26 Apr 2013 2:01 PM
What better way to kick off live Kentucky Derby coverage than with a photo gallery of some of the major players and some early observations....
19 Apr 2013 9:16 PM
In the case of Palace Malice, it was a simple, but fateful, decision by Burl McBride, the trainer of the colt's dam, Palace Rumor, that has led the son of Curlin to Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby....
09 Apr 2013 4:12 PM
Just as a reminder to those who have now dismissed Verrazano as a potential Kentucky Derby winner, take note of past Derbys....
08 Apr 2013 7:13 PM
David Nunn and Formal Gold rekindle memories....
03 Apr 2013 8:46 PM
Dirt, grass, Polytrack, Tapeta, it doesn't matter. He has excelled on all of them....
01 Apr 2013 6:10 PM
While many of the leading 3-year-olds were competing in the warm, sunny climes of Florida and Louisiana, a silent assassin was laying low up in the chilly confines of Belmont Park....
25 Mar 2013 3:03 PM
What they have in common is they all carry the John Nerud influence in their pedigree, mainly through the descendents of Fappiano and Dr. Fager and continuing through Unbridled and Quiet American. It is the last two on which we will concentrate, as they both reflect the true genius of Nerud, who celebrated his 100th birthday this year. What is ironic is that Nerud never believed in the Derby and ran only one horse in the race -- Gallant Man in 1957....
20 Mar 2013 5:13 PM
Just seeing the name Broad Brush brought back a flood of memories, evoking images of one of the toughest racehorses I've ever been around, and in many ways the most remarkable....
19 Mar 2013 9:22 AM
U.S. horses slump in the Dubai World Cup since surface change....
12 Mar 2013 1:10 PM
If there is one thing we've learned from the new points system, it's that you're playing with fire by skipping the 50-point races and going straight from the wee little 10-pointers to the big, bad 100-pointers....
07 Mar 2013 2:18 PM
Who, at this time, had heard of or paid any attention to Animal Kingdom, Big Brown, Mine That Bird, Funny Cide, War Emblem, Grindstone or Giacomo?...
04 Mar 2013 2:09 PM
The Kentucky Derby is like a mountain. It never changes and never withers with time. But in some ways it does change, as every year, new climbers gather on its slopes and attempt to reach the summit, disregarding the many perils along the way....
21 Feb 2013 11:57 AM
Shakin It Up's early career has parallels to another Bob Baffert runner, 1997 Kentucky Derby winner Silver Charm....
18 Feb 2013 5:25 PM
In 1971, when Cot Campbell started the concept of buying horses at auction for the purpose of forming syndicates, he had to watch one of his first rejects, Canonero II, who he turned down for $1,200 because of a crooked leg, win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. Now that Campbell has announced his retirement from syndicates at age 84 after revolutionizing the sport, how appropriate would it be for him to finally get that elusive Derby winner 42 years later?
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13 Feb 2013 12:23 PM
Patton vs. Rommel! Lee vs. Meade! Washington vs. Cornwallis! Pletcher vs. Baffert? Yes, the armies are massing and they could confront each other on the banks of the Ohio on the first Saturday in May....
08 Feb 2013 3:01 PM
Step back in time and enjoy the images of racing and the horses who made history....
31 Jan 2013 12:49 PM
The Kentucky Derby graded earnings system is gone, thank goodness. No more one-time 2-year-old hotshots getting a free pass and riding the gravy train all the way to Louisville. Those lucrative 2-year-old races no longer will get you a starting berth in the Derby, although we feel some tweaking is needed to separate the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Champagne, and FrontRunner from the other 10-point juvenile races...
26 Jan 2013 2:15 PM
When Dutrow does return, assuming he has exhausted all avenues and finally capitulates, he'll be 64....
21 Jan 2013 2:15 PM
It's hard to believe 40 years have passed since the winter of 1973. Racing's two hubs as usual were Hialeah and Gulfstream in Florida and Santa Anita in California. The only sounds that were heard at Aqueduct were the winds howling off Jamaica Bay and the squawking of the seagulls....
11 Jan 2013 12:57 PM
Not everything on the Derby trail is what it seems. There are so many twists and turns it is often futile to plot a course and expect every step to go as planned. This applies to everyone, not just trainers and owners....
06 Jan 2013 8:39 PM
New Year's Day has come and gone and that means the race for the Kentucky Derby has begun. Some are ready to become immersed in it, while others aren't quite ready to smell the roses and taste the mint juleps this early in the year....
16 Dec 2012 3:40 PM
All were considered champions in their respective divisions; all are in the Hall of Fame. But there is one name that rarely gets mentioned, and that is terribly unfortunate, for he was without a doubt one of the toughest and most courageous horses of his generation. ...
07 Dec 2012 2:39 PM
Only in Thoroughbred racing can one of the greatest champions in the history of the sport share the same stage with a former $5,000 claimer from Penn National....
27 Nov 2012 12:53 PM
Few classic crops have been maligned more than the class of 2011. Well, perhaps it is time for the critics to re-evaluate their position....
12 Nov 2012 4:30 PM
As the morning sun burned through the dense fog that had enshrouded the Fair Hill training center, Paynter was brought out for his daily round of activity....