News

  • Video Road to the Kentucky Derby, El Camino Real Derby preview 2.16.13

  • Video Kentucky Derby Experience - Unforgettable!

  • Baffert triple-handed in San Vicente

    Sunday's Grade 2, $150,000 San Vicente is not worth any points in the new Road to the Kentucky Derby scoring system, but the seven-furlong test at Santa Anita figures to yield contenders for major Derby preps down the road. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert is responsible for half of the six-horse field -- Grade 3-placed Shakin It Up and hotshot maiden winners Belvin and War Academy.

  • Fortify finishes sixth in Dubai

    South African champion Soft Falling Rain extended his unbeaten sequence to six in Thursday's Group 3, $250,000 U.A.E. Two Thousand Guineas at Meydan, while leading Godolphin hope Fortify could do no better than sixth.

  • Kentucky Derby Report -- Feb. 14

    The first pool of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager took place last weekend and the lowest individual-priced horse, Verrazano (11-1), was bet primarily on confidence given that the lightly-raced colt has yet to try two turns or face stakes rivals. The next three in the betting -- Flashback (12-1), Violence (13-1) and Itsmyluckyday (13-1) -- are graded stakes winners.

  • Zeewat, Manando head El Camino Real Derby

    Four of the nine entrants in Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields have been nominated to the Triple Crown series, and thus are hoping to add the 10 points the race provides to the winner toward their Kentucky Derby account under the new eligibility system of the Run for the Roses. The 1 1/8-mile race also features a rematch between the top-two finishers from the January 12 California Derby.

  • Near-Record Derby Futures Favor 'All Others,' Wild Scramble for Favored Individual

    The 2013 version of Churchill Downs’ Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”) is off to a rousing start after its opening pool generated near-record betting, concluded  with the expected emergence of the popular “All Others” (#24) betting interest as its heavy favorite and featured a wild scramble among seven horses that determined the identity of the individual Thoroughbred that is, for now, a very narrow “people’s choice” to win the  139th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum Brands (Grade I) on

  • Midnight Ballet, Stevens scheduled to ship for Rachel Alexandra

    Trainer Tom Proctor confirmed Saturday from his wintertime base of operations in Southern California that he plans on shipping Midnight Ballet to New Orleans to contest the Grade 3 Rachel Alexandra on February 23 as part of the Louisiana Derby Preview Day, and also that newly unretired Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens would be coming to Fair Grounds for the mount on the filly.

  • It's 'All Others' Over Pletcher Foursome with One Derby Futures Day to Go

    With only one day of betting remaining in the first of a trio of Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”) pools in 2013, fans continued to heavily favor “All Others” (#24) over a foursome of Derby hopefuls trained by Todd Pletcher as total wagering in the three-day pool pushed past the $300,000 mark.

  • Redressthebalance takes Cal Oaks

    Later on Saturday, in another points race for the Kentucky Oaks, Rutherford Group et al's Redressthebalance came with a powerful rally to capture the $53,550 California Oaks at Golden Gate Fields. With jockey Christian Santiago Reyes in the irons, the Doug O'Neill pupil earned her first win stateside when completing 1 1/16 miles on the synthetic Tapeta in 1:45 2/5.

  • Ginger trumps Gold in Martha Washington

    Millennium Farms and Little Brother Farm's homebred Sister Ginger turned back the game effort of Rose to Gold for a 2 3/4-length victory in Saturday's $75,000 Martha Washington at Oaklawn Park. The Steve Asmussen trainee was seeking her first win since breaking her maiden by 5 1/2 lengths last October at Remington Park, and finished this one mile contest over the fast dirt in 1:39 2/5.

  • Liberty Girl faces Rose to Gold in Martha Washington

    Liberty Girl was one of the most impressive winners from Oaklawn Park's January 11 opening day, when she drew off to take a first-level allowance by 4 1/4 lengths in her three-year-old debut. On Saturday, the A. P. Warrior filly takes another step forward as one of nine fillies entered in the $75,000 Martha Washington.

  • A Lovely sweep for Godolphin in UAE Guineas

    Godolphin's Lovely Pass became the first classic winner sired by Raven's Pass when grinding out a half-length success in Thursday's $250,000 U.A.E. One Thousand Guineas at Meydan. The Mahmood al Zarooni pupil topped a Godolphin trifecta, rounded out by Shuruq and Music Chart.

  • Kentucky Derby Report -- Feb. 7

    A pair of well-regarded maiden winners, Flashback and Revolutionary, passed their first stakes test last weekend in dramatically different styles, with Flashback leading all the way in the Robert B. Lewis and Revolutionary rallying from last to take the Withers, and while neither performance proved a whole lot in terms of the Kentucky Derby, it's still early in the process and both colts have a lot going for them.

  • Eleven entered in California Oaks

    Though not graded and only worth $50,000, Saturday's California Oaks at Golden Gate Fields will award the winner of the 1 1/16-mile contest with 10 points toward the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks starting gate.

    Eleven sophomore fillies have thrown their hats in the ring, led by the Lloyd Mason trainee Lucky Moment (Marino Marini). The dark bay lass is currently riding a three-race win streak and has already beaten others in this field.

  • 'All Others' Strong Choice Over Shanghai Bobby, Violence in Derby Futures Pool 1

    Champion Shanghai Bobby (#17) and rising star Violence (#21) are expected to vie for the role of individual favorite, but Churchill Downs Racetrack oddsmaker Mike Battaglia believes the “All Others” (#24) betting interest will be a strong fans’ choice in the first of three pools of the 2013 Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”), which opens a three-day run on Friday, Feb. 8.

  • Princess of Sylmar is Gazelle bound following Busher

    Princess of Sylmar, a stablemate of Grade 3 Withers winner Revolutionary, had a much easier time than her fellow Todd Pletcher trainee Saturday as she rolled by seven lengths in Aqueduct's Busher, her fourth straight win, all around two turns.

    According to assistant trainer Michael McCarthy, next up for the Majestic Warrior filly will be Aqueduct's Grade 2, $250,000 Gazelle on April 6.

  • Revolutionary, Escapefromreality could face Wood rematch

    Trainer Todd Pletcher's Revolutionary ran himself into Kentucky Derby consideration on Saturday while taking his stakes bow in the Grade 3 Withers in his fifth career start, and emerged from that score at Aqueduct in good order.

    Revolutionary, whose late charge carried him past Escapefromreality after an eventful trip in the 1 1/16-mile contest, will depart for Pletcher's Florida base at Palm Meadows Training Center on Tuesday to prepare for any one of a number of final preps for the May 4 Kentucky Derby.

  • Baffert keeping quiet on Flashback

    While anyone was free to speculate on Flashback's next race, Bob Baffert was tight-lipped on the issue Sunday morning, saying for the record only that the impressive 6 1/4-length winner of Saturday's Grade 2 Robert B. Lewis Stakes came out of the race in good shape and that he had "no game plan" at the moment.

    "I didn't even sleep on it," Baffert said on a summer-like Super Bowl morning. "I worry about Game On Dude."

    Flashback's long-range agenda, however, could include the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 6.

  • Falling Sky leads all the way in Sam F. Davis

    Falling Sky threw his name into the Kentucky Derby picture Saturday with a wire-to-wire victory in the Grade 3, $202,500 Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs. In his first start for trainer John Terranova, the sophomore colt withstood the rally of Dynamic Sky to prevail by a neck.