Wed, 02/11/2026 - 12:44

Kentucky Derby: Who's hot, who's not for Feb. 11, 2026

Renegade wins Sam F. Davis at TAM Feb 7 2026
Tom Keyser
Renegade's Sam F. Davis victory was the second Kentucky Derby prep victory in a week for trainer Todd Pletcher.

WHO'S HOT

Todd Pletcher. One week after winning the Grade 3 Holy Bull with Nearly, Pletcher won the Sam F. Davis with Renegade, who made a solid 3-year-old debut, closing on a Tampa Bay Downs track that favored forwardly placed runners. Pletcher will look to keep the momentum rolling Saturday with Courting in the Grade 2 Risen Star.

Tue, 02/10/2026 - 14:11

Hall of Fame horseman King Leatherbury dies at age 92

King Leatherbury.Ben's Cat .03-2014.JMC
Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club
King Leatherbury spends a minute in 2014 with the amazing Ben's Cat, who, won 32 of 63 starts for Leatherbury and earned more than $2.6 million between 2010 and 2017.

King Leatherbury, the Hall of Fame trainer who rose to prominence in the 1970s and dominated Maryland racing for three decades, died at his home on Tuesday. He was 92.

In a training career that spanned 64 years and 36,256 starts, Leatherbury won 6,508 races, the fifth most in the history of North American racing. His horses scored 154 stakes victories, won 23 graded stakes, and $64.6 million in purse money.

“If I wanted something on my tombstone,” Leatherbury told America’s Best Racing in 2024, “it would just be, ‘He won races.’ ”

Mon, 02/09/2026 - 14:24

Ingrid Mason banned from Oaklawn after search finds syringes, needles

Ingrid Mason Jan 26 2020
Coady Photography
A barn search by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit found hypodermic needles and syringes loaded with an anti-inflammatory at Ingrid Mason's Oaklawn stable.

Ingrid Mason, a trainer based at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., has been banned indefinitely by the track after a recent search of her barn turned up hypodermic needles and syringes, according to Mason and a stewards’ ruling.

Sun, 02/08/2026 - 18:07

Express Kid, Daneyko highlight field of eight in Sunland Park Derby

Coady
Daneyko won the local prep for the Sunland Derby when he captured the Riley Allison Derby in January.

The regional stakes winners Express Kid and Daneyko will meet shippers from New York and Southern California next Sunday in the $500,000 Sunland Park Derby in New Mexico.

The 1 1/16-mile race will offer Kentucky Derby points to the first five finishers on a scale of  20-10-6-4-2.

The Sunland Derby drew a field of eight when entries were taken on Sunday. First post for the card that also features the $250,000 Sunland Park Oaks led by Bottle of Rouge is 12:25 p.m. Mountain.

Sun, 02/08/2026 - 14:47

Picking San Felipe Stakes or Santa Anita Derby next big question for top Robert Lewis finishers

Benoit
Plutarch was given a 90 Beyer Speed Figure for Saturday's win in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Managing the short-term race schedules of top-class 3-year-olds was on the minds of several trainers at Santa Anita on Sunday, a day after the Grade 3 Robert Lewis Stakes.

Plutarch, Intrepido and Secured Freedom swept the top three positions in the $101,000 Lewis at a mile, in their first starts of the year.

Sun, 02/08/2026 - 13:19

Geroux kicks off Santa Anita stint on high note

Barbara D. Livingston
On Saturday, his second day at Santa Anita, jockey Florent Geroux rode Plutarch to victory in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis.

ARCADIA, Calif. – By his own admission, jockey Florent Geroux acknowledged his decision to relocate from Fair Grounds to Santa Anita, smack in the middle of winter, was curiously timed.

“Came a little bit late to the party,” Geroux said Friday. “I got here last night. Last-minute decision.”

Sun, 02/08/2026 - 12:55

Ms. Tart likely to be bred in spring, but return to racing possible

Julie Wright
Ms. Tart won the Wishing Well Stakes on Friday night at Turfway Park.

Ms. Tart, who won the Wishing Well Stakes on Friday night at Turfway Park, is likely to be bred this spring, trainer John Ennis said prior to the race. But that doesn’t necessarily mean her 2 3/4-length victory will be her last appearance on track.

Sun, 02/08/2026 - 12:46

Chunk of Gold nears return to training

Barbara D. Livingston
Chunk of Gold outran his odds to finish ninth in the 2025 Kentucky Derby.

Chunk of Gold, a $2,500 yearling who rose as a fan favorite to start in the Kentucky Derby and become a graded stakes winner, is expected to begin legging up for his 4-year-old campaign around March 1, trainer Ethan West says.

Sun, 02/08/2026 - 12:44

Epic Ride resumes training, has eye on Maker's Mark Mile

Debra A. Roma
Epic Ride has put together a career record of 18-5-5-3 to date while earning more than $1.9 million.

Graded stakes-winning millionaire Epic Ride has resumed training for a 5-year-old campaign that trainer John Ennis hopes will be the gelding’s best yet. His early-season target is the Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile in April at Keeneland, with a potential prep race at Turfway Park, depending on how his training unfolds.

Wed, 02/04/2026 - 12:31

Kentucky Derby: Who's hot, who's not for Feb. 4, 2026

Lou Hodges
Golden Tempo, winner of the Grade 3 Lecomte, is being pointed to the Grade 2 Risen Star on Feb. 14 at Fair Grounds.

WHO’S HOT

Nearly opens as the 10-1 favorite on the Derby Watch Top 20 after a dominant 5 3/4-length victory last Saturday in the Grade 3 Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park. He has now won three straight races after a head-scratching debut and will point to the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 28.

Golden Tempo successfully stretched out from six furlongs to 1 1/16 miles in a professional, if not overly fast, victory in the Grade 3 Lecomte on Jan. 17. The Risen Star on Feb. 14 should tell more.