Tag: Churchill Downs

Standout sprinter Volatile retired Monday after a leg injury. His July victory here in the Grade 1 Vanderbilt marked his sixth and final race. (Image: Erica Miller)
Volatile

Star Sprinter Volatile Retires to Stud After Breaking Bone

Volatile, the standout sprinter who set records on numerous tracks, broke a bone in his leg Monday and immediately retired from racing. Considered the top sprinter in America, Volatile suffered a hairline fracture of his right front cannon bone. The injury, while not life-threatening, ends Volatile’s dynamic racing career and […]

Authentic and John Velazquez led the Kentucky Derby at every post en route to upsetting heavy favorite Tiz the Law. (Image: Churchill Downs/Coady Photography)

Authentic Drama Takes Over Wild 2020 Kentucky Derby

There was a thin sense of normalcy to the 2020 Kentucky Derby. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert won his record-tying sixth Derby, this time with Authentic. And unheralded Mr Big News played this year’s designated long shot, blowing up many tickets – in good ways and bad – by […]

A spectator-free Churchill Downs for Saturday's Kentucky Derby might thn the in-person betting herd. But plenty of wagers will go down across the risk-reward spectrum. (Image: Getty)

Kentucky Derby Betting Options Go Deeper than Just the Derby

This weekend’s Kentucky Derby/Oaks cards provide bettors with a veritable wagering smorgasbord, one giving you betting options covering the entire risk/reward spectrum. There are, of course, your regular standbys: the win-place-show, exactas, trifectas, and superfectas. But because of the spectator-free nature of this year’s Derby and Oaks weekend, Churchill Downs […]

John Velazquez will ride even money favorite Gamine in Saturday's Kentucky Oaks. (Image: Alton Strupp/Louisville Courier Journal)

Gamine Takes Even Money Favored Status In Kentucky Oaks

At even-money, Gamine enters Friday’s Kentucky Oaks as the shortest-priced favorite in 11 years, where she looms large over the smallest Oaks field in 15 years. Gamine starts the 146th running of the prestigious 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-old fillies from post 5 in the nine-horse field, drawn Monday afternoon […]

The South Point Race Book is one of 82 Nevada race books that will book Kentucky Derby wagers outside of the national pari-mutuel pool. The state's race books and Churchill Downs Inc. are 10 months into a stalemate over the amount CDI wants per-dollar wagered. (Image: South Point)

Despite Impasse, Nevada Books Can Handle Kentucky Derby Wagers

An impasse between Nevada casinos and Churchill Downs Inc. sent the state’s casinos back to booking the Kentucky Derby in-house, rather than partaking in the national pari-mutuel pools. In an agreement signed last week, the Nevada Gaming Commission approved a resolution that allows the state’s casinos to book action on […]

This scene of well-dressed fans soaking up the Kentucky Derby atmosphere will not happen this year. Churchill Downs officials announced the 146th Kentucky Derby will run without fans due to a coronavirus spike. (Image: Eclipse Sportswire)

Officials Scratch Fans from Suddenly Spectator-Free Kentucky Derby

Churchill Downs officials announced on Friday that the 146th Kentucky Derby will run without fans, doubling-back on its fervent desire to run America’s most iconic horse race with a semblance of Derby atmosphere. The decision came in the wake of a spike in COVID-19 cases in Kentucky. The state reported […]

You won't see scenes like these from the 2019 Kentucky Derby infield at this year's Derby. The infield is closed for the Sept. 5 race and seating is limited to 40% of capacity. (Image: Christopher Fryer/Louisville Business First)

Churchill Downs Limit Kentucky Derby Attendance to 40% of Capacity

In further response to COVID-19 health and safety concerns, Churchill Downs Racetrack officials released a 62-page health and safety operations plan on Wednesday that will limit Kentucky Derby attendance to fewer than 23,000 guests for the Sept. 5 race. That total is less than 14% of the record 170,513 fans […]

Mike Smith and his fellow jockeys aren't smiling about Churchill Downs' mandate they give up two weeks of rides to ride in the Kentucky Derby or Kentucky Oaks. (Image: Julio Cortez/Associated Press)

Churchill Downs Orders Derby, Oaks Jockeys to Kentucky by August 24

In their latest response to the coronavirus pandemic, Churchill Downs officials issued a mandate on Monday to jockeys at both the Saratoga and Del Mar colonies. They need to be in Kentucky no later than Aug. 24 if they want to ride in the Kentucky Derby or Kentucky Oaks. That’s […]

By My Standards won his first stakes race, last year's Louisiana Derby. He faces his biggest challenge to date against tough, seasoned Tom's d'Etat in the Stephen Foster. (Image: Eclipse Sportswire)

Stephen Foster Composes Beautiful Front Line of Contenders

As marquee races go, this isn’t the Kentucky Derby. But you could do a lot worse than the Stephen Foster as the headline race of your meet, abbreviated and all. The Grade 2 Stephen Foster not only headlines Saturday’s strong 11-race, four-stakes card at Churchill Downs, it provides an enviable […]

Tom's d'Etat seeks his fourth consecutive stakes victory in Saturday's Stephen Foster. The 7-year-old is your even-money morning line favorite. (Image: Churchill Downs)

Favored Tom’s d’Etat Not a Revolutionary Pick in the Stephen Foster

You can’t call what Tom’s d’Etat did in the Oaklawn Mile a coup d’etat, not when he was the 4/5 favorite. Nor can you call his previous two races revolutionary. All of which explains why Tom’s d’Etat is the even-money favorite for Saturday’s Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs. The Grade […]

The Kentucky Derby infield brings out a smorgasbord of party-goers. While fans are allowed inside this year's Derby, don't expect the same raucous infield crowds for a typical Derby. (Image: Jamey Price/Getty)

Kentucky Derby Will Run with Spectators, Limited Access, Strict Rules

Churchill Downs officials announced Thursday that the 146th Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks will run with a limited and yet unspecified number of spectators, a decision made in consultation with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and state public health officials. In so doing, Churchill Downs is trying to make a concerted […]

The Breeders' Cup Distaff is Midnight Bisou's season goal. Winning Saturday's Fleur de Lis at Churchill Downs will get her into the field for the Nov. 7 Distaff. (Image: Scott Serio/Eclipse Sportswire)

Midnight Bisou Returns With More to Prove in Fleur de Lis

You could make a credible case that Midnight Bisou isn’t just the best filly or mare in the world, but that she’s the best horse in the world. And Midnight Bisou will further that case at Churchill Downs in Saturday’s Grade 2 Fleur de Lis. Waiting for her in a […]

Favored in the Matt Winn Stakes, Maxfield is the best horse in the field. But is there value elsewhere in this Kentucky Derby prep? (Image: Jordan Thomson)

Matt Winn Stakes Takes Center Stage for Derby Hopefuls

It’s the fourth Saturday in May, which brings us Churchill Downs’ headline race for 3-year-olds this spring. You can hear the dulcet tones of “My Old Kentucky Home” as the 10 horses enter the gate for the Matt Winn Stakes. No, that’s not a typo or the result of a […]

The last time we saw Maxfield race, he came from ninth to first to win the Breeders' Futurity last October. He returns to the gate Saturday after 7 1/2 months off. (Image: Eclipse Sportswire)

Maxfield Ready to Rejoin the Derby Trail at Saturday’s Matt Winn Stakes

The expectations surrounding Maxfield on his 3-year-old debut at Saturday’s Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs can be viewed through the prism of two other horses who recently returned from extended time off. The first: Bob Baffert’s Tale of the Union, who returned to the starting gate at […]

Monomoy Girl, seen here nipping Wonder Gadot to win the 2018 Kentucky Oaks, returns to racing for the first time in 18 months Saturday. She is a 4/5 favorite in an allowance race. (Image: Churchill Downs)

She’s Back: Standout Mare Monomoy Girl Returns After Lengthy Absence

Adding more prestige to Churchill Downs’ long-awaited Spring Meet opening on Saturday, champion 3-year-old Monomoy Girl returns to action for the first time in 18 months. In terms of class and competition, Monomoy Girl won’t be running against the elite fields she’s used to competing against. She’s entered as the […]

Victor Espinoza aboard American Pharoah ended the 2015 Road to the Kentucky Derby. The new Derby Trail resumes at Churchill Downs May 23. (Image: AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Churchill Downs Fills Out Derby Trail With New Qualifying Race List

The Kentucky Derby Trail now has a visible path forward after Churchill Downs released a preliminary list of races offering Derby qualifying points, pending host track approval. One of the most interesting elements of the preliminary Derby Trail concerns the other two legs of the Triple Crown – the Preakness […]

Fans won't see the gates wheeled into place at Churchill Downs, but horses and jockeys will starting May 16. (Image: Christopher Fryer)

Churchill Downs Announces New Race Schedule, Key Spring Stakes

After not hosting the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May for the first time in 75 years, Churchill Downs officials released its first condition book of races and its entire stakes schedule for its spring meet. The proposed slate features 16 stakes races and offers $2.25 million in […]

While racing will soon return to Churchill Downs, the surreal sight of empty stands will stick around for the foreseeable future. (Image: Pat McDonogh: Courier-Journal)

Kentucky, New York Officials Cautiously Plan Return to Live Racing

Government officials in two of the country’s biggest horse racing states, Kentucky and New York, opened the doors for live, spectator-free racing to begin amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcements came separately and, in both cases, contained few details on exactly when live racing would begin again. But in the […]