Santa Anita Derby winner Honor A.P. suffered an apparent injury in the Kentucky Derby, immediately sending him to Lane’s End Farm in Kentucky where his stud career awaits. The tendon injury apparently happened during the Derby, according to trainer John Shirreffs. “Honor A.P. is a horse with an immense talent. […]
Tag: Honor A.P.
Authentic Drama Takes Over Wild 2020 Kentucky Derby
There was a thin sense of normalcy to the 2020 Kentucky Derby. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert won his record-tying sixth Derby, this time with Authentic. And unheralded Mr Big News played this year’s designated long shot, blowing up many tickets – in good ways and bad – by […]
No Asterisks Needed: Breaking Down the 2020 Kentucky Derby
Historians 100 years from now will note the 2020 Kentucky Derby took place the first Saturday in September, instead of the first Saturday in May. They’ll note that, due to the coronavirus pandemic, America’s annual racing bacchanalia was shy of bacchanalia because Churchill Downs was shy of spectators. Barring any […]
Tiz the Law Opens as Lowest-Priced Kentucky Derby Favorite in 31 Years
The fact nobody has ever won the Kentucky Derby from post 17 didn’t dissuade Churchill Downs morning line oddsmaker, Mike Battaglia, from making Tiz the Law a 3/5 favorite for Saturday’s 146th Kentucky Derby. The Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes champion drew post 17 in the 18-horse field, the smallest […]
Speed Rules: How Fast is Your Favorite Kentucky Derby Hopeful?
When it comes to handicapping the Kentucky Derby, the speedy rule of thumb used to be simple. Bring your thumb down to the horses who ran at least a 95 Beyer Speed Figure, and begin your handicapping from there. That’s an easy place to start, considering 25 of the last […]
Waiting Game Starts as Road to Kentucky Derby Ends
The Road to the Kentucky Derby is finally complete. Now, it’s just a matter of certain connections deciding if their horses will enter the Kentucky Derby starting gate. Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, the long and winding Derby trail claimed some standout horses, most notably Nadal, Charlatan, and Maxfield. The […]
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 […]
Honor A.P. Will Join His Sire at Stud, Breeding Rights Sold to Lane’s End
The frenzy to acquire the breeding rights of star 3-year-olds continued Friday when Kentucky’s Lane’s End Farm announced Honor A.P. will stand at stud there when his racing career ends. The Santa Anita Derby champion, Honor A.P. sits at +545 on Circa Sports’ Kentucky Derby Futures board. He is +350 […]
Derby Hopefuls Honor A.P., Cezanne Paint Their Way Up Futures Boards
The Santa Anita Derby did what the West Coast’s premier Kentucky Derby prep always does – put another quality front-runner in the front row of Derby hopefuls for the Sept. 5 Run for the Roses. At the same time, it provided a good time to see where the top 3-year-olds […]
Baffert Gets an Authentic Opportunity for Santa Anita Derby Three-Peat
Even in a year where the COVID-19 pandemic pushed matters from April to June, Saturday’s Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby storylines begin where they usually do – in Bob Baffert’s Santa Anita Park barn. After all, where else to begin than the barn that produced nine previous Santa Anita Derby […]
Honor A.P. Looks to Leap Into Front-Row Derby Contention
He may be the biggest sleeper of all the serious Kentucky Derby favorites, the one currently sailing under most Derby list radars. But you lose track of Honor A.P. at your own peril, which is why he’s in peril of winning Saturday’s Santa Anita Derby. It’s some dangerously fast company […]
New Kentucky Derby Trail Presents Options, Tough Choices for Trainers
Sole Volante is off to the Belmont Stakes. His stablemate, Ete Indien, heads to the Haskell Stakes. And Honor A.P. stays home for the Santa Anita Derby. These three Kentucky Derby contenders illustrate how many different paths have emerged on the Derby Trail during the COVID-19 era. Even in a […]