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A few jockey assignments for the May 3 Kentucky Derby have been finalized, with John Velazquez getting back on Grande and Irad Ortiz Jr. taking the mount on Publisher.
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The Grade 3, $400,000 Lexington Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland is the final race awarding points toward the Kentucky Derby. However, the race is more likely to produce candidates for the Preakness Stakes.
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The rescheduled Blue Grass Stakes card at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington on Tuesday drew $20.38 million in bets, an incredibly strong showing for a Tuesday but down 30.4 percent compared to handle last year on the card, which was held on a Saturday, according to a DRF analysis of betting data from charts of races.
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Journalism solidified Kentucky Derby favoritism by overcoming trouble to win the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby. His Derby Watch odds drop to 3-1 by Daily Racing Form linemaker David Aragona.
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If Japanese-bred Admire Daytona claims the automatic berth he earned into the Kentucky Derby by winning the Group 2 U.A.E. Derby – the finale of the European/Mideast Road to the Derby – the late nominee to the Triple Crown will bring in a pedigree full of names familiar to America.
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Burnham Square punched his ticket to the Kentucky Derby with a photo-finish victory in the Grade 1, $1.25 million Blue Grass on Tuesday at Keeneland, rallying to nail pacesetting East Avenue at the wire.
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Admire Daytona and Heart of Honor, the one-two finishers from last Saturday’s U.A.E. Derby at Meydan, head the list of five 3-year-olds who were made late nominees to the Triple Crown by their connections, it was announced Tuesday.
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Trainer Mark Casse was looking around for wood to knock on in the Keeneland winner’s circle after La Cara won the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes Monday to move on to the Kentucky Oaks. The win came a little more than a week after the Casse-trained Sandman won the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby to punch his ticket to the Kentucky Derby.
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Coal Battle has wasted no time getting acquainted with Churchill Downs. Some 36 hours after arriving in Louisville, the colt turned in his first local breeze toward the Kentucky Derby, going a half-mile in 48.40 seconds on Tuesday morning beneath the twin spires.
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Partially due to the excitement of winning the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby hours earlier on Journalism, and partially because of late-night viewing of the Japanese Grand Prix, jockey Umberto Rispoli had trouble sleeping on Saturday night.
