Tag: Road to the Kentucky Derby

Greatest Honour (left) captured Saturday's Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park by 5 3/4 lengths. His Kentucky Derby futures odds plummeted as a result. (Image: Coglianese Photos)

Greatest Honour Piggy-Backs Gulfstream to Holy Bull Record Handle

As Greatest Honour joined the front row of Kentucky Derby contenders, he helped carry Gulfstream Park to a record Holy Bull handle day on Saturday. The south Florida track rolled up a total handle of $21.87 million. That surpassed last year’s total handle by 20% and blew past 2017’s previous […]

Hot Rod Charlie is one of two Doug O'Neill horses in the Saturday's Robert B. Lewis field. He's seeking a repeat of his out-of-nowhere second as a 94/1 longshot in the Breeders' Cup Classic. (Image: Horsephotos)

Lewis Stakes Recount Historic Horses, Revive Current Rivalries

In 2012, little-known 43/1 long shot I’ll Have Another won the Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita Park. This feat drew mild murmurs and a few curious looks throughout the horseracing world. After all, the Doug O’Neill-trained colt came into the Lewis off a horrible sixth in the Hopeful […]

Outadore comes into Friday's Springboard Mile off his third-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. (Image: Coady Photography)

This Weekend’s Stakes Feature Derby Preps, Return of Ex-Derby Prodigy

The pre-Christmas lull before the graded stakes storm doesn’t mean there aren’t any graded stakes in this weekend’s racing slate. Nor does it mean this weekend misses good storylines or top-shelf horses. Take the Los Alamitos Futurity and the Mr. Prospector, your two graded stakes this weekend. Curious about potential […]

Furosimide, sold under the name Salix or Lasix, prevents pulmonary bleeding in horses. It is now banned in all Kentucky Derby points races, along with the Derby itself. (Image: Anne M. Eberhardt/The Horse)

You’ll See a Lasix-Free Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks in 2021

The 2021 Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks will mark the first time in the history of those prestigious races that horses may run without furosemide, better known by its brand name Lasix. The ban on the powerful anti-bleeding medication, widely employed at tracks all over the country, extends to the […]

King Fury crowned himself victor in the Street Sense Stakes at Churchill Downs. He'll go for his third victory under the Twin Spires in Saturday's Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club. (Image: Coady Photography/Churchill Downs)

Kentucky Jockey Club Provides Another Glimpse of Derby Hopefuls

The Kentucky Jockey Club was the only race Tiz the Law lost as a 2-year-old. It’s also the race that gives 2-year-olds a needed trip around two turns and horseplayers a good glimpse of what juveniles could be live come next spring’s Kentucky Derby. Along with that, Saturday’s Grade 2 […]

Jackie's Warrior's impressive win in the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes put him at the front of the line of 2021 Kentucky Derby contenders. (Image: Dom Napoiltano/Coglianese Photography)

Get to Know These 2-Year-Old Future Kentucky Derby Hopefuls

Say “hello” to Jackie’s Warrior, Dr. Schivel, Freedom Fighter, and Sittin on Go. You may not know much about them right now, but you’ll be hearing a lot more about these four — and other 2-year-olds — over the next seven months. Ignore for the moment the 2020 Kentucky Derby […]

King Guillermo will miss the Kentucky Derby due to a fever. Trainer Juan Carlos Avila tweeted, "He is happy and we are very sad but proud to take care of him." (Image: Churchill Downs)

Fever Scratches King Guillermo from Kentucky Derby

In a different twist on “Derby Fever,” Tampa Bay Derby winner King Guillermo became the latest Kentucky Derby casualty, scratching from Saturday’s race due to a fever. King Guillermo’s connections, owner Victor Martinez and trainer Juan Carlos Avila, discovered he had a fever Wednesday afternoon. They turned matters over to […]

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 […]

Pneumatic and jockey Joe Bravo easily captured the final Kentucky Derby points race -- the Pegasus Stakes. But they announced Monday they'll skip the Derby for the Preakness Stakes a month later. (Image: Eclipse Sportswire)

Waiting Game Starts as Road to Kentucky Derby Ends

The Road to the Kentucky Derby is finally complete. Now, it’s just a matter of certain connections deciding if their horses will enter the Kentucky Derby starting gate. Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, the long and winding Derby trail claimed some standout horses, most notably Nadal, Charlatan, and Maxfield. The […]

Six months after he broke his maiden with this neck victory at Oaklawn Park, Pneumatic charges into the final stop on the Kentucky Derby Trail as the 5/2 favorite. (Image: Coolmore Farm)

Pegasus Stakes Closes the Kentucky Derby Trail for Would-Be Entrants

This is it – the end of the trail. Monmouth Park’s Pegasus Stakes is your last stop for Kentucky Derby points before the “Closed” sign goes up. Monmouth Park’s finish line for Saturday’s Pegasus Stakes doubles as the Kentucky Derby Trail’s finish line. Get your points here – and there […]

Tiz the Law made the Travers Stakes look as easy as his other three 2020 victories. Oddsmakers dropped his Kentucky Derby odds under 2/1 as a result. (Image: Stacey Heatherington/NYRA via AP)

Derby Odds Fall as Tiz the Law’s Stock Rises

It is a testament to Tiz the Law’s dominance over the rest of his 3-year-old contemporaries that his odds to win the Triple Crown (+250 at Circa Sports) are lower than any of his counterparts’ future odds on them winning the Kentucky Derby. That’s one takeaway from Tiz the Law’s […]

Jockey Brian Hernandez and Art Collector plan using the Ellis Park Derby as a tune-up for the Kentucky Derby. They are the 4/5 morning line favorite for the penultimate Kentucky Derby prep. (Image: Keeneland/Coady Photography)

Art Collector Unveiled as Easy Ellis Park Derby Favorite

Being a Kentucky Derby prep is uncharted waters for Ellis Park. And training a Kentucky Derby hopeful is definitely uncharted waters for Tom Drury. Those two storylines will collide Sunday at the Ellis Park Derby with all eyes on Drury’s odds-on favorite, Art Collector. In a normal year, the ungraded […]

Ete Indien's front-running style brought him the Fountain of Youth title. But he may miss the Kentucky Derby with an unspecified injury. (Image: Ryan Thompson/Coglianese Photo)

Despite Different Perils, Ete Indien, Sole Volante Remain on Derby Trail

One of trainer Patrick Biancone’s two Kentucky Derby hopefuls, Ete Indien, is safely in the Derby. The other, Sole Volante, is literally on the points bubble. But Biancone said both remain on the Derby trail, despite a “setback” that puts Ete Indien’s path to Churchill Downs in jeopardy. That setback, […]

Art Collector follows his Blue Grass Stakes victory with the Ellis Park Derby Aug. 9. (Image: Coady Photography)

July’s Kentucky Derby Preps Introduce New Contenders, Old Favorites

If we get a Kentucky Derby finish like the Haskell Stakes finish, they’ll be talking about that Derby for years to come. And after that Haskell, and the rest of July’s Derby preps, it’s a good time to see where the Derby contenders are at mid-summer – weird as that […]

Ny Traffic won't turn heads with blinding speed. But he usually turns exotic bettors into believers. He's the 7/2 third choice to win Saturday's Haskell Stakes. (Image: Ryan Thompson/Gulfstream Park)

Ny Traffic Seeking to Break Out of Pack at Haskell Stakes

Unlike his namesake, Ny Traffic sits under the radar, repeatedly yielding the spotlight to sexier horses and sexier-named trainers. This version of Ny Traffic doesn’t make you late for dinner. And Saturday’s Grade 1 Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park falls right into Ny Traffic’s lane. There’s Bob Baffert’s Authentic as […]

Art Collector's 3 1/2-length victor in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland vaulted him to the front row of Kentucky Derby contenders. His odds to win the Sept. 5 Derby plummeted on every futures board. (Image: Coady Photography)

Art Collector Becomes Hottest Object on Kentucky Derby Futures Board

Winning the Blue Grass Stakes made Art Collector the latest shiny object for Kentucky Derby bettors to focus on as his odds to win the Sept. 5 Run for Roses plunged across the board. On Circa Sports’ Kentucky Derby Futures Board, Art Collector sits at 7/1. He’s now the fourth […]

Swiss Skydiver exercised proper social distancing turning back Venetian Harbor in May's Fantasy Stakes. She is the 3/1 morning line favorite to beat the boys in the Blue Grass Stakes. (Image: Coady Photography)

Swiss Skydiver Takes on the Boys, History in Blue Grass Stakes

Last month, Kenny McPeek was a coronavirus odyssey away from sending Swiss Skydiver to England for the 1000 Guineas. So why wouldn’t he turn the standout filly loose against the boys in Saturday’s Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland? “This has already been one of the weirdest years ever. […]

This front-running outing is what Major Fed's connections need to see to keep him on the Kentucky Derby Trail. He is the 7/2 second-choice to win Wednesday's Indiana Derby. (Image: Eclipse Sportswire)

Derby Trail Now Runs Through Indiana, with Major Fed Taking Center Stage

When looking at, and understanding, the Indiana Derby and its place on the Kentucky Derby Trail, it’s important to take a page from one of the favorites – Major Fed. Don’t look away at the wrong time. Major Fed brought us this lesson through his misadventures at March’s Grade 2 […]

Thousand Words (right) outdueled Anneau d'Or in last fall's Los Alamitos Futurity. The two slumping horses duel again in Saturday's Los Alamitos Derby. (Image: Benoit Photo)

Can Thousand Words Answer Uncle Chuck at Los Alamitos Derby?

Uncle Chuck and his Bob Baffert stablemate, Thousand Words, headline a small, but eclectic field at Saturday’s Grade 3 $150,000 Los Alamitos Derby. And, should one of the two Baffert charges win, they’ll not only bring in 20 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, but bring Baffert his fourth consecutive Los Alamitos […]