LOUISVILLE, Ky. – What was scheduled to be an easy day for Normandy Invasion turned a little more eventful when the Kentucky Derby candidate ran off with his exercise rider Javier Herrera during his morning gallop at Churchill Downs.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Vyjack blew out three furlongs in 37.13 seconds under his trainer Rudy Rodriguez on Thursday in his final preparation for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby.
[2013 KENTUCKY DERBY: Get PPs, contender profiles, live updates]
“Just to sharpen him up a little bit. We don’t want to overdo it, but we want him to blow-out a little bit, open his lungs a little bit,” Rodriguez said.
Chuck has the look of a reliable favorite at Will Rogers Downs on Saturday, when he returns to restricted company for a division of the Oklahoma Stallion Stakes after hooking one of the more impressive 3-year-old winners of the Oaklawn meet in Bashaar.
The Stallion Stakes is a one-mile race for 3-year-olds and Chuck leads the colts and geldings side. Rah Rah Rachel is the favorite for the fillies division, which will be run on the same program. The purse for each race is $50,000.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The classy 9-year-old Seminole Brave is obviously a step or two slower than when he won the $50,000 George Royal Stakes in 2009. Nonetheless, he was quick enough to win a $15,000 claiming race going six furlongs two weeks ago, and he should be tough to handle when he runs back for the same price at Hastings on Saturday.
A versatile Florida-bred, Seminole Brave will have to navigate an extra sixteenth of a mile in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint. It won’t be a problem, however − six of his eight career wins came at the distance.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Star Shoot Stakes winner Rootham Triple E’s returns on short rest Saturday at Woodbine in the $150,000 Fury Stakes, a seven-furlong test for Ontario-bred 3-year-old fillies.
The Fury, which is a stepping-stone toward the June 9 Woodbine Oaks, also has reigning Canadian champion 2-year-old filly Spring in the Air and stakes winner Aunt Els among its 10-horse field.
On paper, there was a massive gap between Perfect Officer, who barely missed winning the second Grade 3 stakes of his career less than three weeks ago, and Jersey Blue Giant, a New Jersey-bred who was winless on turf and badly beaten by $20,000 claimers in his two most recent starts. On Atlantic City Race Course’s turf course, however, the two sprinters reached the finish line nearly on even terms.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In 1882, Jesse James was killed, false teeth and the electric iron were patented, Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” opened in Moscow, and Apollo won the Kentucky Derby without having raced at age 2.
A lot has happened in the 130 years since, especially in regards to dental care. But no horse since Apollo has been able to win the Derby without racing as a 2-year-old, something Verrazano will be trying to accomplish on Saturday in the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
Calder Race Course and the group representing Florida’s horsemen failed Wednesday to reach agreement on a new contract or an extension of an existing contract by a self-imposed deadline, leading to an immediate 20 percent cut in purses and the blackout of the track’s races at out-of-state sites.
