Kentucky Derby

After traveling the GI Kentucky Derby trail through the first half of this year with MGISW Cyberknife (Gun Runner), Al Gold's Gold Square and Brad Cox took the first step down the long road to the 2023 Derby Saturday at Churchill Downs, winning the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. with Instant Coffee (Bolt d'Oro). Rallying to victory on debut going seven panels at Saratoga Sept. 3, the $200,000 KEESEP buy came from way out of it to be fourth behind next-out GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile and likely champion Forte (Violence)...

Jose Santos hasn't ridden in more than 15 years, but he never wanted to leave the racetrack.  But finding the right role proved to be difficult. He sold feed for a number of years but said he was losing money because so many people would not pay their bills. But about a month ago, Santos, 61, found something new, signing on with Enviro Equine as a salesman. He says it's a good fit. "I like it because it allows me to mingle with people from racetrack," Santos said.  "I went...

The Backside Learning Center (BLC)--an independent non-profit organization providing support and resources in a safe, welcoming environment for the diverse community of racetrack workers and their families--will hold its largest annual fundraiser, "The 16th Annual Benefit for the Backside: A Day at the Races", Friday, Nov. 18 at Churchill Downs. While the event is sold out, the BLC is hosting an online, silent auction consisting of horseracing, and hard to find items including a Kentucky Oaks box for 6; a speakeasy tasting tour at Evan Williams bourbon for 20; a...

Six months in advance of GI Kentucky Derby 149, the pari-mutuel field of "All Other Colts and Geldings" closed as the odds-on 4-5 favorite in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW) and impressive debut winner 'TDN Rising Star' Extra Anejo (Into Mischief) was the 12-1 second choice. Other horses who attracted mild interest from bettors include GISWs Forte (Violence) (16-1) and Blazing Sevens (Good Magic) (20-1).

LEXINGTON, KY - DL689 wasn't the only flight taking off shortly after 6:00 a.m. in Lexington on a brisk Wednesday morning. Just as that Atlanta-bound, Delta aircraft loudly announced its presence across the way at Blue Grass Airport--you really couldn't have scripted it any better--unbeaten superstar Flightline (Tapit) was one of the first horses to train as the Keeneland main track opened for business beneath the lights. Under a snug hold and plenty eager to do more, the 3-5 GI Breeders' Cup Classic morning-line favorite was every bit as advertised,...

It might feel a touch trite to repeat it, but the timeworn observation is such for a reason: the stallion market is one packed to the brim with tough customers and salty competition. And it turns out, both literally and metaphorically as evidenced by the recently released Report of Mares Bred. Breeders gravitate to quality and are more frequently turning to tried-and-true sources to find it, or are becoming more demanding of first-year sires before taking the chance. In an economy where connections are forced to steadily tighten their belts,...

A new Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool with up to 40 betting interests, including the popular "All Others" option, will debut Tuesday, Nov. 1 and close Thursday, Nov. 3 in advance of the Breeders' Cup World Championships' Future Stars Friday. The new three-day pool, which features $2 Win and Exacta wagering, will open Tuesday, Nov. 1 at noon (all times Eastern) and close Thursday, Nov. 3 at 6 p.m. Technology advancements now allow up to 40 pari-mutuel betting interests, up from 24 in previous years. Track officials will release the...

Indiana horseman William Austin Nicks, who improbably acquired the dam of Rich Strike just days before that colt won the GI Kentucky Derby in May, scored another dam of a future Grade I winner on a shoestring budget when he purchased Tanquerray (Good Journey), in foal to Outwork, for $2,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton February sale. The mare was followed into the sales ring at that auction by her yearling filly by Outwork, who sold for $8,000. Reoffered at Fasig-Tipton Midlantic in October, the yearling brought $40,000. Now named Leave...

"I told them," he says. "You can't make a hardboot out of a Virginia redneck. And that's all I've ever been. Never pretended to be anything else. Just a Virginia redneck that loves horses." When you have spent as much time as Beau Lane among these unerring vehicles of humility--from the Appaloosas of his youth, to two Kentucky Derby starters in the last seven years--you tend to develop total immunity to self-importance. Even at 80, you never know what's coming next; nor, when something does happen, whether it will turn...

Gulfstream Park's upcoming Championship Meet will offer 60 stakes--35 graded--worth $13.6 million. The stakes line up is headlined by the $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational, which will be run Jan. 28, and the $1-million GI Curlin Florida Derby, to be run Apr. 1. Gulfstream's Jan. 28 card will also include the $1-million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational and the $500,000 GIII Pegasus World Cup F/M Turf Invitational, as well as four other graded events. The Florida Derby is the culmination of Gulfstream's series of Triple Crown preps. The series...

Clay Patrick, the hearing officer assigned to the Bob Baffert-Medina Spirit Derby disqualification case, has recused himself three weeks after the appeal was heard, according to Paulick Report. Amr Zedan's attorney Clark Brewster unknowingly bought a horse at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale that was co-owned by Patrick, who operates the family-owned Ramspring Farm. Patrick was expected to make a recommendation on the appeal to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission within 60 to 90 days. "After I bought the colt, I noticed how young the mare is and looked to...

The "Road to the Kentucky Derby," a series of races awarding points toward a starting gate position in each year's GI Kentucky Derby, will see modifications for the upcoming season, including an increase of points for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile from 20-8-4-2 to 30-12-9-6-3. In addition, other early-season prep races have been elevated from 10-4-2-1 to 20-8-6-4-2 in an effort to increase the importance of those races. They include the GIII Lecomte S. at Fair Grounds, the GIII Southwest S. at Oaklawn Park, the GIII Withers S. at Aqueduct,...