Ellis Park Derby

The 25-day meeting at Ellis Park in Henderson, Kentucky, will feature 18 added-money events worth record prize money of $3.7 million, officials from the track announced Thursday. The lone graded and richest event on the calendar is the GIII Pucker Up S., a nine-furlong contest on the turf for 3-year-old fillies for a purse of $400,000 (including $150,000 from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund). The Pucker Up is one of seven stakes across the $1.95-million Kentucky Downs Preview weekend Aug. 3 and 4. A pair of valuable races are programmed...

Large purses and four new stakes events will highlight the 2023 Ellis Park Racing & Gaming $3.075-million stakes calendar. The Ellis Park meet will open Friday, July 7 and run through Sunday, Aug. 27. The stakes program has been increased by $1.65 million since 2022 (all prize money includes funds distributed by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund and is pending approval from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission). There are four new stakes events on the calendar, including the $300,000 GIII Pucker Up S., which was previously run at Arlington Park...

On a cloudless August morning in Goshen, Kentucky, a steady stream of horses step on and off the synthetic track at Skylight Training Center. It's a tranquil, scenic drive along Liberty Road to get to Skylight, and quiet still upon pulling into the training center's drive. But at a barn towards the far end of the property, there's a certain effervescence at Tom Drury's stable. The magnetic energy is palpable even in watching the staff go about their daily tasks. "It's a lot busier around here lately," Drury said with...

There was no easy ride for heavily-favored ART COLLECTOR (c, 3, Bernardini--Distorted Legacy, by Distorted Humor) in Sunday's Runhappy Ellis Park Derby, as he was pressured hard on the front end throughout, but in the end it made little difference, as the streaking bay turned away all challengers to cement himself as one of the favorites for the GI Kentucky Derby. Breaking sharply at 2-5, Art Collector made the lead on his own power under Brian Hernandez, Jr. while being kept a bit off the rail heading into the clubhouse...

Ed DeRosa of Brisnet.com takes on TDN's Steve Sherack and Brian DiDonato as they handicap Triple Crown prep races plus the big three races themselves. The three will make $100 Win/Place bets in the preps and $200 Win/Place bets in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont. Highest bankroll at the end wins. DeRosa - Bankroll: $5230 - GI Runhappy Travers S. Result -Tiz the Law stamped himself as the Kentucky Derby favorite. Runhappy Ellis Park Derby - Art Collector has done everything right as a 3-year-old. He's stretched out, he's...