Tacitus is one of the principle contenders in the 145th Kentucky Derby, which is set for this Saturday at Churchill Downs (6:50 p.m. ET, NBC). He was installed at 10-1 on the morning-line. In addition to an examination of his past performances, MetroBet will also dive into Tacitus’ pedigree and the track records of his human connections.
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The Kentucky Derby will be the fifth career start for Tacitus, who is named for a famous historian of ancient Rome. He broke his maiden in career start number two at Aqueduct last November before being freshened for his three-year-old campaign by Hall-of-Fame trainer Bill Mott. A four-month layoff didn’t prevent Tacitus from sweeping by the competition in the Tampa Bay Derby in his first start of 2019. He then proved best in Aqueduct’s Wood Memorial, winning by a comfortable margin over fellow Derby contender Tax, to secure his spot in the starting gate at Churchill Downs.
Tacitus is by Tapit, widely considered one of the world’s best sires for over a decade. He’s passed on significant distance influence, producing multiple Grade I winners on dirt going 1 1/4-miles and longer including Tonalist, Tapwrit, Cupid and Creator. Tacitus’ dam is Close Hatches, a fellow Mott trainee who won five Grade I routes in her time on the track.
Jockey Jose Ortiz has yet to win a Kentucky Derby, but he was second in the “Run for the Roses” a year ago with Good Magic. Ortiz has been ranked top five in the nation in both wins and earnings for three straight years.
Mott, a three-time Eclipse Award winner who trained the mighty Cigar in the 1990s, is frequently described as the best conditioner never to win the Kentucky Derby. He has one Triple Crown series victory to his credit, as he scored in the 2010 Belmont Stakes with Drosselmeyer.
