LOUISVILLE, Ky. – It comes as no shock to Whit Beckman that the first time he has a horse as a trainer in the Kentucky Derby, two of his biggest impediments to success are Todd Pletcher and Chad Brown.

Before going out on his own in 2021, Beckman worked as an assistant to both Pletcher and Brown. He was a New York-based assistant to Pletcher when the now Hall of Fame trainer won his first Derby with Super Saver in 2010. Beckman worked for Brown when that trainer won his first Preakness with Cloud Computing in 2017.

CHURCHILL DOWNS
Thursday, April 25
Weather: Clear
Temperature: 45
Track: Fast

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisiana Derby runner-up Honor Marie showed off a somewhat surprising turn of speed Thursday morning at Churchill Downs while at the same time kicking off what promises to be an extremely busy several days on the Kentucky Derby workout watch. Honor Marie completed five furlongs in a bullet 59.13 seconds under clear and crisp skies on a racetrack yielding relatively faster than usual times.

Astronomer’s first graded stakes win may be part of California racing history.

On Saturday, Astronomer is a leading candidate to beat a remarkably competitive group in the Grade 3 San Francisco Mile on turf at Golden Gate Fields, the track’s final stakes before its scheduled closure on June 9.

Racing in Northern California will shift to the annual fair circuit this summer before relocating to a new base at the Alameda County fairgrounds beginning in mid-October.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The main question in the Grade 3 Royal Heroine Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita concerns the likely pacesetter – can Stay and Scam stay the trip?

At a mile on turf, the Royal Heroine may or may not be within reach for Stay and Scam. She ran well finishing second last out in the Grade 3 Wilshire Stakes, her initial try at two turns. But she also squandered a 2 1/2-length lead in the stretch.

This Saturday’s stakes racing is like the opening band on a seven-act bill. The headliners, in fact, aren’t coming out for another week.

Royal Heroine

This is the only graded race among the trio under consideration, and that, as much as an especially strong opinion, places it first on the weekly ledger.

When last seen at the races, Carson’s Run finished ninth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita last November. The subsequent success of the horses who finished eighth and 10th in that race should boost the confidence of the connections and backers of Carson’s Run, who makes his 3-year-old debut in Saturday’s $125,000 Woodhaven Stakes at Aqueduct.

Endlessly, who finished eighth in the Juvenile Turf, has come back to win two stakes. Stay Hot, the 10th-place finisher in the Juvenile Turf, has come back to win three stakes in Southern California.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Churchill Downs opens its 43-day spring meet Saturday night, with a first post of 6 p.m., and the featured $200,000 Roxelana Stakes, for fillies and mares sprinting, will highlight the card. Taking the bulk of headlines Saturday night, however, will be the post position draws for both the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, which will be held for the 150th consecutive year over the track next weekend.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Glen Todd, Patrick Husbands, and Danny Vella are among the 2024 inductees into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

In sprints, at a mile, and in routes, California Spangle, Golden Sixty, and Romantic Warrior have been nearly impossible to beat in Hong Kong in recent years, which is why they are favored to win Group 1 races at Sha Tin Racecourse on Sunday.

Golden Sixty, the Horse of the Year in Hong Kong for the last three seasons, will be the lowest-price of the trio when he starts at around even-money in the $2.8 million Champions Mile.

A win would be Golden Sixty’s fifth consecutive victory in a Group 1 race. Golden Sixty has won the last three runnings of the Champions Mile.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The 2024 Hastings season gets under way Saturday with a six-race card that begins at 2:30 p.m. Pacific.

There is a major change to the 45-day meet that concludes Oct. 20. Sundays have been dropped during the early part of the schedule, and racing will be conducted on Fridays and Saturdays. The first Friday is set for May 10. Sundays will replace Fridays on Sept. 15. Post times for Saturday, Sunday, and holiday Mondays are 2:30 p.m. Friday racing will begin at 7 p.m.