so I have little to go on. It is either very good or very bad; good, when Saturn awards honors (meaning he wins the roses), and bad when Saturn denies a thing.
Hold Me Back: His Sun is conjunct the descendant, which may indicate a third or fourth place finish. Mars squares the Venus-Mars conjunction, which produces a stubborn effort to hang on. It is also opposite Pluto, which generally means he goes all out. He also has his North Node closest to the exact sextile to the Derby's North Node, which has been an inconsistent indicator of a winner.
I Want Revenge: His Sun is conjunct the Mars-Venus conjunction, which will give him boundless energy. Whether it will be enough to get the distance, and overcome his hoof problems, is still open to debate. Plus a Saturn-South Node conjunction which is favorable.
Join in the Dance: Sun near Venus, just like I Want Revenge, with whom he shares a birthday. Also Saturn conjoins the South Node, a sign of good fortune.
Mr. Hot Stuff: Mars trines the North Node, which says to me that just being in the Derby may be the high point of his career. Trines do not generally produce victories; oppositions and squares produce victories.
Mine that Bird: He has the same birthday as Musket Man, so see those notes. He is however, the less capable entry, so even great transits will not help him win this thing.
Musket Man: Mixed transits. A square between Mars and Saturn indicates he will find traffic problems and be blocked. Jupiter opposes his Sun, which is quite energizing and lucky. And lastly, Saturn is conjunct the South Node, indicating a reward for hard work. He will be lucky to hit the board, but I do not see a win for him.
Pioneer of the Nile: A Sun-Saturn trine plus a Mars-Sun sextile are pretty minor aspects for a major race. I like this horse but a win does not seem to be in the cards. Or stars.
Quality Road: His Sun is near Venus, but Venus is not a factor in sports events; it is only because Venus and Mars are nearly conjunct that it is a factor this year. QR's birthday is only a few days apart form I Want Revenge's, but he has a closer contact. His Mars is also more closely square Saturn, which may indicate traffic problems. (Revenge's Mars-Saturn aspect is much looser, so it should not be a factor Saturday.)
Regal Ransom: This is Desert Party's stablemate. His Mars squares the Ascendant for the race. Mars trines Uranus, which might produce an upset or surprise if he does better than expected. He also has a Jupiter-Sun opposition, which gives a huge boost to one's fortunes and energies.
Square Eddie: He has a Sun-Saturn trine, indicating a disciplined effort and or a good ride by the jockey. Mars trines Jupiter, for abundant physical energy. Mars squares Uranus exactly, which gives concern for injury. I personally don't think he has been prepped adequately for this race, and hope that he does not suffer a career-ending injury because of it.
Summer Bird: Mars is trine the Jupiter-Neptune transiting conjunction. Gives good energy and luck. He could also make some dumb mistake (Neptune) that costs him all chance.
West Side Bernie: His Sun is past the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction, so either he will improve or the second in the last prep race was the high point of the spring career. Mars is conjunct Mercury, which probably will produce a fast pace and a good time but is usually a minor aspect. His Sun is trine the ascendant for the race, producing a favorable effort. There is a Sun-Moon opposition, which tells me that the public will not be fond of him at all, and will probably let the odds rise on him. Saturn is widely trine Mars, but only exact aspects tend to figure in winning efforts.
Win Willy: Sun is widely conjunct Mars, but if it were closer like I Want Revenge's, it would produce a much stronger effect. Mars and Jupiter widely trine, which is also helpful. He just does not have strong personal energy aspects that will support a win.
To sum up, the horses with strong negative factors are: Advice, Papa Clem, Square Eddie, Musket Man and Mine that Bird.
Horse with minor positive factors are: West Side Bernie, Pioneer of the Nile, Flying Private, Mr. Hot Stuff, and Summer Bird.
Horses with strong indicators for a good athletic effort are: Chocolate Candy, Musket Man (altho he probably will not be able to win), Regal Ransom, Desert Party, Quality Road, I Want Revenge and Join in the Dance, Papa Clem, Friesan Fire, Hold Me Back (a possible third or fourth), and possibly General Quarters. Dunkirk is still a question mark, with his Sun near the North Node and also inconjunct Pluto; these are unusual aspects and hard to interpret. They can be highly favorable, but his lack of proper foundation for this race will be difficult to overcome. He will do well to make the superfecta.
Of the last group those with what I feel or suspect may be strongest indicators of a win are Hold Me Back, I Want Revenge, Quality Road, Musket Man, Desert Party, and possibly General Quarters. Even Papa Clem has positive factors that might overcome the negative indicators.
This has been a very hard Derby to interpret, with few of the major aspects that have indicated past winners. I have seen among past winners a transiting Jupiter conjunct Sun, a Sun square or opposite Mars or Jupiter, a Saturn opposite Jupiter, and the exact sextile between natal and transiting North Nodes, and similar aspects involving athletic planets Mars and Jupiter.
Those aspects have not presented themselves this year, except for Hold Me Back, whose birthday is the closest to the date of the North Node exactly sextile the transiting North Node for Derby Day. I am undecided about declaring him the winner, because his Sun is weakly placed at the descendant. But definitely include him in your exacta and trifecta tickets, because he has the kind of running style that people like to see in the Derby.
And if you have been following the pundits who noticed that a gray has won every four years for the last several series, the only grays entered in this year's edition are Dunkirk, General Quarters, and Win Willy.
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