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Like everyone, the announced sale of Rachel Alexandra on Wednesday evening was a shocker for me. I guess I should have seen it coming, but it never entered my mind until I heard the news. My initial reaction was sadness. For me, part of what made Rachel Alexandra so special was her connections. Yes, her unbelievable talent is the main reason she ...

''Mine That Bird is last; no surprise there,'' I said to my colleague Esther Marr as we watched the horses pass us for the first time while standing trackside for Derby 135. Why do they even let half of these horses in the field, I said to myself for a split second before continuing to watch the field round the turn. Less than two minutes later I ...

It seems as though it was light years ago that names like Vineyard Haven, Midshipman, Charitable Man, Old Fashioned and Square Eddie were at the top of many of our watch lists. More recently, Quality Road, who was perhaps the probable post time favorite, was at the center of everyone's attention. With none of those colts even making it to the ...

There is no secret of who the four favorites will be when post time rolls around in Derby 135 - I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire. All of them will likely be under 10-1, and for different reasons each of them have a good chance to win the race. But today I'm going to make a case for five longshots. While each of these ...

...And just when I was getting ready to finalize my pick, the winding and unpredictable Derby road throws a nasty curveball. This morning's news of Quality Road's latest quarter crack was a shocker. As far as I was concerned, the first one had completely healed and it was no longer an issue. It was a done deal. He was going to be my ...

Beginning next week, we'll start analyzing the Derby field closely and talking about our picks. For now, there is still some sorting out to do and workouts to watch. In this blog, I present one very simple question: Which Derby horse has the best story behind it? In other words, if you could pick one horse to win Derby 135 based on his ...

With all the major prep races now complete, here is an updated list of the graded earnings through Sunday, April 19. The top 20 horses are eligible for a spot in Kentucky Derby 135. From what I can tell, the horses who are question marks in the top 20 are Win Willy and Giant Oak. If there are no changes to this list, these will be your ...

Well, here we are, just over two weeks away from Derby 135. On paper, it is shaping up to be one of the most wide-open Derbys is recent memory. In fact, there have been seven horses that have won multiple prep races at a mile or over this season, and five of them will go on to Louisville. This weekend, we have the last major Derby prep with the ...

Now that the dust has settled from last weekend's Blue Grass and Arkansas Derby, and we have only the Lexington Stakes remaining, the Kentucky Derby picture is nearly complete. Below are the latest graded earnings, as of today. From what I can tell, barring injury, the top 15 are being pointed to the Derby, although Terrain and Win Willy are ...

Just three weeks until the big day now. I hope everyone is starting to narrow down their Kentucky Derby choices. After Saturday, we should pretty much know what the field will look like. Only next week's Lexington Stakes remains. Just a reminder to join me right here for the live blog chat on Saturday, April 11 at noon EDT. We'll go over the ...