Jason Servis is bringing more than an undefeated Grade 1 winner to Saturday's Kentucky Derby. He's bringing the scrutiny that goes with a high rate of success and an unconventional training method.
Owner Rick Porter, who had long odds of beating cancer three years ago, now has the Kentucky Derby favorite in Omaha Beach.
Wednesday literally may have been the calm before the storm at Churchill Downs, with another picture-perfect morning likely to be followed by several days of rain, according to local forecasts, the worst of that weather currently expected on Derby Day.
It's a quirky statistic to be sure being as there is no rhyme or reason for it, but the Wood Memorial is zero for 15 years producing a top-three finisher in the Kentucky Derby.
Brian Duggan is currently the exercise rider of a Kentucky Derby contender. Next spring, he hopes to be the farrier of one.
For the past decade, the most prominent and most controversial intramural debate within the North American racing community has involved the raceday use of the diuretic furosemide to mitigate bleeding in the lungs. Prior to 2019, nearly every major racing organization had weighed in on the topic, except Churchill Downs Inc. In the weeks prior to this year's Kentucky Derby, that abruptly changed.
It's been 11 years since Eight Belles died on the racetrack, but for her jockey, Gabriel Saez, it may seem even longer.
Mike Beer's 2019 Kentucky Derby analysis.
DRF handicapper Matt Bernier's Kentucky Derby analysis.
Considering favorites won the last six Kentucky Derbies, perhaps the race is due for an upset. That is not likely if Game Winner and Omaha Beach maintain top form.
