(Photo of Derby contender Pyro via yahoo.com)

If you're going to a Kentucky Derby party this weekend and you want to sound more like Jimmy the Greek than Derek the Schmuck, here's all you need to know: Forget the favorites. Big Brown -- at 3-1 the shortest price in the field -- breaks from the far, far outside pole. He's more likely to see the Churchill parking lot than the winner's circle. After all, no one has cashed a ticket on a horse coming out of that post since your great grandpappy bet on Clyde van Dusen in 1929. The trendy filly pick, Eight Belles, may earn you some feminism points from the julep-swilling ladies at your fete, but this gal will leave your wallet lighter. Three-year-old fillies just don't run well against a herd of tough colts. My pick is Pyro, the horse with the baddest-ass name in the field. He ran like a mule in his last race, but it was at Keeneland on the funky new Polyturf surface, a mixture of recycled rubber that many horses don't take to. Back on real dirt, he'll be back to his old self, passing tired horses in the stretch. And at odds of around 10-1, he'll have you humming "My Old Kentucky Home" to yourself long after the party's over. If you want to really impress folks, play two longshots with him in exactas -- Denis of Cork and Z Humor, both of which have been training beautifully and are sitting on monster performances. --ERIC BANKS

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