Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr., who was scheduled to ride Art Collector in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday before the colt was declared from consideration because of a minor injury, took off his mounts Tuesday at Churchill Downs after testing positive for COVID-19.
Tiz the Law, likely to be one of the heaviest Kentucky Derby favorites of the last half-century, was assigned post 17 in a field of 18 3-year-olds when entries were drawn Tuesday at Churchill Downs.
Art Collector, the likely second wagering choice Saturday in the 146th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, is out after suffering a minor foot ailment.
Juan Carlos Avila has set himself a challenge no modern American trainer has taken – winning the Kentucky Derby with a horse returning from a months-long layoff. King Guillermo, when he lines up in the Churchill Downs starting gate Saturday, will be racing for the first time since May 2. That makes King Guillermo's a 125-day layoff, a radical outlier in recent Derby history.
With the arrival of the heavy favorite and the post-position draw both set for the following morning at Churchill Downs, Max Player was sent through his final pre-race workout early Monday ahead of the 146th Kentucky Derby.
Unlike in past years, when a $1 minimum for superfecta wagers was in effect for all races on the Kentucky Oaks and Derby cards, Churchill this year will be offering 10-cent superfectas on all Sept. 4-5 races.
Wayne Scherr had tried to reach the Kentucky Derby via traditional ownership routes, buying young horses at yearling and 2-year-old auctions. But when the search for his Derby horse proved fruitless, he proposed a different avenue to trainer Chris Hartman.
With no fans being allowed to attend Churchill Downs this week because of the coronavirus pandemic, there has been fervent interest in exactly who is being allowed to attend the Oaks and Derby.
The new 20-horse starting gate that Churchill Downs acquired to accommodate what is typically a large field for the Kentucky Derby is in use during morning training for this year's contenders and will get a test run in a race this week.
In recent years, the club model of Thoroughbred ownership has grown in popularity, attracting new owners to Thoroughbred racing by offering interested parties a chance to buy a small share in a horse with a small single payment.
