Despite being a European champion in his own right, Noble Mission has always lived in the shadow of his brother, the unbeaten two-time European Horse of the Year Frankel.
Santana, who at 25 has established himself as the Oaklawn Park's most dominant rider since Pat Day, is chasing his seventh straight title in Arkansas. Day won 12 from 1983 through 1994.
With only eight of the 20 top points earners for this year's Kentucky Derby on the grounds, things have been relatively quiet the past couple of mornings during the special 15-minute window set aside daily at Churchill Downs for prospective Derby and Kentucky Oaks runners. How quiet? Well, perhaps the most noteworthy news Wednesday morning was the sighting of Wood Memorial winner Tacitus out for another day of training after putting in a half-mile work punctuated by a solid quarter-mile gallop-out here Monday.
Trainer Gustavo Delgado wants to run Bodexpress in the Kentucky Derby. So too Kenny McPeek with Signalman. Over there in the corner, that's Mark Hennig waving his hand, saying he wants in, too, with Bourbon War. Trouble is, with less than a week to go until final entries are taken and posts drawn for the 145th Derby on May 4 at Churchill Downs, they are all on the outside looking in.
Claiborne Farm has only won the Kentucky Derby once in its century-plus history, when the star-crossed Swale carried its famous gold silks beneath the twin spires. But that doesn't mean the farm hasn't had ties to other Derby winners – or that, despite its lack of ownership in this year's renewal, the Hancock family's influence isn't all over the race.
The hot-stove debate regards who will be favored in this year's Kentucky Derby. Mike Watchmaker, Daily Racing Form's national handicapper, has Game Winner slightly favored at 5-1, but with both Omaha Beach and Roadster right behind at 6-1, the margin obviously is razor thin between those three.
Only a handful of horses in the diverse group of colts preparing to line up for the Kentucky Derby have won multiple graded stakes this season. Tacitus, who was one of those and finished as the leader by points in this season's series of Kentucky Derby qualifying races, sports one of the most regal pedigrees in this class.
Anothertwistafate, currently 23rd on the points list for the Kentucky Derby on May 4, will bypass the race and point for the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown, on May 18 at Pimlico, trainer Blaine Wright said Tuesday.
Bob Baffert flew into Louisville late Sunday from California on something of a stealth mission, intent on overseeing a key pre-Derby workout Monday morning at Churchill Downs for Improbable without alerting track officials or drawing an inordinate amount of attention.
They are all 3 years old and male and horses for the 145th Kentucky Derby, but about there, the similarities end. They are chestnut and bay and gray. They were born as close as Kentucky or as far away as Japan, and they come into the Derby off prep races around the globe. They are handled by first-time Derby trainers and by Hall of Fame veterans of the race; they run the gamut from homebreds by six-figure stallions to former claimers. Even their shared age is not a true commonality, as they were foaled anywhere from Feb. 11 to May 23.
