Kentucky Derby

Edited Press Release Churchill Downs Racetrack will host a job fair on Saturday, Mar. 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to hire positions for the upcoming Kentucky Derby and Spring Meet. Billed as the "Staff Call to Post," Churchill Downs and its vendor partners--Contemporary Services Corporation (CSC), Levy Restaurants and Prichard Sports & Entertainment Group and United Tote--will be looking for candidates to fill various positions for Derby Week and the 44-day Spring Meet, which begins a nine-week run Saturday, Apr. 30 through Monday, July 4. The 148th runnings...

Tami Bobo's Simplification (Not This Time) came out of his victory in Saturday's GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. in fine shape and will now be aimed at the Apr. 2 GI Curlin Florida Derby. "Yesterday, good break, a little problem in traffic, and when the jockey took him outside, the horse ran well," trainer Antonio Sano said Sunday morning. "I am proud of my horse. I'm happy for all the support the people give to me. I'm happy for another chance to win the GI Kentucky Derby." Simplification earned...

Flavien Prat is in the right place at the right time in Southern California. Young and gifted, he dominates the circuit in a way no jockey has in years. He picked up his 60th win of the meet Saturday, 25 more than runner-up Juan Hernandez. He won three stakes on the card, giving him 15 for the meet. And he rides for just about all the top barns on the circuit, most notably Bob Baffert. It's far, far from broke, but Prat is intent on fixing it. On Saturday, he...

Tami Bobo's Simplification (Not This Time) avoided a nasty two-horse spill on the far turn and proved much the best in Saturday's GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream Park while leading home an exacta for his red-hot young sire. The unlucky last out GIII Holy Bull S. runner-up, drawn on the inside in post two, raced in midpack rounding the clubhouse turn as rail-drawn longshot Markhamian (Social Inclusion) led the way. Under a snug hold by Jose Ortiz while racing in some traffic down the backstretch, the 5-2...

MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm's Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah) ran off from his rivals at the start and never looked back, dominating Santa Anita's GII San Felipe S. Saturday while picking up 50 GI Kentucky Derby points. Last seen besting GISW and next-out Saudi Derby scorer Pinehurst (Twirling Candy) in the seven-furlong GII San Vicente S. here Jan. 29, the even-money faorite out-footed two foes into the first turn and zipped along through splits of :22.66 and :45.90 as Armagnac (Quality Road) gave chase a few lengths behind and very far...

The unbeaten Morello (Classic Empire) pressed and pounced his way to a dazzling 4 1/2-length victory in Saturday's one-turn mile GIII Gotham S. at the Big A. Drawn wide in post nine, the even-money favorite Morello, a last out five-length winner of the local Jimmy Winkfield S. Feb. 6, was bumped hard at the start. Seemingly undeterred, he raced under a nice hold while a stalking second behind fellow two-for-two Dean's List (Speightstown) through an opening quarter in :23.47. He cruised up alongside the pacesetter approaching the quarter pole and...

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) voted 10-0 Friday to deny stays of penalties while trainer Bob Baffert and owner Amr Zedan appeal their equine drug positive rulings related to Medina Spirit's disqualification from the 2021 GI Kentucky Derby. One of Baffert's attorneys, W. Craig Robertson III, told TDN after the vote that the decision was "very disappointing." He added that "I have never seen the KHRC not grant a stay in the past. We will take the matter back up with the Franklin Circuit Court on Mar. 17." Robertson...

It stands to reason, I guess, that the fountain of youth—the quest for which supposedly brought the first conquistadores to the shores of Florida—should instead turn out to be in Hot Springs. Certainly it seems as though there must indeed be something in those celebrated Arkansas waters, judging from the eternal vigor of an 86-year-old trainer based at Oaklawn this winter.

Morello (Classic Empire) looks to take his perfect record to three-for-three and take his first steps down the GI Kentucky Derby trail in Aqueduct's GIII Gotham S. Saturday. A dominant debut winner going six panels at this oval Nov. 27, the $250,000 EASMAY purchase ran to the money with a five-length score in the Big A's Jimmy Winkfield S. Feb. 6. "Morello looks like he could potentially be something special," Dave Lyon of Blue Lion Thoroughbreds said. "I think it's just a perfect race set up for a horse like...

It stands to reason, I guess, that the fountain of youth--the quest for which supposedly brought the first conquistadores to the shores of Florida--should instead turn out to be in Hot Springs. Certainly it seems as though there must indeed be something in those celebrated Arkansas waters, judging from the eternal vigor of an 86-year-old trainer based at Oaklawn this winter. For a moment last Saturday, D. Wayne Lukas was going to sweep both Classic trials, Ethereal Road (Quality Road) just losing focus in the final strides of the GII...

   Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo), the 3-1 morning-line favorite in Saturday's GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream, will be scratched from the race, reports owner Jerry Crawford. His next start will most likely be in the GII Wood Memorial S. Apr. 9 at Aqueduct. Crawford said he and trainer Todd Pletcher were considering scratching after Mo Donegal drew the 12 post for the Fountain of Youth, but the decision became more clear cut after the colt developed a minor virus. "We are going to scratch," Crawford said. "In...

The first mare has scanned in foal to multiple Grade I winner Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}--Reunited, by Dixie Union), who stands at Lane's End Farm. The stakes-winning mare Initiation (Deputy Minister) is already the dam of multiple stakes placed Forward Thinker (Indian Charlie) and is owned by St. Simon Place. Code of Honor won the 2019 GI Runhappy Travers S. and GI Jockey Club Gold Cup and was second in the GI Kentucky Derby. On the board in 14 of 20 starts, the 6-year-old chestnut won seven times...