The countdown to the Kentucky Derby has begun, and after the way his colt Omaha Beach worked on Saturday, Derby Day can’t come soon enough for trainer Richard Mandella.
The effects of even more rain falling over the local area Thursday night and into Friday ultimately led to a racetrack that started out as “sloppy” but improved steadily once the clouds finally gave way to clearer skies as Friday morning progressed at Churchill Downs.
In a little more than an hour on Froday morning at Santa Anita, Martin Garcia served as exercise rider for two of Baffert's leading hopes for the Kentucky Derby. At 6:30, Roadster worked six furlongs in 1:13.80. At 7:45, Game Winner worked seven furlongs in 1:27.
Six months ago, it seemed highly likely California owners Gary and Mary West would be back at Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby.
Jockey Jon Court is going to have to stake his mother a pretty penny if Long Range Toddy wins the $3 million Kentucky Derby next Saturday. Court, 58, is the oldest rider ever to have a mount in the 145-year-old classic, eclipsing the record of 57 set by jockey Bobby Baird in 1978, according to Churchill Downs.
The weather was the story, both locally and around the country, when it came to training hours on Thursday for horses preparing to compete here next week in the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby
A crush of locals and tourists invariably finds their way onto the Churchill Downs backside every morning as the Derby draws nearer, and with Churchill opening its 2019 spring meet Saturday night, the crowds – both on the backstretch and in the stands – will grow ever larger as the days unfold.
When it comes to the Kentucky Derby, no news is bad news as far as trainer Mark Hennig is concerned. Hennig is the trainer of Bourbon War, who would need four defections to make it into the body of the Kentucky Derby field.
Justify may have won the Kentucky Derby last year, but it was Instilled Regard who won the hearts of bettors fortunate enough to cash on the Derby superfecta. His rally to grab fourth at odds of 85-1 behind popular choices Justify, Good Magic, and Audible led to a $19,618.20 payoff for a $1 wager, exponentially higher than the $141.40 trifecta mutuel for a $1 bet.
Six years after starting in the Kentucky Derby, Goldencents, among last year's leading freshman sires, will have a first-crop Kentucky Derby starter in Louisiana Derby winner By My Standards.
