Lieblongs take shot at Preakness with Laughing Fox
Laughing Fox's appearance in the Preakness Stakes will mark the first starter in a Triple Crown race for Alex and JoAnn Lieblong.
Nicole RussoMay 13, 2019
Laughing Fox's appearance in the Preakness Stakes will mark the first starter in a Triple Crown race for Alex and JoAnn Lieblong.
Lookin At Lucky was anything but lucky in the 2010 Kentucky Derby. The two-time Eclipse Award champion got a nightmare trip while breaking from the rail, finishing sixth as the favorite on a sloppy, sealed track.
The late, great leading sire Danzig was expected to have an impact on this Kentucky Derby through his son War Front, the most expensive stallion in North America.
Kentucky Oaks winner Serengeti Empress became the biggest winner yet for her sire, Pin Oak Stud's homebred stallion Alternation, who continues to perform consistently from his relatively small numbers at stud.
Spendthrift Farm has reached a deal to stand Omaha Beach, the likely favorite in this year's Kentucky Derby, upon his retirement from racing.
The Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager, which ran concurrently with the first Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool from Nov. 22- 25, may have provided an opportunity for pedigree-savvy handicappers to cash in.
Master Fencer will become the first Japanese-bred to start in the Kentucky Derby. But the colt, who is looking to become the first non-North American-bred to win the classic since British-born Tomy Lee in 1959, is not without Kentucky connections.
Horsemen would go anywhere to find a Kentucky Derby horse, and this year's prospective runners come from many avenues – homebreds born as close as Kentucky or as far away as Japan, runners purchased at major North American auction houses such as Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton, and even claiming races.
Quality Road made a statement in April when he sired the winners of the Santa Anita Derby and Santa Anita Oaks on the same day. Currently the nation's leading sire by earnings, he'll get a chance to widen his margin in emphatic fashion when Roadster is among the favorites in the Kentucky Derby and Bellafina starts as the heavy choice in the Kentucky Oaks.
While 2019 Kentucky Derby week is in full swing at Churchill Downs, perhaps there's already some thoughts of the 2020 Kentucky Derby, as an exceptionally strong class of freshman sires will be represented by some of their first 2-year-olds this week under the twin spires.