LOUISVILLE, Ky. – John Velazquez is sharing an unspecified percentage of his winnings from the 137th Kentucky Derby with fellow jockey Robby Albarado, whom he replaced Saturday in winning the race aboard Animal Kingdom. In addition, Barry Irwin, who manages the Team Valor International partnership which owns Animal Kingdom, is matching the amount that Velazquez is giving Albarado.
The national television rating for the final hour of the Kentucky Derby broadcast on NBC-TV on Saturday afternoon was an 8.5 with a 19 share, down 13.3 percent compared with the 9.8 rating share for the race portion of the broadcast in both 2010 and 2009.
Barry Irwin, president of the Team Valor International syndicate that owns Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom, did not back away from some controversial comments he made following Saturday’s race, but said he was not referencing former trainers Wayne Catalano or Todd Pletcher when he made them.
Animal Kingdom returned $64.40 for a $2 win bet in Pool 3 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, the only time the colt was listed as a separate wagering interest during the three parimutuel futures pools offered annually by Churchill Downs.
Due to the severity of the injury suffered by Archarcharch in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs, the colt has been retired, trainer Jinks Fires said Monday.
Graham Motion’s work with Animal Kingdom was exceptional because he defied so many precedents in the Derby. His European-style training regimen got Animal Kingdom ready to deliver a powerful effort.
Pants On Fire, the Louisiana Derby winner who finished ninth in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, was found to have bled in the race and will not point to any of the remaining Triple Crown races, trainer Kelly Breen said Sunday morning.
All-sources wagering on the 13-race Kentucky Derby card on Saturday at Churchill Downs was $165.2 million, a slight increase over last year’s figures and the third-highest of all-time, while attendance was a record, according to figures released by Churchill late Saturday night.
