Betting on the Kentucky Derby this year again established a record at $180.16 million, with the total benefiting from an enormous surge in wagering in the straight pools, according to charts.

Overall, betting on the Derby was up 6.8 percent compared to last year’s record, or approximately $11.4 million. Betting in the win, place, and show pools was up 18.0 percent, or $13.8 million, making up for declines in the trifecta and superfecta pools. The straight pool total was $89.2 million, easily a record.

Kentucky Derby 2023: Complete order of finish

1. Mage

2. Two Phil’s

Tony Dutrow recorded the 2,000th victory of his training career Friday at Belmont Park when Predicted won a maiden $40,000 claiming race.

The road to 2,000 became a slog for Dutrow, who won for the first time since Feb. 17. It was just his third win of the year.

“Finally got there,” Dutrow said afterward. “Looking back on it all, I’ve just had so much fun, so much excitement, so many nice horses, so many great races. It’s just been a wonderful career. There’s another good thing or two coming.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - When Forte had his final gallop Friday morning for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, he was wearing a three-quarter shoe on his right front foot. A piece of the shoe was cut off at the upper part of the inside heel.

“Take a little pressure off the heel,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “Something we commonly do.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Barn 39 might finally get its Kentucky Derby winner. Ever since my younger brother, trainer Paul McGee, began stabling at Barn 39 on the Churchill Downs backstretch in the late 1990s, I’ve always hoped the Derby winner would be led out of there an hour or so before post time for the dramatic walk over.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. _ Continuar will be scratched from Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, it was announced Thursday night by his connections.

In a statement put out by Churchill Downs, Yoshito Yahagi, the trainer of Continuar, said that he was not happy with the colt’s fitness level.

Churchill Downs has banned the trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. for an “indefinite period,” citing the sudden deaths of two of his horses over the past five days at the track.

The announcement of the decision to ban Joseph came 30 minutes after Kentucky stewards said that Joseph had agreed to scratch all of the horses he had entered at Churchill, including Lord Miles, who was entered in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby.

An abnormal string of horse deaths at Churchill Downs over the past week has cast a pall over the track’s Kentucky Derby preparations and put horsemen and racing officials on edge at time when the national spotlight is beginning to swing toward the racing industry.