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We have seen the late defections of Kentucky Derby favorites and leading contenders before, but this was the most heartbreaking I can remember. It has created a major void in the race. But it is still the Derby and it is finally time to decipher all the clues we've been given, as puzzling as they may be. One thing is for sure, opinions are ...

It’s one of the best weeks of the year: the week before the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1). Each year historical stories grow older, and are remembered more fondly. Each year the players (for the most part) get younger, each one burning to make a mark in one of the sport’s most important races. Railbirds on the backstretch in ...

1 Omaha Beach Richard Mandella War Front—Charming, by Seeking the Gold Let’s keep it simple. He was heavily touted in the first Derby Dozen on Jan. 22 while still a maiden, was ranked No. 6 off a seven-furlong maiden win on Feb. 5, and has been No. 1 the past six weeks. He has defeated Bob Baffert’s two early Derby favorites Game Winner ...

Because there are so many question marks surrounding the quality of the UAE Derby, including how a round trip there and back can affect a horse trying to come back in five weeks in the Kentucky Derby, let us look at Plus Que Parfait and Gray Magician as unknowns, and therefore potential megabomb exotics horses despite their mediocre form in the ...

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 ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman In recent years, the Kentucky Derby has been dominated by favorites, and at the moment I expect that trend to continue with Omaha Beach looming as a deserving choice to win the 145th edition of the ''Run for the Roses.'' But playing the trifecta and/or superfecta is the key ...

The fall of the year, well before the journey on the Kentucky Derby trail begins, is a very special time in racing. It is during those fall months that we often see the seeds sprout that eventually will blossom into the Kentucky Derby winner. That is when Derby dreams are born. Any one of those seedlings could grow into a magnificent Thoroughbred ...

This time around it feels different, a lot different. The groundswell is wider; the conviction is deeper. After years of talking and well-intentioned starts that have been met by abrupt reversals, major movers and shakers in the industry—the major track operators in the U.S.—are drawing a line in the sand when it comes to reshaping race-day ...

1 Omaha Beach Richard Mandella War Front—Charming, by Seeking the Gold The back story is there, the owner and trainer are Derby gods material, Mike Smith chose to ride him over a Bob Baffert-trained Santa Anita Derby winner, the colt is making tremendous strides with every start, he appears to have no flaws, and is pushbutton with several ...