1 Revolutionary Todd Pletcher War Pass—Runup the Colors, by A.P. Indy Departing’s impressive score in the Illinois Derby flattered the Louisiana Derby form. When WinStar announced that the “Revolutionary” buttons were in, I have to admit I shuddered. Between the buttons and the jockey poll that wasn...

1 Revolutionary Todd Pletcher War Pass—Runup the Colors, by A.P. Indy Castellano’s decision to drop him for Normandy Invasion has forced me to keep him at No. 1. I’m just a sucker for the disrespected. Bottom line is I still see no reason to replace him. He has had as atypical a Derby campaign as any...

The charm of horse racing lies primarily in the animals that do it—their beauty, grace, power and their degree of class. But there is an undeniable attraction to the colorful human beings that make it happen. The purpose of this blog is to share my stories about some of these characters. My requisites...

Manuel Ycaza won his second Florida Derby in 1969 with Top Knight (Blood-Horse Archives) I first profiled Hall of Fame jockey Manuel Ycaza in 2009 when Churchill Downs' old website was running a series called "On The Muscle" and Ycaza's four victories in the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) merited a trip down...

1 Itsmyluckyday Eddie Plesa Jr. Lawyer Ron—Viva la Slew, by Doneraile Court After his easy mile breeze last week, he came back with a bullet 1:01 drill this week. Love the way he’s training for the Florida Derby. It seems like ages ago that this colt ran in the Holy Bull. Although he must finish 1st...

It’s starting to get hairy, folks. If there is one thing we’ve learned from the new points system, it’s that you’re playing with fire by skipping the 50-point races and going straight from the wee little 10-pointers to the big, bad 100-pointers. By putting all your eggs in the one proverbial basket,...

1 Itsmyluckyday Eddie Plesa Jr. Lawyer Ron—Viva la Slew, by Doneraile Court Let’s face it, no one has really stamped himself as a bona fide Derby favorite. What prompted the switch this week was the impressive Swale score by Clearly Now, who had been trounced by 13 1/2 lengths by Itsmyluckyday in the...

The Kentucky Derby is like a mountain. It never changes and never withers with time. But in some ways it does change, as every year, new climbers gather on its slopes and attempt to reach the summit, disregarding the many perils along the way. There is no greater feeling an owner can have than to see...

1 Violence Todd Pletcher Medaglia d’Oro —Violent Beauty, by Gone West Finally makes his 3-year-old debut in Fountain of Youth Stakes. Normally, a good second or third would be encouraging enough, but he has a big class edge, with only a few stakes horses entered, and he should win considering how revved...

Patton vs. Rommel! Lee vs. Meade! Washington vs. Cornwallis! Pletcher vs. Baffert? Yes, the armies are massing and they could confront each other on the banks of the Ohio on the first Saturday in May. It could really happen and there’s nothing to stop it. For example, on one expert's poll in the Louisville...