LEXINGTON, Ky. – Raise Cain turned in his final work for the Kentucky Derby on Thursday morning at Keeneland as trainer Ben Colebrook continues to weigh his jockey options for the colt.
Raise Cain, with Gerardo Corrales in the irons, worked in company with the unraced filly Merrily Rush, Luan Machado up, as they went a half-mile in 49 seconds on a fast main track.
Skinner, third in the Santa Anita Derby on April 8, gained a berth in the Kentucky Derby on May 6 after Wild On Ice sustained a fatal injury during training early Thursday at Churchill Downs.
Skinner will have a new rider in Juan Hernandez, who replaces Victor Espinoza.
"We thought a change would maybe shake things up a little bit," trainer John Shirreffs said Thursday. "Maybe Skinner was used to the way Victor was riding him. It might help to have a different rider."
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Kentucky Derby hopeful Wild On Ice was euthanized Thursday morning after suffering a catastrophic injury to his left hind leg at Churchill Downs in a pre-dawn workout intended to prepare him for the Derby on May 6.
Net income for Churchill Downs Inc. in the first quarter nearly quadrupled, boosted by recent casino acquisitions in Virginia, New York, and Iowa and the after-tax gains from the sale of Arlington Park outside of Chicago, according to financial statements released on Wednesday afternoon.
Net income for the first quarter was $155.7 million, compared to $42.1 million in the first quarter of last year, according to the financial statements. Churchill booked an $86.2 million after-tax gain on its $197.2 million sale of Arlington to the NFL’s Chicago Bears.
Laurel Park has made tentative plans to hold a live race card on Saturday after an initial review of the track’s main dirt surface turned up only minor irregularities, the president of the track’s horsemen’s group said on Wednesday.
Tim Keefe, a trainer who is the president of the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, said that John Passero, a track superintendent with a long history working in the mid-Atlantic, made some “quick fixes” to the main surface on Wednesday morning and had concluded that any additional alterations could be completed by Saturday.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The skeptics who believed bubble horses only add clutter to the Kentucky Derby had their bubble busted last year when Rich Strike pulled his 80-1 stunner as a last-minute runner.
Will lightning strike in the same spot twice? The connections of a handful of horses eager to run next Saturday in the Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs sure hope so.
Rich Strike, unraced since finishing last of six in the Grade 1 Clark here in late November, had his final work toward his 4-year-old debut when he breezed a half-mile in 47.80 seconds well before dawn Tuesday.
Rich Strike went winless in five starts following the Derby last year. Owner Rick Dawson and trainer Eric Reed already have tentatively plotted out a series of races for the Keen Ice colt this year, starting with the Grade 2 Alysheba on the Kentucky Oaks card next Friday.
