The next time a trainer mentions his or her concerns about running back in two weeks after the Kentucky Derby (gr. I), can we pay no attention to it? It is now 25 of the last 28 Preakness (gr. I) winners that ran in the Derby, and one of the ones who didn’t was Rachel Alexandra, who ran two weeks earlier...

Dalicia , dam of Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom , has travelled the world. She raced for five years in Germany, France, and North America. Dalicia now resides at the Yoshida family’s Shadai Farm on the island of Hokkaido in Northern Japan. She presently has a bay colt born on March, 17, 2011. The...

Derby Reflection: The Bronx Zoo Knew The Bronx Zoo should have been an indicator that the 'Animal' was going to get loose. All of these animals escaping are fitting for Animal Kingdom's name. A hunch bet in hindsight. Typically when I handicap the Kentucky Derby, I somehow involve horses who have done...

Kentucky Derby 137 has come and gone, and before we move on to the Preakness let's take a few moments to dissect the race. I have several observations, but let's start out with the winner. Congratulations to Team Valor, Graham Motion, John Velazquez, and the people that correctly sniffed out Animal Kingdom...

(By Avalyn Hunter) Much has already been made of Animal Kingdom 's pedigree, which is by far the most Euro-oriented of any recent Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner. True, his sire, Leroidesanimaux , is Brazilian-bred, but like many Brazilian pedigrees, his has a strong Anglo-French flavor. He is by Candy...

Who will win this year's Kentucky Derby? Will there be a Decisive Moment to have Twice the Appeal? Will the winner be Dialed In, as you Watch Me Go? Or will you Stay Thirsty, watching Pants On Fire? writeRanker("http://i.bloodhorse.com/xml/ranking/2011KYDerbyOrderofFinish.xml"); To participate, use your...

It has been stated here on several occasions how well Shackleford has looked each morning in his gallops and his dominating physical presence. How that equates to his performance on Saturday is anyone’s guess, just as it is with every other horse in the race. With a 30 percent chance of scattered thunderstorms...

No, not seats; tickets to the starting gate. Spaces are filling at a rapid rate and there aren’t many left for all the horses scheduled to run over the next two weekends. In case no one has noticed, half of the 20-horse starting field already have the graded earnings and have stamped their tickets to...