Yes, this is the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby. Do not adjust your eyes when you see the likes of Triple Crown ex-pats Simplification, Skippylongstocking and We the People entering the starting gate for Saturday’s featured race at Mountaineer Park. The 1 1/8-mile West Virginia Derby headlines a seven-stakes, nine-race Saturday card. […]
Tag: Preakness Stakes
Triple Crown Veteran Creative Minister Sees Easier Rivals in Curlin
Creative Minister was good enough to hit the board in the second leg of the Triple Crown and good enough to earn a spot in the third leg of the Triple Crown. Now, we’ll see what he can do against easier competition in Friday’s restricted Curlin Stakes at Saratoga. The […]
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 […]
Secret Oath May See the Boys Again in the Preakness Stakes
Earlier this month, trainer D. Wayne Lukas ran standout filly Secret Oath against the boys in the Arkansas Derby. And he said he may do it again in three weeks in the Preakness Stakes. Savvy fans and horseplayers may have wondered why the Hall of Fame trainer nominated Secret Oath […]
Early Voting May Give Up His Kentucky Derby Spot, Wait for Preakness
Trainer Chad Brown said Wednesday that Early Voting will likely skip the Kentucky Derby and head straight to Baltimore for the May 21 Preakness Stakes. This, despite the fact Early Voting has the points for a starting gate berth in the May 7 Derby. This, despite the fact that Brown hedged […]
NBC Expands Triple Crown Coverage, Brings Peacock in to Live Stream
NBC expanded its Triple Crown portfolio to the streaming world, announcing that its Peacock service will live stream all three Triple Crown races. This marks a first for the streaming service, which will supplement – not replace – NBC’s Triple Crown coverage. It also brings horse racing back to Peacock, […]
Pimlico’s Preakness Weekend Schedule: Two Days, 16 Stakes
Pimlico Race Course announced the schedule for the May 20-21 Preakness weekend: a slate featuring 16 stakes – 10 graded – worth $3.8 million. Headlining that weekend, of course, is the 147th running of the $1.5 million Preakness Stakes, the second jewel of America’s Triple Crown for 3-year-olds. The 1 […]
Corniche, Filly Echo Zulu Lead 312 Horses Nominated for 2022 Triple Crown
The foal class of 2019 sent 312 horses into nomination for this year’s Triple Crown series, a 4.3% drop from last year’s 326 nominations. That, in turn, represents a 6.1% dip from the 347 nominations from 2020. It does, however, include a record 21 horses nominated from Japan. That’s a […]
Preakness Champion and Prolific Sire Bernardini Euthanized at 18
Bernardini, the 2006 Preakness Stakes winner and one of the most decorated international sires of this century, was euthanized on Friday after complications from laminitis. He was 18. The stallion was euthanized at Jonabell Farm in Kentucky, where he lived since beginning his stallion career in 2007. Sheikh Mohammed’s Darley […]
Preakness Winner Rombauer Taking a Break, Won’t Race Until 2022
Preakness Stakes winner Rombauer will take the next 60 days off and won’t race for the duration of the 2021 season, according to the Daily Racing Form. Trainer Mike McCarthy told the DRF that Rombauer hadn’t been training “as sharp as he was before the Preakness and Belmont.†That June […]
Preakness Gets Some of Its Fans Back, Pimlico Opens Doors for 10,000
The Maryland Jockey Club announced Tuesday it will allow 10,000 fans into the 2021 Preakness Stakes when that second jewel of the Triple Crowns runs on Saturday, May 15 at Pimlico Race Course. This decision came after The Stronach Group officials met with Baltimore-area and Maryland state health officials, who […]
Despite Topsy-Turvy Year, Horseracing’s 2020 Handle Falls Only 1.3%
Tracks closed, spectators were absent, and schedules were changed beyond recognition. Yet, amid a year unlike any other in Thoroughbred racing, the total 2020 US handle dipped only 1.3% from its 2019 totals. What was remarkable about that modest dip — from $10.871 billion in 2019 to $10.727 billion in […]
Preakness Punchline Turned Clark Stakes Winner Bodexpress Retired
Bodexpress, who went from comedic punchline to Grade 1 winner, was retired late Sunday night, nine days after the biggest win of his career. Trainer and part-owner Gustavo Delgado tweeted out a message late Sunday night that the colt suffered “a career-ending injury.†That injury was described as a swollen […]
Winning Preakness Complicates Swiss Skydiver’s Breeders’ Cup Plans
She’s run with the boys. Now, with her Preakness victory last Saturday, Swiss Skydiver beat the boys. So what’s the next challenge for one of the great North American fillies of her generation? That would be the Nov. 7 Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland. That much, we know. But what are […]
Swiss Skydiver Wins Epic 2020 Preakness Stakes Amid Plunging Handle
Not even one of the most exciting Preakness finishes in memory prevented a 48.7% drop in betting handle from 2019’s record figure, according to Equibase. Pimlico’s 12-race Preakness handle checked in at $51,252,631, a nearly 50% drop from last year’s $99,852,653 record handle. That 2019 handle came on a 14-race […]
The Triple Crown Ends Here: Breaking Down the 2020 Preakness Stakes
It’s October 2020, which in this bizarre of all bizarre years, means it’s Preakness Stakes time. That there is no Triple Crown at stake does not mean there is nothing at stake in the third and final jewel of a wild, 15-week Triple Crown campaign. The 2020 American Classics trail […]
Speed, Breeding, Competitive Fire Produces an Authentic Champion
When he races, Authentic doesn’t show a lot of patience on the track. He’s developed a well-earned reputation as the proverbial front-runner, a horse who likes the lead and a horse who relishes a challenge. This, however, contrasts with the connections and background of the Kentucky Derby champion and 9/5 […]
Trainer Tommy Drury Takes Big Picture View with Art Collector
Art Collector was the biggest “what-if†surrounding this year’s Kentucky Derby. “What if†the multi-dimensional speedster ran the Derby? Would Authentic have run first at every call, like he did en route to his victory? Would he have had run first at the most important call of all – the […]
After Surprising Derby, Mr. Big News Turns the Page to Preakness
Trainer Bret Calhoun vowed he would never dive into the Triple Crown pool until he had a horse worthy of the plunge. So what is it about Mr. Big News that brought Calhoun back into the pool after a subpar 2019 Kentucky Derby from By My Standards? What is it […]
Preakness Stakes Draw: Derby Winner Authentic Takes Favorite Spot
While Preakness Stakes favorite Authentic was wrapping up his final pre-race workout, the 9/5 favorite for Saturday’s 145th Preakness drew post 9 at Monday morning’s post draw in Baltimore. In what’s already been a wild and unpredictable Triple Crown season, at least one reliable standby remains true. The Kentucky Derby […]