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."

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.

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.

For Big Brown, undefeated but having raced only three times, the Derby (4 p.m. ET, NBC; post time 6:04) is a chance to validate the hype that has made such an inexperienced colt the favorite among oddsmakers to win the most prestigious event in American horse racing.

There were 38,191 North American foals born in 2005 (hat tip to the Jockey Club), and only 20 will be allowed in the gate in a little over a week. That is, one-twentieth of one percent get into the gate, and yet I am about to tell you that Recapturetheglory, winner of the grade II Illinois Derby is a complete toss. That's because I'm going to give you my Top 7 Who Won't Win the Derby list.

The 2008 edition of C-J Derby DataTrack has now been updated for the last time and contains the Derby Rating, a total based upon a mathematical formula that assigns a value to each of the nearly 60 factors included in the data base.

First, a blog is always about helping people and a "n00b" is slang for newbie, or rookie. You're welcome. So, you're also new to the Kentucky Derby, and you're looking to make your first pick and not look too foolish. Have no fear; I'm here to help you.

Courtesy of The New York Times Dean Keppler, author of Betting the Kentucky Derby: How to Wager and Win on America’s Biggest Horse Race from DRF Press, discussed his approach to betting the Derby earlier this week. Now with the post positions set, he gives us his picks: 1) PYRO 2) ADRIANO 3) Z FORTUNE For his reasoning and more on how to bet the race, 9- PYRO (6/1) Steve Asmussen’s Pulpit colt was...

Win, lose or post position draw, this should be the final year that Kentucky Derby eligibility is determined by earnings, graded or otherwise. The system has outlived its utility and no longer makes sense. Twenty Derby starters is the modern rule, not the exception. And it matters not whether that this year's draw involving the filly Eight Belles went smoothly. Using any criteria, she earned her way in.

If you watched the Kentucky Derby post position draw Wednesday on ESPN2, perhaps you caught a glimpse of the internationally famous sports artist LeRoy Neiman - how could you miss his mustache? - scribbling away in the crowd.

The Rail invites readers to submit questions for Joe Drape , The New York Times’s Eclipse Award-winning horse racing writer. To submit a question, add a comment below. Joe will be checking in from Churchill Downs throughout the day Thursday to talk about the Derby field, the draw, workouts and anything else readers want to know about. Have a question about synthetic surfaces ? Want to know more about...

The fact that Big Brown will break from post 20 doesn't change my perception of his chances in the Derby. Richard Dutrow Jr. is putting his colt out there for all to see. No excuses now; he can't get pinched between horses coming out of the gate, and chances are quite good that he won't get touched at all with the speedy Gayego, who breaks just inside, figuring to go quickly forward rather than sideways.

Graham Motion, a great guy but not exactly a human quote machine, has one good line this week for reporters about Adriano and he's sticking to it: "I must be the only trainer in the world with an A.P. Indy that can't run on dirt."...

Barclay Tagg was in his full-blown cantankerous but with a smile mode this morning at his barn, sparring with anyone who was trying to be nice to him. Both Nick Zito and D. Wayne Lukas have been touting Tagg's horse Big Truck as Derby contender.

By Tom Pedulla , USA TODAY LOUISVILLE — Cuban-born Thoroughbred owners Carlos Juelle and Jose Prieto are living the American dream. They left behind heartache and hardship in their native land — including a death sentence against Prieto for anti-communist activities — to find opportunities beyond their wildest imagination. One of those comes into focus this week as impressive Arkansas Derby champion...