Kentucky Derby: Napravnik gets another shot at the roses

Rosie Napravnik became the first female rider to win the Kentucky Oaks last year on Believe You Can, and she will get a chance to become the first female rider to win the Kentucky Derby on May 4 after being named Tuesday to ride Mylute, who finished second most recently in the Louisiana Derby under Shaun Bridgmohan.

[DERBY WATCH: Top 20 Kentucky Derby contenders with odds and video]

Mylute, trained by Tom Amoss, has raced nine times, with two wins. One of those victories came the lone time Napravnik was aboard, when he scored a 10 3/4-length victory in an allowance race at Fair Grounds on Dec. 26.

“I’m very excited to have the mount on Mylute in the Derby,” Napravnik said. “I was impressed with the way he won when I rode him at Fair Grounds, and also with his gutsy performance in the Louisiana Derby.”

Napravnik is one of just six female jockeys to compete in the Derby. Her only previous Derby mount came in 2011, aboard Pants On Fire, who finished ninth.

Mylute, a son of Midnight Lute, is owned in partnership by the GoldMark Farm of T. Paul Bulmahn, and the Whisper Hill Farm of Mandy Pope.

Bulmahn is the chairman of Houston, Texas-based ATP Oil and Gas, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last year. ATP develops oil and natural gas, primarily in the North Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Mediterranean. In February, ATP was sued by the United States Department of Justice, alleging violations of the Clean Water Act regarding the discharge of oil and chemical dispersants in the Gulf of Mexico.

Both Bulmahn and Pope own farms in Florida. Pope is best known for acquiring Horse of the Year Havre de Grace at auction last year for $10 million.

In a statement put out by GoldMark and Whisper Hill, the owners said they felt “fortunate to have [Napravnik] back.”

In other Derby developments:

◗ Paul Aguirre, the trainer of Tiz a Minister, said owner Stephen Young is still contemplating a Derby start. Tiz a Minister has 20 points on the system used by Churchill Downs to determine the Derby field if the race has more than the maximum 20 entrants, which still seems possible despite several prominent defections in recent weeks. Tiz a Minister most recently finished fourth in the Santa Anita Derby.

◗ Govenor Charlie, who won the Sunland Derby in his last start, was scheduled to arrive at Churchill Downs on Tuesday afternoon following a flight from California.