When the calendar flipped to 2020, one might have imagined trainer Brad Cox having Taraz or British Idiom, both Fair Grounds-based at the time, in the Fair Grounds Oaks and Mr. Monomoy in the Louisiana Derby. None of those horses will start Saturday on the biggest card of the Fair Grounds meet, but Cox still will be well represented in both races.
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Anneau d'Or, a close second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in November but ninth as the even-money favorite in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes last month at Fair Grounds, is on schedule for a start in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 4.
Trainer Pete Eurton was relieved his Plan A for Royal Act worked out, because Plans B and C ended up going away.
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Enforceable
Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who is wintering at Oaklawn, has pretty much seen it all when it comes to the Kentucky Derby – winning four runnings. This year, the race will have a completely different look, with the coronavirus forcing its postponement until Sept. 5.
Todd Pletcher had Gouverneur Morris as his main hope for the Kentucky Derby when the race was still scheduled for May 2, even though the gray colt was far short on qualifying points. But with the new Sept. 5 date having been set for the Kentucky Derby, not only does Pletcher have far more opportunity for Gouverneur Morris to crack the lineup, but the possibility now exists that a late bloomer might ultimately surface from his deep bench.
The highly regarded Maxfield and Rebel runner-up Excession are the two newcomers to this week's Derby Watch top 20.
The announcement Tuesday that the Kentucky Derby will be moved to Sept. 5 due to the coronavirus pandemic could lead to a new date for the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby, according to Oaklawn Park president Lou Cella. The Arkansas Derby is currently scheduled for April 11.
The news that Churchill Downs would delay the Kentucky Derby by four months to Sept. 5 owing to the coronavirus pandemic, and that the Preakness would be delayed, too, caused trainers of leading Derby and Triple Crown contenders to ponder how they’d proceed in coming months, while realizing the situation in regards to racing’s overall schedule remains fluid.
The Kentucky Derby, whose name is synonymous with the first Saturday in May, has been rescheduled for the first Saturday of September on Labor Day weekend, the race’s host, Churchill Downs, announced on Tuesday morning.
