Twenty-three horses ran in a rough-and-tumble edition of the Kentucky Derby in 1974, and that was too many, track officials decided before the 1975 Derby, capping the maximum number of starters at 20, though a court injunction permitted a 21st runner in 1981.
It wasn’t until 1999 that the Derby drew more than 20 entrants again and the 20-horse maximum, determined by graded-stakes earnings, had to be invoked, but since 2004, a full Derby entry box of 20 horses has become the rule.
Trainer Todd Pletcher was candid following We Miss Artie’s workout Sunday, describing it as poor for a horse who usually works well on dirt, even though his best races have been on turf and synthetic.
On Monday, upon more reflection, Pletcher said he still wasn’t happy with the way he worked but did offer a few reasons why We Miss Artie wasn’t as sharp as he had hoped.
[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]
Fairmount Park opens a 52-day meeting Tuesday, and while the number of race days has dropped from the 68 cards run last year, there could be far graver changes on the horizon at Fairmount after this season.
This is the third and last year that impact fees garnished from the gross profits at the highest-earning Illinois casinos will be added to purse money generated through betting handle, and the St. Louis-area track faces difficult decisions if a new revenue stream supplying the purse account isn’t opened soon.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Chitu, who lost his special right front shoe Sunday during his final workout for the Kentucky Derby, was re-shod in a conventional shoe and will wear that for training the rest of the week as well as for the Derby itself Saturday at Churchill Downs.
Chitu had the morning off Monday, which is standard procedure the day after a drill for trainer Bob Baffert.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Skychai Racing and Starlight Stables have purchased Kentucky Derby contender General a Rod from his previous owner, J. Armando Rodriguez, the new ownership group announced on Monday.
General a Rod, runner-up in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth and the third-place finisher in the Grade 1 Florida Derby, will remain with trainer Mike Maker and be ridden by Joel Rosario in the Kentucky Derby, according to the new owners. He will wear the silks of James Shircliff, who is a partner in both Skychai and Starlight, in the Derby.
At age 20, Jose Ortiz, the rider of Samraat, will be the youngest jockey in this year’s Kentucky Derby. Rick Violette, the trainer of Samraat, has as much confidence in Ortiz as if he was a 20-year veteran.
Twinspires.com, the account-wagering company owned by Churchill Downs Inc., will offer its customers a chance to contribute to the betting action of one of two teams that will play the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby cards for profit and charity.
The two teams consist of cast members of the reality show “Horseplayers” that recently aired on Esquire Network. One team will consist of Peter Rotondo Sr. and Lee Davis, and the other will consist of Michael Beychok and John Conte.
LOUISVILLE, Ky - Braving a morning deluge, with claps of thunder and flashes of lightning adding to the scene, Tapiture worked a half-mile in 50.16 seconds on Monday morning at Churchill Downs in his final drill for Saturday's Kentucky Derby.
ARCADIA, Calif.- Shared Belief, the champion 2-year-old male of 2013 who has not raced since December, worked a half-mile in 49.60 seconds at Golden Gate Fields on Sunday, his third workout in the last two weeks.
A comeback race has not been selected, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said at Santa Anita on Sunday.
Hollendorfer said Shared Belief is not likely to be ready for the $100,000 Laz Barrera Stakes for 3-year-olds over seven furlongs at Santa Anita on May 10.
“In the back of my mind, I was looking at the Laz Barrera,” he said. “We’ll have to be patient.”
