Tag: Pappacap

Jack Christopher puts in a workout before Saturday's Grade 1 Woody Stephens at Belmont Park. The one-time Kentucky Derby hopeful is the 1/2 favorite to remain undefeated. (Image: Coglianese Photos/Susie Raisher)

Jack Christopher Ready for More Undercard Magic in Woody Stephens

- 3 min read

The Jack Christopher Comeback Tour makes its next stop at the Grade 1 Woody Stephens, setting down once again on a Triple Crown undercard race. The seven-furlong Woody Stephens will be one of the eight Grade 1s on Saturday’s Belmont Stakes undercard. It’s not to be confused with the Grade […]

Epicenter's success in winning December's Gun Runner here and finishing second in January's Lecomte at Fair Grounds should serve him well in Saturday's Grade 2 Risen Star. (Image: Hodges Photography/Lou Hodges Jr.)

Risen Star Brings Rising Stars, Rising Stakes to Kentucky Derby Trail

- 4 min read

WIth a nod to Winston Churchill, Saturday’s Grade 2 Risen Star signals both the beginning of the end and the end of the Kentucky Derby trail’s beginning. The prelims are over and we’re now at the beginning of the win-and-you’re-in stretch of the Derby trail. That’s because the 1 1/8-mile […]

Tiz the Bomb is the 10/1 second individual choice behind stablemate Smile Happy in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 2, which closed Sunday. (Image: Coady Photography/Keeneland)

Both the Field, Smile Happy, Keep Their Favorite Status in KDFW Pool 2

- 2 min read

Just like it did in November’s Pool 1, the Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 2 finished with All Other 3-Year-Olds as the favorite, and Smile Happy closing as the individual favorite. While Smile Happy closed at the same 8/1 odds he finished at in Pool 1, All Other 3-Year-Olds wound […]

Pappacap leads the Kentucky Derby points list with 12. He comes into Saturday's Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds as the 8/5 morning-line favorite. (Image: Benoit Photo)

Derby Points Leader Pappacap Finds Epicenter in the Lecomte Stakes

- 3 min read

The Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes gives you current Kentucky Derby points leader Pappacap. It gives you one of the most exciting 3-year-olds in the country, Epicenter. And it gives you recent alumni Triple Crown success. The 1 1/16-mile Lecomte also gives you Derby preps for the first time in three […]

Corniche and Mike Smith won October's Grade 1 American Pharoah for one of his three victories in as many races. The presumptive Champion 2-Year-Old will remain with trainer Bob Baffert despite the conditioner's suspension from the next two Kentucky Derbies. (Image: Benoit Photo)

After Break, Baffert Will Get Kentucky Derby Prospect Corniche Back

- 2 min read

Any reports of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Corniche moving out of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert’s barn are premature — as of now. According to the Daily Racing Form, the odds-on favorite to win the Eclipse Award as 2-Year-Old Champion will return to Baffert’s California base after a freshening […]

Gun Runner's stud fee went from $50,000 in 2021 to $125,000 in 2022. He set the record for first-crop progeny earnings last weekend. (Image: Sarah Andrew)

Former Horse of the Year Gun Runner Sets First-Crop Sire Earnings Mark

- 2 min read

Gun Runner continued his climb up the stallion rankings this weekend, setting the record for all-time progeny earnings for a first-crop sire. The Three Chimneys’ stallion climbed over the $3.8 million mark when Shotgun Hottie captured a $92,000 maiden special weight race at Churchill Downs on Sunday. That sent Gun […]

Pappacap impressed in both his races, including this stalking victory in the Grade 2 Best Pal. He is a strong contender to win Monday's Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity. (Image: Benoit Photo)

Del Mar Futurity Gives You Derby Prospects Worth Watching

- 3 min read

The Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity is another one of those races carrying a heavy Bob Baffert flavor. The Hall of Fame trainer won the Futurity a record 14 times, including seven consecutive victories between 1996 and 2002. That’s not surprising when you consider it’s one of the top 2-year-old […]