LOUISVILLE -- He is not here just for the money.
If that was the goal, Cecil Peacock would have sold Brother Derek for millions when he had an offer earlier this year.
The Calgary oilman hasn't made it his lifelong mission to win the Run For The Roses, either, and isn't losing sleep wondering if it will happen this afternoon.
Peacock is smart enough to know that in a 20-horse field of still-developing three-year-olds, anything can -- and often does -- happen.
So from the paddock to the owners box to the fury of the race itself, Peacock intends to savour every delicious moment of the 132nd running of the Kentucky Derby.
"People were saying to me: 'Cec, you are crazy,' " Peacock said this week about his decision not to sell when he was reportedly offered $2 million US for Brother Derek. "I didn't buy him to make all that money. I bought him to enjoy watching him race."
In that respect, Peacock and the 150,000 others expected at Churchill Downs for the opening jewel of the Triple Crown should get their money's worth today.
One of the more contentious Derbies in years, the 11/4-mile classic seems to have something for everyone.
There is wicked speed in the form of front-runners Sinister Minister and Sharp Humor.
There are tactical, stalking horses such as Brother Derek and Point Determined.
And then there are the late closers, horses such as Steppenwolfer and Jazil who may be around to pick up the pieces if the pace is too hot.
Figuring out which style will win, not to mention who can negotiate the bumper-to-bumper traffic, is all part of the enticing challenge of sniffing out a Derby winner.
"I think we all have the same worry," Michael Matz, trainer of undefeated contender Barbaro, said of his rivals. "Nobody knows how they're going to react in a 20-horse field. Nobody knows what happens until that gate opens."
Brother Derek's trainer, Dan Hendricks, has a pretty good idea how Peacock will handle things. The personable owner has charmed the media this week, lapping up the spotlight that seems so far from the tracks of Western Canada, where he first raced his horses.
"It (has) been a great week for him," Hendricks said yesterday of the 79-year-old owner. "No matter what happens, he's going to have a smile. He (has) come here to enjoy the whole ordeal, then he's going to go home and relish it like I do."
Peacock and Hendricks share a special bond. When Hendricks was paralyzed following a motocross accident two years ago, he told his wife to sell all his horses.
But Peacock, who made his millions on the oilfields of Alberta, stepped in and convinced Hendricks that he still could do his job from a wheelchair.
Hendricks grudgingly returned to the barn in California and fate swung dramatically by bringing him Brother Derek.
"We don't sit around and feel sorry for Dan," Peacock said. "He doesn't want that. We try to make the best of it, but it (has) been tough.
"This is about so much more than a horse race. This is about a young man and a friend finding a way to carry on."
To this point, that faith has been rewarded rather handsomely for both men. Brother Derek has won his past four starts and has a career bankroll of $1.1 million.
The horse would more than double that with a win in the $2-million Derby.
So what will happen if Brother Derek wins the race?
"I'll probably make a fool of myself," Peacock said.
rob.longley@tor.sunpub.com
