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You can't say it hasn't been a strange, but remarkably productive, year for jockey Flavien Prat. Following the Kentucky Derby, I chronicled his bizarre path to Churchill Downs for the Run for the Roses, as he went through one contender after another, including Derby favorite Omaha Beach, before winding up on 65-1 shot Country House and then ...

My interview with the late Bobby Frankel today on his former assistant Chad Brown? It would go something like this: SH: So Bobby, what do you make of your boy Chad Brown? Could you have envisioned the amazing success he's had? BF: Why do you think I had him saddle Ginger Punch in the Breeders' Cup Distaff when the love of my life, Happy, ...

All eyes figure to be on the outside posts when the gates open for the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) June 8 at Belmont Park as they briefly will house Preakness Stakes (G1) winner War of Will in post 9 and morning-line favorite Tacitus in post 10. I'm in agreement with the morning line as this year's Belmont has some ...

Just breaking from the gate as planned in the June 8 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) at Belmont Park will separate War of Will from this year's other 3-year-olds as the Preakness Stakes (G1) winner is expected to be the lone horse to start in all three legs of this year's Triple Crown. Starting in the first two classics has proven a ...

In just over two weeks, War of Will will try to join racing's most exclusive club: horses to start but fall short in the Kentucky Derby (G1) only to bounce back and win the final two classics. OK, there's much more interest and prestige in sweeping all three classics, but a whopping 13 horses have done that. Only 11 horses have lost the Derby, ...

In some ways, the debate over the Kentucky stewards' decision to disqualify Maximum Security from victory in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) now falls into the laps of horseplayers across the country. That's because a key question in handicapping the Preakness Stakes (G1) is: ''How much was War of Will, and possibly other ...

After documenting the twists and turns of this year's Road to the Kentucky Derby, we'll take a break from writing about those events to answer the question on everyone's mind: Who do you like Saturday? The Derby of recent years reminds me more of the initial editions of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), where top horses with a few starts in ...

One angle I didn't hear discussed when Kentucky lawmakers considered, and ultimately failed to approve, legislation this year that would have allowed sports wagering was the foothold the state could have enjoyed in offering Kentucky Derby future wagers. While Churchill Downs has done its best to offer future wagers--offering pari-mutuel pools on ...

When Omaha Beach held off Improbable to win the Arkansas Derby (G1) April 13 at Oaklawn Park, it wrapped up an especially exciting Road to the Kentucky Derby prep season. Before turning our focus to the actual race, I thought we could take a final look back at this year's prep season in a ''by the numbers'' format. 150 Points earned by Road to ...

When Churchill Downs changed its qualifying standards for the Kentucky Derby (G1) ahead of the 2013 edition of the race from graded stakes earnings to points earned in its designated Road to the Kentucky Derby series races, this is the type of season those racing executives surely imagined. While before the points system there were years where ...