With 3-year-olds running basically two or three times tops prior to the Derby, there is little or no room for races that offer zero points....
Read More
Several years ago during Kentucky Derby week, I wrote a small segment in my column about Iraqi War veteran Chris Simonds and his special Kentucky Derby dream. ...
Read More
Somewhere there is a Kentucky Derby with Dale Romans' name on it. ...
Read More
For 37 years, the gates to racing's pantheon have remained shut, rusted with time, leaving a number of fallen heroes strewn along its steps....
Read More
The journey of a lifetime is often measured by the amount of obstacles one must overcome, and that is why American Pharoah's thrilling victory in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) brought such a wave of raw emotion from the Zayat family, ranging from tears to unbounded jubilation. ...
Read More
Ok, the time has finally come to try to answer the burning questions that make Kentucky Derby 141 one of the most intriguing Thoroughbred events seen in a very long time....
Read More
Well, we got through the post position draw, and several interesting scenarios have emerged. The most intriguing is not American Pharoah drawing post 18, but fellow Zayat Stables runner Mr. Z, who has had problems with erratic running this year, drawing post 17, And that's a long run from the gate to the first turn....
Read More
The crowds are beginning to mass on the backstretch, and on Tuesday were treated to a whirlwind of Derby horses training, including new faces Carpe Diem, and mystery horse Mubtaahij. ...
Read More
Following Sunday's rainy, chilly morning, the sun was out Monday morning and the Derby horses were out in full force, including three arrivals from California -- Dortmund, Firing Line, and Bolo -- all of whom looked terrific, as you will see in the photos below. ...
Read More
Not many people who watched American Pharoah breeze five furlongs this morning could believe it when they were told he had worked five furlongs in :58 2/5. The likely Kentucky Derby favorite looked as if he was on cruise control all the way, and the final time and gallop-out seemed to contradict what everyone was seeing....
Read More
Come on, people, forget all these big-name horses and their gaudy records and brilliant performances, it's May 2, it's Mayweather - Pacquiao, it's a knockout. You get it? I repeat, Itsaknockout....
Read More
Images from Steve Haskin from Friday, April 24 at Churchill Downs, which featured a flurry of workouts....
Read More
Peter Beagle wrote in The Last Unicorn, "Great heroes need great sorrow and burdens, or half their greatness goes unnoticed. It is all part of the fairy tale."...
Read More
Mubtaahij, runaway winner of the UAE Derby, was scheduled to fly to the United States tonight, April 15 (early Thursday morning Dubai time), with a stopover in Amsterdam....
Read More
Keeneland is now back on dirt and that means the Blue Grass Stakes is back to being a major prep for the Kentucky Derby and no longer a haven for grass and synthetic horses looking to back door it into the Run for the Roses....
Read More
It has been 30 years since a blazingly fast 3-year-old named Spend a Buck changed the face of the Triple Crown....
Read More
If California Chrome is voted Horse of the Year, it is inconceivable to think that none of his connections will even be an Eclipse finalist....
Read More
Many racing fans today who have lived through nine Triple Crown sweep attempts since 1997 take for granted the 3-year-old media star who reaches out to mainstream America to capture the attention and the hearts of the general public. ...
Read More
Once again, we have reached the gates of the pantheon. Beyond beckons the ghosts of Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Affirmed, Citation, and the seven other Triple Crown winners who have attained immortality. Will a California-bred of obscure and unheralded parentage be allowed to enter when so many have been turned away?
...
Read More
Steve looks back at California Chrome's journey from the Cal Cup Derby to the Kentucky Derby, revisiting his thoughts and observations in the Derby Dozen. ...
Read More
The Derby was about life and its quirky twists and turns that lead us to places envisioned only in dreams and guided only by fate....
Read More
Dreams come in all shapes and sizes. Some are literal. Some are figurative. Most don't come true. But on rare occasions they do, and that is when fairy tales are born....
Read More
Steve attempts to sort out the puzzle of the remaining Kentucky Derby contenders and names his picks for the run for the roses. ...
Read More
As predicted, California Chrome's arrival yesterday drew a large crowd, as did his first appearance on the track Tuesday morning....
Read More
There are heavy rains, torrential rains, and the rain that all but drowned Churchill Downs Monday morning. The lightning came fast and furious; one bolt knocked out light, and the flooding came just as fast. Some of the thunder claps were so loud and strong, several horses became noticeably spooked. But not at Todd Pletcher's barn, where "spooked" and "upset" are not acceptable words. The serenity of Pletcher's barn supersedes all....
Read More
