Secret Oath will attempt to join Swiss Skydiver, Rachel Alexandra, and four other fillies as a Preakness Stakes champion after trainer D. Wayne Lukas confirmed the filly will run in the 147th Preakness Stakes on May 21 at Pimlico Race Course. Lukas went all-in Wednesday afternoon after opening the day […]
Kentucky Derby Runner-Up Epicenter Heading to Preakness
Epicenter’s connections were looking for a sign that the Kentucky Derby runner-up wanted a piece of the horse — Rich Strike — who upset him last Saturday. After receiving that sign during a Wednesday training session at Churchill Downs, Epicenter will run in the 147th Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race […]
NBC Strikes Viral Gold with Replay of Rich Strike’s Kentucky Derby Win
If you watched NBC Sports’ overhead shot of Rich Strike’s remarkable ride to the 148th Kentucky Derby title, you had plenty of amazed company. The replay of that performance, with Larry Collmus’ call, has been viewed more than 38 million times across various social media platforms. When NBC released its […]
Noted Stallion Flatter Euthanized, Produced Champions in Two Countries
Standout sire Flatter, considered the cornerstone stallion of Kentucky’s famous Claiborne Farm, was euthanized on Monday. He was 23. The farm announced Flatter was euthanized “due to the infirmities of old age.” That ended a nearly 20-year stallion career that far outstripped his racing career. “Flatter was the kind of […]
Simplification First to Arrive for Preakness, Gets Johnny V in the Irons
After finishing fourth in Saturday’s 148th Kentucky Derby, Simplification was the first horse to arrive at Pimlico Race Course for the 147th Preakness Stakes. The Grade 2 Fountain of Youth winner and third-place finisher in the Grade 1 Florida Derby arrived at Pimlico after an 11-hour van ride from Churchill […]
Even with Comeback Win, Brown Thinks ‘What If?’ with Jack Christopher
There was Chad Brown with Jack Christopher, standing in the Churchill Downs winner’s circle on the first Saturday in May. Just the way the four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer drew it up with the standout colt. Well, not quite. Brown and Jack Christopher were in the winner’s circle, not for the […]
Cabrera Overcomes Bad Spill to Capture First Oaklawn Park Riding Title
David Cabrera hadn’t ridden since going on the shelf after an April 8 riding accident, yet he hung on from the sidelines to win his first Oaklawn Park riding title by one victory over Francisco Arrieta. Not that Arrieta didn’t make Cabrera sweat it out. When Cabrera suffered head, neck, […]
Derby Aftermath: Stunned Asmussen, Preakness Probables
Still trying to process how his Kentucky Derby futility streak hit 24 races, trainer Steve Asmussen was non-committal on whether Derby runner up Epicenter would run the May 21 Preakness Stakes. The two-time Preakness winner was very committal on his level of disbelief at what transpired 50 yards from his […]
Rich Strike trainer Eric Reed Hasn’t Woken Up From Derby Dream
Everything kept going back through Eric Reed’s mind like a never-ending dream, which the trainer of Rich Strike still wasn’t sure about. “I couldn’t sleep last night,†said Reed, still in shock over Rich Strike’s 80/1 shocking victory in the 148th Kentucky Derby. “At 4 this morning, I was wondering […]
Rich Strike Bowls Over Rivals in Stunning 80/1 Kentucky Derby Upset
Rich Strike’s trainer, Eric Reed, nearly lost his entire stable in a barn fire. He got Rich Strike – a $30,000 claimer with one career win in seven starts — into the 148th Kentucky Derby with five minutes to spare Friday. When he left Post 21 at Churchill Downs, Rich […]
Secret Oath Comes Out of Kentucky Oaks Win Looking at Preakness
The options before Secret Oath – newly minted Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Oath – are plentiful and profitable. And Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas said the Preakness Stakes remains one of those options. “I’m going to let a few days go by and then I’ll get with (owner) […]
Racing Veteran White Sees Plenty of Gray in this Kentucky Derby
Jon White wants you to know this Kentucky Derby prognostication stuff can get rather tricky. He once picked Point Given to win the 2001 Derby because he simply was the best horse in the field. Point Given picked the first Saturday in May that year to run the worst race […]
Breaking Down the 2022 Kentucky Derby: Chaos Theory Reigns
Welcome to Kentucky Derby 148, a.k.a. The Chaos Derby. And we’re not talking about the usual infield escapades that happen as the Derby returns to it’s pre-pandemic crowds north of 150,000. Unpredictability? Depth? A Derby where surprises almost wouldn’t be surprising? This edition of America’s most popular race has it […]
From this Kentucky Oaks Grows a Mighty Deep Field
To illustrate the depth of this year’s Kentucky Oaks, we re-introduce Echo Zulu, your reigning 2-Year-Old Champion Filly. She’s undefeated in five races, three of those Grade 1s and one of those, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. At the beginning of 2022, Echo Zulu was being discussed as a superhorse. […]
How Does Your Kentucky Derby Horse Measure Up Speed-Wise?
Even for the free-for-all standards of a modern Kentucky Derby, this year’s 148th edition features one of the most wide-open fields in recent memory. So in a race without a clear-cut favorite, where do you draw the line between horses who can contend and those who merely pretend? Where else? […]
Taiba Trying to Take a Shortcut to Kentucky Derby History
The path Taiba is attempting to follow started four years ago when a lightly raced colt with only three starts under his saddle went into the Kentucky Derby as the 5/2 favorite. He “Justified” those odds by winning the Derby en route to the Triple Crown. Jockey Mike Smith remembered […]
Churchill Downs’ Deep Kentucky Derby Undercard Has Familiar Look
In case Saturday’s 148th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs isn’t enough excitement or action for you, the undercard features Jackie’s Warrior against Aloha West in one Grade 1, Shirl’s Speight vs. Tribhuvan in a second Grade 1, Bells the One vs. Just One Time in a third Grade 1 and […]
Kentucky Derby Ticket Tossers: Avoid These Horses on Your Wagers
Ah, the Kentucky Derby exotics. So many choices, so much cash sitting out there waiting to be plucked — if you can find the right long shots to pick. And the right ones to avoid. Building the perfect Derby vertical exotic ticket, be it an exacta, trifecta, or superfecta, is […]
The Exodus Continues: Champion Corniche Goes from Baffert to Pletcher
Eclipse Award winner Corniche became the latest top-shelf runner to move from Bob Baffert’s California barn to Todd Pletcher’s New York base, according to his owners Peter Fluor and K.C. Weiner, who campaign as Speedway Stables. The Daily Racing Form first reported Corniche’s move, which came due to Baffert’s 90-day […]
Zandon Opens as 3/1 Favorite for 148th Kentucky Derby
Neither Chad Brown nor Steve Asmussen has a Kentucky Derby win on their considerable resumes. They’re a combined 0-for-30 in America’s most-followed race. But, the two are saddling the two morning-line favorites, 3/1 Zandon and 7/2 Epicenter, for Saturday’s 148th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Brown’s Zandon drew Post 10 […]