:quality(75))
Irad Ortiz Jr. is the regular rider of Forte, who on May 6 will start as the favorite in the 149th Kentucky Derby, one of the few major races Ortiz has yet to win from six mounts.
:quality(75))
The skeptics who believed bubble horses only add clutter to the Kentucky Derby had their bubble busted last year when Rich Strike pulled his 80-1 stunner as a last-minute runner. Will lightning strike in the same spot twice? The connections of a handful of horses eager to run next Saturday in the Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs sure hope so.
Kentucky Derby: Who's hot, who's not for April 26, 2023
:quality(75))
2023 Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Continuar
:quality(75))
The special Derby-Oaks training session was highlighted by the first recent local sighting of Confidence Game, who has not raced since winning the Grade 2 Rebel on Feb. 25 or worked since drilling a mile from the gate nearly two weeks ago.
:quality(75))
The connections of Florida Derby runner-up Mage have tabbed Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano to ride their horse in this year’s Kentucky Derby, a turn of events that now leaves Raise Cain without a rider just 11 days out from the race.
:quality(75))
An impressive work just nine days removed from his last start by Disarm and a very strong open gallop with blinkers on by Sun Thunder highlighted the special Kentucky Derby-Oaks training session at a chilly Churchill Downs on Monday.
:quality(75))
Nobody had any problem keeping their cool Sunday morning at Churchill Downs, where the temperature dipped into the mid-to-high 30s during training hours, and reached its low point about the time the track opened for the 15-minute window reserved for Kentucky Derby and Oaks horses at 7:30 a.m. following the renovation break.
:quality(75))
Hall of Fame jockey Victor Espinoza is one of two riders to win the Kentucky Derby twice in the last decade. A chance for a third win for Espinoza at Churchill Downs on May 6 hinges on a measure of luck days before the runners reach the starting gate.
:quality(75))
The most relevant Kentucky Derby activity at Churchill Downs on Saturday came well before sunrise when Pletcher sent out his first set of the morning shortly after 6 a.m. The set included Derby favorites Forte and Tapit Trice, both coming off excellent works the previous morning.
