The 2022 Derby debut cast originally hails from Australia, France, India, Japan, and elsewhere. Here is a look at the jockeys and trainers who will be on the program in the Kentucky Derby for the first time.
Scratch time for the Kentucky Derby and Oaks arrived Friday at 9 a.m. Eastern at Churchill Downs with the 11th-hour defection of Ethereal Road from the Derby, allowing Rich Strike (No. 21) to fill his spot in post position 20. The last-second news was welcomed with great enthusiasm by Eric Reed, who trains Rich Strike for Rick Dawson.
Ethereal Road was scratched from the Kentucky Derby on Friday morning, allowing the first also-eligible, Rich Strike, to get in.
Jockey Flavien Prat's lone victory in the Kentucky Derby didn't come with the typical fanfare. In 2019, Prat was the rider of Country House, who crossed the wire second behind Maximum Security. When Maximum Security was disqualified, Country House was elevated to first. Saturday, Prat will have his fifth Kentucky Derby mount on Zandon, the morning-line favorite.
The final preparations are just about over for this year's Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby candidates, although many turned in spirited gallops in cool conditions over a pretty quick racetrack on Thursday at Churchill Downs where the temperature again held in the mid to upper 50's throughout the morning.
This year's Kentucky Derby is being billed as a return to normal. The crowds will be back. The mint juleps will be flowing. Fans will be dressed to impress, and to excess. And in the midst of all that partying, they also will run an American classic race, a darn fine one judging by the quality of this field.
Andrew Beyer and Daily Racing Form National Correspondent Jay Privman handicap and discuss the leading Kentucky Derby contenders.
Amr Zedan walked out of Churchill Downs one year ago as the winning owner of the Kentucky Derby, his Medina Spirit having crossed the wire first. He'll walk back in on Saturday trying to win the Derby with Taiba, as an odyssey that has included extreme highs and crushing lows continues to play out.
The chaos of Kentucky Derby week can be a major gauntlet for young, inexperienced horses - even those who have raced in this country. Summer Is Tomorrow has extra hurdles. Not only has he traversed the globe to get here, but his base is the private Zabeel Stables in the U.A.E., a much more serene setting than the typical American backstretch.
The expected full field for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby will create a scenario none of the 20 who go into battle have ever seen before, or will again. Young nerves will be tested in such a large field by the jostling for position, tight spaces, and fierce challenges.
