For Ete Indien, it’s a trip back to his turf roots that brings the one-time Kentucky Derby prospect back after a year on the sidelines. Ete Indien’s first start in nearly 13 months comes in Sunday’s Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint at Gulfstream Park. The Black-Type Umphrey sends its runners on […]
Tag: Sole Volante
You Never Know What Champions Come Out of Sam F. Davis Stakes
Three years ago, a horse named Flameaway captured the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. The Mark Casse-trained colt set a stakes record for the 1 1/16 miles – 1:42.44. Flameaway would finish second in the Tampa Bay Derby. He would win a minor stakes as […]
Weekend Stakes: Not Every Good 3-Year-Old Race is a Derby Prep
We’ll see several Kentucky Derby hopefuls return this weekend when two East Coast Grade 3 Derby preps headline the stakes races. And, we’ll meet some Kentucky Oaks contenders in two Oaks preps – one on each coast. At the same time, we’ll see a Grade 2 for 3-year-olds that isn’t […]
Unwrap Plenty of Stars in Santa Anita Park’s Boxing Day Opener
Santa Anita Park’s opening day marks the return of this year’s Pegasus World Cup champion for the first time in 10 months. And poor Mucho Gusto; he’s not remotely the headline attraction. For that, he can thank Nashville, Charlatan, and Independence Hall, who all smashed and grabbed Mucho Gusto’s spotlight […]
With Precautions, Tampa Bay Downs Open to Fans for 2020-21 Meet
With new health plans in place, Tampa Bay Downs announced Wednesday it will admit spectators for its 2020-21 winter/spring meet that begins Nov. 25, the day before Thanksgiving. This season is the track’s 95th-anniversary campaign. Headlining that campaign is the 41st Tampa Bay Derby, the track’s marquee event, and a […]
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 […]
Throw These Three Derby Hopefuls Off Your Betting Tickets
Picking a Kentucky Derby winner this year may seem easy on paper. Or chalk, as Tiz the Law and his generational-low 3/5 morning line odds illustrate. But while there’s plenty of value underneath, there are also plenty of minefields – horses you want to avoid stuffing underneath in those trifectas […]
Despite Different Perils, Ete Indien, Sole Volante Remain on Derby Trail
One of trainer Patrick Biancone’s two Kentucky Derby hopefuls, Ete Indien, is safely in the Derby. The other, Sole Volante, is literally on the points bubble. But Biancone said both remain on the Derby trail, despite a “setback†that puts Ete Indien’s path to Churchill Downs in jeopardy. That setback, […]
Breaking Down The 152nd Belmont Stakes, Worst To First
Yes, it’s condensed to 1 1/8 miles, instead of its typical hearty 1 ½ miles, meaning the Belmont Stakes goes from the longest Triple Crown race to the shortest. Yes, the Belmont Stakes leads off the Triple Crown season, rather than batting in the power-hitting three-hole. And yes, even in […]
Starting From Post 8, Tiz the Law Tabbed Belmont Stakes Favorite
To nobody’s surprise, Tiz the Law opened as your healthy 6/5 favorite for Saturday’s 152nd running of the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes. He’ll do so out of the eight post in the 10-horse field, drawn Wednesday afternoon at Belmont Park. And Tiz the Law will do so as the only […]
Sole Volante Turning Around on 10 Days Rest, Headed to Belmont
The fact Sole Volante’s connections announced late Monday he will run in Saturday’s Grade 1 Belmont Stakes is noteworthy on a couple of fronts. First, it’s a horse committing to the first leg of a revamped Triple Crown. This has become a novelty over the last three weeks, with defections […]
Nothing Routine About Sole Volante’s Allowance Win at Gulfstream Park
There was no reason to adjust your eyes, even in today’s pampered horseracing atmosphere where star horses don’t race more than once a month – if that. There were three Kentucky Derby hopefuls – Sole Volante, Ete Indien, and Shivaree — running a $55,000 allowance race on an otherwise ordinary […]
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 […]
Sole Volante, Chance It Renew Rivalry at Tampa Bay Derby
Up until last week, the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby looked to be the sole province of Sole Volante. The Sam F. Davis Stakes winner was more than a prohibitive favorite. He was the only horse anyone was talking about in the Kentucky Derby prep. That changed last week when […]