LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Though admittedly “shocked” that he won America’s most-famous race, trainer Graham Motion, a British expatriate, on Sunday morning had recovered enough to start focusing on the May 21 Preakness Stakes, which he said would be the next start for Animal Kingdom, the upset winner of Saturday’s 137th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
“I never anticipated winning the Derby, so it’s a lot to take in,” Motion said Sunday morning at Churchill Downs. “Yesterday was surreal.
All-sources wagering on the 13-race Kentucky Derby card on Saturday at Churchill Downs was $165.2 million, a slight increase over last year’s figures and the third-highest of all-time, while attendance was a record, according to figures released by Churchill late Saturday night.
The preliminary all-sources handle figure was a 1.5 percent increase over the 2010 figure of $162.7 million, according to Churchill. Last year’s handle total reversed three years of declines on the Derby card.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Comma to the Top, who chased the pace before finishing last in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, suffered an injured ankle, his trainer Peter Miller said.
"It appears my horse chipped his left ankle," Miller told Churchill Downs officials. "We could see it when we brought him back. I believe we’ll have Dr. [Wayne] McIlwrath from Colorado State University take it out in the next little while."
Miller said that Comma to the Top would be out of training for at least 60 days following that surgery.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Up until Friday morning, no one could blame John Velazquez if he felt cursed when it came to the Kentucky Derby.
On Saturday, Velazquez went from cursed to blessed in just a little more than two minutes.
VIDEO: Velazquez interview after winning Churchill Downs Stakes »
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - When Star Billing was about two lengths in front in the final furlong of Saturday’s $100,000 Senorita Stakes at Hollywood Park, jockey Chantal Sutherland was already shouting.
It was not all in celebration of an imminent second stakes win of the day for Sutherland.
“She was looking around,” Sutherland said of Star Billing. “Her ears went forward. I started screaming”
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - There will be plenty of Kentucky Derby day money waiting for horseplayers when Churchill Downs reopens on Thursday.
Nobody hit either the pick six or super high five wagers on Saturday’s Kentucky Derby program, leaving carryovers of $514,583 in the pick six and $220,430 in the super high five.
Okie Ride was a front-running, 2 1/4-length winner over 4-5 favorite My Star Runner in the $50,000 Clem McSpadden Memorial at Will Rogers Downs near Tulsa on Saturday.
The race was one of two sprint stakes on the card. Tin Top Cat rallied for a one-length win in the $50,000 Wilma Mankiller.
Okie Ride ($38.40) tracked Tomahawk Creek through a half-mile in 44.89 seconds, took the lead in the stretch and went on to win the six-furlong race on a track rated fast in 1:09.38. My Star Runner rallied for second, a head in front of third-place finisher Gold Coyote.
Complete order of finish for the 2011 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Animal Kingdom handed trainer Graham Motion his first Kentucky Derby win.
1) Animal Kingdom
2) Nehro
3) Mucho Macho Man
4) Shackleford
5) Master of Hounds
6) Santiva
7) Brilliant Speed
8) Dialed In
9) Pants On Fire
10) Twice The Appeal
11) Soldat
12) Stay Thirsty
13) Derby Kitten
14) Decisive Moment
15) Archarcharch
16) Midnight Interlude
17) Twinspired
18) Watch Me Go
19) Comma to the Top
