Tag: Cezanne

Golden Rod winner Dream Lith is one of the favorites to win a wide-open Fantasy Stakes, the fourth leg of this week's Cross Country Pick 5. (Image: Coady Photgraphy)

Arkansas the Center of This Week’s Cross Country Pick 5

With Oaklawn Park sharing center-of-the-racing-world status with Gulfstream Park this weekend, the Arkansas track holds a near-monopoly on this week’s New York Racing Association Cross Country Pick 5. Four of this week’s five races come from Oaklawn Park, with Aqueduct providing the lone exception. Unlike last week’s Cross Country Pick […]

Cezanne rolled to a 2 2 1/2-length victory in the San Carlos Stakes at Santa Anita earlier this month. He is the 5/2 favorite to win the Grade 3 Oaklawn Mile Saturday on the Arkansas Derby undercard. (Image: Benoit Photo)

Cezanne Looks to Write His Own Improbable Story

While Cezanne has never traveled outside of California, he does have a role model to call upon for what kind of springboard to great seasons the Grade 3 Oaklawn Mile can present. A role model doubling as a former stablemate: Improbable. Two years ago, the Bob Baffert-trained Improbable was a […]

Cezanne runs for the third time in 11 months in Saturday's Grade 2 San Carlos Stakes at Santa Anita Park. (Image: Benoit Photo)

Cezanne, Brickyard Road Renew Rivalry in San Carlos Stakes

The last time Cezanne and Brickyard Ride tangled before this Saturday’s Grade 2 San Carlos Stakes at Santa Anita, Brickyard Ride entangled himself in a suicidal speed duel that left him nearly 10 lengths behind his rival. It came last April, in the Grade 3 6 1/2-furlong Kona Gold Stakes. […]

Newspaperofrecord won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Churchill Downs two years ago. She returns to Churchill Downs as the expected favorite in the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile on Derby Saturday. (Image: Edward Whitaker)

There’s More to Kentucky Derby Saturday than the Derby

On Kentucky Derby Saturday, horseplayers and fans get Tiz the Law, Honor A.P., Art Collector and the rest of the Derby Trail survivors. However, to steal a phrase from late-night TV – but wait, there’s more — to Derby Day than the Derby. Not only do you get prohibitive favorite […]

Thousand Words earned Bob Baffert his 3,000th career victory at the Robert B. Lewis in February. His Kentucky Derby futures odds fell to 12/1 after he won his first race since capturing the Lewis. (Image: Benoit Photo)

Thousand Words Has More to Say About His Derby Futures Odds

Thousand Words is now out of the Kentucky Derby futures shadow. And Cezanne is now out of the Derby futures picture. Those are the oddsmakers’ takeaways from last weekend’s Derby Prep – the Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar. Thousand Words, who spent the spring disappointing and the summer disappearing […]

Don't be surprised if you see a replay of Honor A.P.'s Santa Anita Derby victory romp in Saturday's Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar. He is the 8/5 favorite in the Kentucky Derby prep. (Image: Benoit Photo)

Honor A.P. Returns, Cezanne Makes Stakes Debut at Shared Belief

Honor A.P. is safely in the Kentucky Derby. So safe, he’s one of the favorites. Thousand Words is not-so-safely on the Derby bubble. And Cezanne is nowhere near the Churchill Downs gate, nor the bubble. That’s the scenario all three would-be Derby contenders face entering Saturday’s Shared Belief Stakes at […]

Art Collector follows his Blue Grass Stakes victory with the Ellis Park Derby Aug. 9. (Image: Coady Photography)

July’s Kentucky Derby Preps Introduce New Contenders, Old Favorites

If we get a Kentucky Derby finish like the Haskell Stakes finish, they’ll be talking about that Derby for years to come. And after that Haskell, and the rest of July’s Derby preps, it’s a good time to see where the Derby contenders are at mid-summer – weird as that […]

Cezanne captured more than his debut race earlier this month. He seized the imagination of value-hunting Kentucky Derby bettors. (Image: Benoit Photo)

Cezanne Creates More Buzz Entering His Second Career Race

Cezanne’s potential as a Kentucky Derby contender will be further revealed on Thursday when the Bob Baffert-trained 3-year-old enters the Los Alamitos Race Course gate for his second career race. A $3.65 million purchase and one of the loudest buzz horses on the Kentucky Derby Trail, Cezanne is the 4/5 […]

Charlatan easily captures his division of the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby. But it's been an uphill climb for the Bob Baffert colt since. He'll miss the Belmont and the Kentucky Derby with an ankle injury. (Image: AP Photo)

Ankle Injury Takes Star Baffert Colt Charlatan Out of Belmont, Derby

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert’s vaunted Big Three Kentucky Derby contenders is now down to a Big One with the news that Charlatan will miss the Kentucky Derby with an ankle injury. Baffert told Paulick Report Publisher Ray Paulick the undefeated Speighstown progeny suffered “a filling in a front […]