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Trifecta King Can't Catch a Queen; Speightstown's Winner; Rapid Redux to Run

Blood-Horse Staff — Fri, 16 May 2008 02:00:00 GMT

Trifecta King's results, a winner for Speightstown, Pleasantly Perfect's first starter, plus works from 2-year olds and Curly....(read more)

Preakness Draw: In the 'Zone'

ehammonds — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Par-tay
11 a.m.

The Alibi Breakfast is underway. A Preakness tradition, the Maryland Jockey Club offers a big spread of breakfast delights, plenty of juice and coffee, and a Black-Eyed Susan, if you’re so inclined.

It’s a chance for trainers and owners to offer up an “alibi” for the race. None do this year. In fact, most are more than candid.

After being goaded by host Chris Lincoln, trainer Rick Dutrow concedes and gives a “go to the windows” statement about Big Brown. The Derby winner is the 1-2 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s Preakness.

Others concede to Big Brown.

“We all have the same horse to beat,” said trainer Eddie Plesa Jr., who conditions Holy Bull Stakes (gr. III) winner Hey Byrn.

“It’s Big Brown’s party, but we’re happy to be here,” says Yankee Bravo’s trainer, Paddy Gallagher. –E.H.

Setting the Table
8:50 a.m.

The apron area at Pimlico fills with portable seats for the Preakness;
good viewing areas are at a premium

Clockwork
8:30 a.m.

Right on time, Big Brown exits the stakes barn to head to the track for a morning gallop. He’s met by a few hundred of his closest friend and admirers, the media. Exercise rider Michelle Nevin guides the big fella to take a sharp left and head out over the “Preakness” path to the track.

There are two wood-chipped pathways to the track from the stakes barn. The “Preakness path goes around another barn and meanders around along the back fence of the Pimlico property. It’s the long way around. Big Brown and Nevin are in no hurry.

Out the track, they take two laps around the dirt track at a nice, easy gait. Trainer Rick Dutrow and IEAH Stables principal Michael Iavarone look on. Later, Dutrow would say “Big Brown is not the kind of horse that takes your breath away in the morning.” We’re not so sure. He looks pretty good on this morning.

Back at the barn, a good section of the grassy area behind the stakes barn is roped off with yellow caution tape. Big Brown has a wide area in which to receive his morning bath.

Dutrow later takes to a podium to answer few questions.

He’s asked how great it is to have a horse like Big Brown?

“Any trainer in the world would love to be training Big Brown,” he says. “I’m in a special spot. It’s so interesting. He’s such a cool horse. I love it. You dream about it (having a horse like this).

“The first time I got excited about him was when he was at the quarter pole the first time that we ran him. It just took my breath away. I never imagined he could run like that.”

How will the colt take to the crowd in Baltimore?

“Big Brown is laid back,” Dutrow says. “He doesn’t get excited. It’s a good thing in front of a big crowd. When we put the bridle on him for the Derby, I wanted to take his temperature…I thought he was sick. He didn’t even care that we were going over there. It meant nothing to him at all.”

What’s up between now and the Preakness?

“I’m just wasting my time,” he says. “I just can’t wait to get over there for Saturday. There’s nothing that I’m going to do in the mean time to get me excited.” - E.H.

Where's Waldo? The Derby winner is in there somewhere...

Draw This One Up
Wednesday Evening

The post position draw for the Preakness Stakes is nothing like the draw for the Kentucky Derby: it’s just a good, old-fashion draw…with a little mustard on it.

Like the Derby, the event takes place in front of the national television cameras of ESPN2 and it takes place in a downtown setting. However, the connections don’t get to choose their starting gate spot, and the event takes place behind closed doors at the ESPN Zone restaurant.

The show runs an hour, which is long time to pull out 13 post positions. Derby winner and 1-2 morning line favorite Big Brown draws post seven…not too inside, not too outside…just right. With a long run to the first turn at Pimlico, and a 13-horse field, one can’t complain about any of the posts.

After the draw, the connections on hand are encouraged to come over to another room and address the media. Brightly dressed young girls hold signs of the runners where the connections are supposed to stand. Some draw plenty of attention, some are by themselves because none of the connections are there.

Cameras flock to Reade Baker, trainer of Kentucky Bear, and his wife, Janice. Terry Finley, who operates West Point Thoroughbreds – they have Derby Trial winner Macho Again breaking from the rail in the field, conducts some interviews.

Macho Again’s trainer, Dallas Stewart, pulled a good move earlier in the day, vanning his colt from Louisville to Lexington to hop an earlier flight to Baltimore, along with Preakness runners Gayego and Yankee Bravo. The plane then flew back to Kentucky, this time Louisville, to pick up another crew of runners including Big Brown. The flight was late departing the Derby city.

“Sometimes planes can get backed up and we took a calculated risk,” Finley said of the early move. “We didn’t want to get here after feed time. It saved us about four hours and now he’s settled in. We’re going after every edge we can.”

The majority of cameras zoom in on Michael Iavarone, the principal behind IEAH Stables, the majority owner of Big Brown.

After most of the sound bites have been said, Iavarone drops a bombshell on the industry by stating the chances of Big Brown racing as a 4-year-old are “none,” and if he doesn’t win the Preakness, the colt will likely to skip the Belmont. -E.H.

Preakness Picks

jshandler — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:35:00 GMT

Big Brown should win easily as an odds-on favorite. The challenge is finding horses to fill out your exotics....(read more)

Trifecta King will Meetyouatyogi's in the South of France

Blood-Horse Staff — Thu, 15 May 2008 02:59:00 GMT

The filly Trifecta King (Peace Rules) takes to the Hollywood Cushion on Thursday. Her dam is a half-sister to Church Service who is grade II-placed and most recently (on March 29, 2008) finished 2nd in the Tokyo City Handicap. ...(read more)

It's a Warrior's Reward For All Who Conga with a Smart Woman

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 13 May 2008 22:10:00 GMT

On track at Saratoga was Smart Woman. Smart Woman is a Smarty Jones' filly out of the winning Storm Cat mare, Storming Beauty. Storming Beauty is a daughter of champion Sky Beauty who earned $1,336,000 and won or placed in 17 graded stakes. ...(read more)

Thoroughbred Soundness

dbiles — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:28:00 GMT

Soundness apparently isn't always an important factor to breeders when they plan their matings....(read more)

Northern Dancer Pensioned

sgillies — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:14:00 GMT

Northern Dancer's two most important male-line scions bow out within 24 hours. What now?...(read more)

Updates on Nicanor and Lentenor

cnovak — Tue, 13 May 2008 20:37:00 GMT

Peter Brette talks about Nicanor, a new video of Lentenor is available on the Mill Ridge website, and fan Q&A is encouraged at the Nicanor Blog...(read more)

The New Shooters' Stakes

cdawahare — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:56:00 GMT

Bill Christine, HorseRaceInsider.com

You'll need a scorecard for the 133rd running of the Preakness. Yankee Bravo? That name sort of rings a bell. Behindatthebar? Seems familiar. Giant Moon? I remember him. Vaguely. The Preakness has always been a haven for the Triple Crown's new shooters, but this is ridiculous. This isn't a field, it's a road company of "Ben-Hur." These were the understudies for the Kentucky Derby. They weren't good enough to run in Louisville, and now some of their names will actually be hung on the marquee in Baltimore. This Saturday, Pimlico should let everybody in on twofers.

What happened to Denis of Cork? Didn't he earn enough shipping money at Churchill Downs? Recapturetheglory, fifth in the Derby, was Preakness-bound for a while, but now he's not scheduled to run. Louie Roussel, his trainer, says that Recapturetheglory has a temperature. Roussel may have also noticed that his horse finished 11 3/4 lengths behind Big Brown in the Derby.

There have been some pretty bland Preaknesses--the 1982 running, which didn't even have Gato Del Sol, the Derby winner, comes to mind--but unless Big Brown wins by 50 lengths or sends the timer spinning, this version is as pale as an albino, and will be as thrilling as fishing through the ice. It figures to be as one-sided as a bullfight. Rick Dutrow, who trains Big Brown, said that he'll ship his charge from Kentucky to Maryland on Wednesday, but why bother? Big Brown ought to be able to mail this one in.

Fitz Fits

sgillies — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:25:00 GMT

Seattle Fitz (ARG) has stunned the 2-year-old market in 2008. Why didn't I get in on the action?...(read more)

Maddening Media

cdawahare — Tue, 13 May 2008 15:44:00 GMT

Courtesy of Railbird

The situation with Eight Belles has illustrated my disdain for the media.

Unfortunately, most outlets tell the story they want to tell rather than the actual story. The vocal minority gets the soundbytes while anyone who's really in the mix goes ignored.

A story in the Lexington Herald-Leader commented that the Eight Belles tragedy has turned people off the sport. It quoted one woman who lives in Sunbury, Ohio, who said she didn't even watch the Derby because of a previous incident at a three-day eventing event.

How could Eight Belles' death have turned her off if she didn't watch to begin with?

Continue reading...

Healing the Wounds - by Dan Liebman

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 13 May 2008 15:09:00 GMT

There were 417 races run on the flat in North America May 3, but only one captured the attention of the public. Normally that attention would be in celebration of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) winner, but this year the attention came in the form of criticism due to the tragic catastrophic breakdown suffered by second-place finisher Eight Belles.

The industry has been forced to defend itself in the wake of this criticism, mostly from those outside the sport, many with limited knowledge of Thoroughbred breeding and racing.

Criticism, constructive or otherwise, comes in many forms. There is little need to pay serious attention to radical groups calling for the immediate end to Thoroughbred racing, a multi-billion-dollar agribusiness that employs hundreds of thousands. But it is important to listen to those who suggest the industry should closely examine itself and discuss ways to make the sport safer.

Similarly, when a driver dies in car racing, or a fighter in boxing, those sports owe it to their participants and fans to examine the reasons why the accident occurred and see if significant changes can be made to diminish the odds of further injuries.

That, however, is where the similarities end between horse racing and other sports. When a pro football player breaks his leg, the bone is set and the leg is placed in a cast. No one calls for the sport to be banned. But because of the musculoskeletal system of the horse, too often the injured limbs cannot be repaired, and, as in the case of Eight Belles, unfortunately require euthanasia instead.

Those placing blame on the racing surface, owner Rick Porter, trainer Larry Jones, and/or jockey Gabriel Saez are way off base. Likewise, those who question running a filly against colts should watch a tape of last year’s Belmont Stakes (gr. I); a single protest cannot be recalled after Rags to Riches’ victory.

Since the moment Eight Belles fell after fracturing both ankles while galloping out after the Derby, Thoroughbred industry officials have been busy spinning the news of the heartbreaking accident on racing's greatest stage. Blue ribbon panels have been put together to look at racing’s important issues and present reports to industry stakeholders.

More than likely, the issues that will be discussed will not be new topics. For years, industry groups have been studying such things as racing surfaces, medication, soundness, and durability. Perhaps, however, with the industry now under a microscope—from the press, the public, and possibly federal regulators—owners, breeders, trainers, jockeys, veterinarians, and researchers will debate the issues with more urgency.

Those who have said good can come from the breakdown suffered by Eight Belles are correct, but it should not be done only in her name. On May 3, chart footnotes also stated:

• Camarero Race Track, race 3, Ahi Viene Cundo, broke down, fell three-eighths pole;
• Evangeline Downs, race 3, Hack Rein, broke down, vanned off;
• Evangeline Downs, race 11, Watchmybluff, pulled up, vanned off;
• Indiana Downs, race 7, Sparkling Sherry, pulled up, vanned off;
• Suffolk Downs, race 2, Elusive King, broke down, vanned off;
• Suffolk Downs, race 10, Evoked, broke down, vanned off;
• Turf Paradise, race 7, Global Boy, in contention early, went wrong at three-eighths pole, vanned off;
• Will Rogers Downs, race 8, Middle Earth, taken up, vanned off;
• Woodbine, race 8, Sargeant Silver, broke down, vanned off.

Network television cameras were not pointed at the other horses that broke down May 3, but they are no less important than Eight Belles. Although horses were breaking bones long before man ever thought about racing them against each other, they are breaking down all too often.
It should be the goal of everyone connected to the industry to help figure out why, and bring about meaningful change to make the sport safer for every Thoroughbred.

It Just Is - by Joel Turner

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 13 May 2008 15:03:00 GMT

It is what we owners and breeders fear the most. A call from a farm employee, trainer, or vet with that oddly familiar, awkward tone foretelling the bad news we have lost one of our horses. Or, perhaps even worse, in the moment of excitement and anticipation of competition, one of our horses goes down on the track or falls over a jump. The end result is the same. It is as if one’s heart is ripped from within, leaves this earth, or falls in tandem to the ground with it. The loss of a horse to injury, accident, illness, or to the ravages of old age is tough on all horse people. That persistent question comes back to taunt us: Why do we continue to breed, raise, and compete these fragile creatures?

Eight Belles’ unfortunate and untimely death in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) has led to enormous criticism of our sport. It has also reminded many of us in the Thoroughbred business of our own significant losses and the pain those losses bring. On the heels of other tragedies in racing (Ruffian, Go for Wand, and Barbaro immediately come to mind) and eventing (the Rolex three-day event at the Kentucky Horse Park the weekend before the Derby was marred by the death of two horses and the serious injury of one rider), there is growing concern for the future of equine sports. Some of us feel compelled to defend equestrian sports in general and horse racing in particular. Our critics ask: How can these losses be justified?

Many close to Larry Jones have described him as a sincere, hard-working, honest trainer who puts his horses first. Not unlike many hands-on trainers in the business, Jones gets personally involved with the day-to-day care and management of the horses in his stable. I am told he often galloped Eight Belles himself. His friends assure me he would not lead a horse to the paddock, as he personally did with Eight Belles on Derby day, unless she was fit for the demands of racing. No one needs to defend him for the decision to run her against the males in the Derby. Eight Belles earned the right, by objective standards, to participate in one of the greatest spectacles in sport.

And no one should criticize equestrian sport without understanding that losing a horse unexpectedly, in or out of competition, changes a horse person’s perspective forever. Those who criticize equestrian sport posit that, if we cannot make the sport absolutely safe, we should stop forcing horses to compete against their will. (One does not even need to address the "against their will" argument; just ask them to explain how a human is going to force a horse to do anything it does not want to do, such as run faster, jump higher, or leave a burning building. If they have the answer, they will have a new vocation with a huge following.)

We continue breeding, raising, and competing our horses because it gives us purpose and pleasure, despite the inevitable risks. It is hard to explain how rewarding it is when our horses do well and even harder to match the sense of accomplishment in any other endeavor. It gives us connection to something greater than the sum of all parts. With our involvement come enormous challenges and responsibilities, some character-building, some exceedingly joyful (watching an awkward foal turned out in a field of green grass for the first time immediately comes to mind), and some painful to the core.

We must continue to take meaningful new steps to try to make equestrian sports safer. New surfaces have been designed and installed. More restrictive race-day medication, more sophisticated drug testing and pre-race detention policies have been implemented.

Perhaps we should also consider and act upon some of the suggestions from those expressing legitimate and well-reasoned concern. It may make sense, and it may appease some of the critics, for instance, to decrease the economic incentives to breed horses primarily capable of racing short, early, and often, and increase incentives to breed horses with stamina and soundness that will be able to race well beyond a 3-year-old campaign. Even as we continue with and expand these earnest efforts to care for our equine athletes and make competition safer, injuries, some fatal to horses and riders, will happen, and we will feel the pain again. It is as inevitable as tomorrow, even with our very best efforts today. It just is.

Joel B. Turner is a breeder, owner, trainer, three-day event rider, and attorney from Louisville, Ky.

Preakness - Big Payoff Even if Big Brown Wins?

jshandler — Sat, 10 May 2008 20:06:00 GMT

Big Brown will undoubtedly be an odds-on favorite. Based on recent Preakness history, there is still money to be made....(read more)

Yo Joe gets the Cowboy

Blood-Horse Staff — Sat, 10 May 2008 00:06:00 GMT

Worthy of comment is the progeny record of Yo Joe's sire, Wertaloona. Wertaloona has 6 named 2-year olds, 2 have raced and both are winners, and they have earned a total of $85,245. Overall, in 8 crops of racing age, he's had 41 foals, 30 starters and 24 winners....(read more)

Segal over Persian; The Cowboy runs again

Blood-Horse Staff — Thu, 08 May 2008 23:00:00 GMT

Katolak Cowboy who finished 7th in his debut on April 20, becomes our first return runner. He will again try 2 furlongs at Woodbine. Three of his opponents are back, Tin Pan Alley Cat who finished 5th, Player's List who was 8th, and Can'tstopthiscat who finished 3rd. ...(read more)

Safety First

cdawahare — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:33:00 GMT

By Alex Waldrop, NTRA.com

Like many of you, I watched Saturday’s Kentucky Derby and was in awe of the amazing performance of Big Brown and his talented jockey, Kent Desormeaux. Big Brown ran a race from the 20th post position that was remarkable. And Desormeaux rode a race that even I could appreciate as very skillful. Unfortunately for racing, events unfolded after the race that completely overshadowed Big Brown’s impressive performance.

Eight Belles, a beautiful gray filly trained by Larry Jones, was galloping out after her imposing second-place finish when something went terribly wrong and she collapsed on the track after fracturing bones in both front legs. Those of us in the stands at Churchill Downs were left wondering what had happened since she went down almost at the 7/8ths pole near the backstretch far away from the grandstand. Our only indication of trouble was the sight of one human ambulance and two horse ambulances making their way to the other side of the track. It clearly did not look good.

Read more...

The Eight Belles Tragedy: Stop Placing Blame

jshandler — Wed, 07 May 2008 19:13:00 GMT

The injury to Eight Belles was nothing more than a terrible accident. Why are we always looking for a scapegoat?...(read more)

Will the Persian come Out of the Van and take Lawrenceberg?

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:55:00 GMT

The delightfully named Doodlebopmcgowan worked at Frost Training Center, recording a time of :35.20 for 3 furlongs. I can't wait to hear a track announcer get a hold of that one....(read more)

The Sound of Silence - by Dan Liebman

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:51:00 GMT

After winning the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) May 2, Airdrie Stud owner Brereton Jones talked of the relationship his family has developed with trainer Larry Jones and his wife, Cindy.

“The Jones stable is a small family operation, just like Airdrie,” he said.

In the twilight of the following day, Larry Jones also spoke of family after Rick Porter’s Eight Belles, whom he had saddled to finish second in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), had broken down and had to be euthanized.

“These horses are our family,” the trainer said.

And losing a family member is never easy.

Larry Jones wanted to grieve in private. But he understands the role the media plays. Despite wanting to be alone with his wife, family members, and the filly’s groom, Corey York, Jones agreed to speak to reporters in the press box nearly two hours after the tragic event had played out.

Many trainers, understandably, would have declined the offer to address the assembled reporters, but Jones said the filly had gained a number of admirers and wanted them properly informed. “You want to go off by yourself but you owe it to the sport; the public wants to know,” he said.

Jones tried to fight back the tears, without success.

At 6 a.m. the following morning, the first stall by his tack room was closed, an Eight Belles sticker attached to the old, wooden door. Jones’ pony, Pal, was in the next stall, with Proud Spell to his right. In the next stall was the blanket of lilies won by Proud Spell in the Oaks.

In the tack room, Jones spoke about the family member they had lost. His wife, Cindy, cried again, her eyes bloodshot from having wept most of the night.

“When we walked her to the chute before the Derby, she stopped and never moved one foot,” Larry Jones said. “She had her head hanging and was letting us play with her. She thought she was the star of the show.”

During the walkover, in the paddock, and throughout the post parade, Eight Belles never turned a hair. Jones proceeded to a third-floor box above the tunnel to watch the race.

“When they came by the first time, she was happy,” he said. “She was not trying to get away from anybody or anything. The whole race, she never got bumped; never got touched.” After she crossed the finish line, Jones celebrated and headed toward the track.

“Kent (Desormeaux, who rode winner Big Brown) wasn’t jubilant like Calvin (Borel) last year,” Jones said. “Then I saw Gabe (Eight Belles’ jockey Gabe Saez) on the pony and he said, ‘Mr. Larry, they had to put her down.’ I ran for the ambulance.”

When Jones saw Eight Belles, he immediately knew what had to happen next.

But he is still mystified as to why it happened at all.

Jones took out his trainer’s license in 1982 and had two horses he bought for $800 each. Today, he has 50 in the barn, a number that will soon double when the 2-year-olds arrive.

In more than 25 years of training, Jones previously had three horses break down during races and a few others during morning training. You never forget any of them, he said.

In 2006, Jones was among the team of advisers selecting yearlings for Porter, Eight Belles being one of those they approved for purchase. She arrived at his barn after last year’s Derby, in which he sent out Porter’s Hard Spun to run second.

“I thought she was the one to get us to the Breeders’ Cup last year, but she never got into it mentally,” Jones said. “She didn’t know then how talented she was.”

On May 3, everyone found out how talented Eight Belles was. She was perfectly prepared, perfectly ridden, and perfectly happy.

She showed nothing but class on the racetrack.

The same can be said of her trainer.

Feeling the Chill - by Evan I. Hammonds

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:47:00 GMT

Cold lies the heart of Thoroughbred racing following Eight Belles’ untimely end after Kentucky Derby 134. The dark side of the toughest game in town showed itself once again on the national stage, this time in the nation’s biggest race.

Even prior to her tragic ending as the shadows began to lengthen May 3, there seemed to be a chilly vibe to this year’s Run for the Roses in Louisville. And by chill, we don’t mean a hip coolness desired by either Churchill Downs or NBC.

Two of the better story lines to this year’s Derby were both veteran performers. The tale of 70-year-old Bennie Stutts Jr. bringing Smooth Air—his first horse to the Derby—was a gem, as was the return of the New Orleans saints—Louie Roussel III and Ronnie Lamarque, back 20 years after taking two-thirds of the Triple Crown with Risen Star. While both delivered the goods to the media, sharing with us their great stories, they are closer to hip-replacement surgery than to playing to a targeted younger audience.

The weather was a major factor to the week, as on the Tuesday before the Derby, the temperature was a bone-chilling 38 degrees as a crowd gathered on the backstretch. Standing on a wooden stand by the main gap, IEAH Stables’ principals Michael Iavarone and Richard Schiavo took in the scene at the Downs for the first time as owners. They watched as Court Vision, the colt they co-own with WinStar Farm, galloped past, Iavarone in a borrowed coat, Schiavo trying to keep warm in a windbreaker.

While Schiavo told us, “we came here unprepared for the cold,” they did come prepared for the Derby with the right horse, Big Brown, who was in Barn 22, cordoned off behind a roll of yellow police tape.

The downpour midway through the race program on Oaks day—which was expected to come at midnight—threw a wet blanket on the six-figure crowd, most of whom had dispersed by the time Proud Spell ran off with the main prize. Leaving the friendly confines following the Oaks saw traffic that could be considered normal for a Friday afternoon. The wet conditions the next morning kept the usual call to the post to the infield until much later in the afternoon. Throughout the main facility, it seemed to take a long time for the crowd to get caught up in the Derby mood.

However, it may have been much more than the weather that kept a few people from visiting the Twin Spires or the Derby city last weekend. A downturn in many sectors of the nation’s economy—call it what you will—and unprecedented fuel prices taking a chunk out of people’s discretionary income may be to blame. More than a few people noted area hotel rooms weren’t as scarce as before and local restaurants seemed a little more accessible than in years past.

Away from Churchill Downs, many online players were forced to sit chilly with their advance deposit wagering accounts, which didn’t help matters either. The fans are finding it tough to play…and perhaps tougher to watch.

With Barbaro’s breakdown in the 2006 Preakness Stakes (gr. I), followed by his eight-month agonizing struggle for life, and George Washington’s tragic demise in the middle of the stretch at Monmouth Park at last fall’s Breeders’ Cup, racing faces thousands of disenfranchised fans and stares down yet another “code red” in the public relations department. The fact the organization PETA is joining in the fray is cause for major concern.

The Cold War of synthetic surfaces versus dirt tracks continues to rage. Last year’s Derby exacta of Street Sense and Hard Spun was filled out by horses that had made their previous start on Polytrack. This year was a reversal of 180 degrees, as the superfecta was void of a horse that had ever even started on a synthetic track.

One last chilling thought on the Derby is the closest a colt could get to this year’s winner at the finish was 8 1⁄4 lengths. About 48 hours after the Run for the Roses, none of them was likely to head to Baltimore to take him on again in the May 17 Preakness.

Could an undefeated Triple Crown winner help break the ice?

Remembering a Great Filly

cdawahare — Tue, 06 May 2008 12:14:00 GMT

Share your thoughts and memories of Eight Belles in the "memory wall" below. She was a great champion in the making; she will be missed.

In honor of Eight Belles, consider donating to the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, Inc or another Equine Charity. Donations to the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, Inc in memory of Eight Belles go directly toward prevention and treatment of musculoskeletal injuries.

Just Four to Go for Curly

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 06 May 2008 02:56:00 GMT

Curly was pushed wide, wide, wider than Big Brown in the Derby (officially 7 wide). Amazingly, Curly kept coming and coming....(read more)

Bittersweet Derby and How Our Picks Fared

sgillies — Mon, 05 May 2008 12:11:00 GMT

Some comments on the Derby ... how Five-Cross readers fared with their picks ... new poll of the week....(read more)

Derby Thoughts - One Day After

jshandler — Sun, 04 May 2008 20:54:00 GMT

A shout out to Rick Dutrow Jr., overwhelming sadness regarding Eight Belles, and other random thoughts from Kentucky Derby 134....(read more)