LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Puma, the fifth choice at 8-1 in the early wagering for Saturday’s 152nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, was scratched about 12 hours before the race was scheduled to be run due to a swollen pastern believed to be caused by a skin infection in his left front leg.
Gustavo Delgado Jr., the assistant trainer to his father Gustavo Delgado, said Saturday morning that when he got to the barn the groom of The Puma informed him the horse had a swollen leg.
LOUISVILLE, KY. – Right to Party, runner-up in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial, was scratched from Saturday’s Kentucky Derby due to lameness in his right foreleg, opening a spot for Robusta to join the field.
Right to Party was the third horse to be scratched from the Kentucky Derby since entries were taken on April 25. Scratched earlier in the week were Silent Tactic (bruised foot) and Fulleffort (chip in hind ankle). Those drawing in from the also-eligible list when those horses scratched were Great White and Ocelli.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – It was a tough morning for jockey Tyler Gaffalione, who saw his original mounts for the Kentucky Derby (Fulleffort) and Kentucky Oaks (Bella Ballerina) scratch due to injury.
Gaffalione wasn’t without a mount in the Derby for very long.
Trainer Whit Beckman said Thursday afternoon that he will put Gaffalione on Ocelli in the Derby. Gaffalione was named to ride Nycon in the Oaks before she was scratched Friday morning. Both of Beckman’s horses had drawn into their respective races from the also-eligible list. Joe Ramos was previously named on Ocelli.
One of the most challenging decisions you’ll have to make before the Kentucky Derby is which wagers to play. There are many different ways to bet the Kentucky Derby, so here are a few suggested wagers for a $100 bankroll.
$24 to win on No. 6 Commandment
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – They’ve all felt the swirling winds of the hurricane, whether it was Riley Mott on the track as an assistant to his Kentucky Derby-winning father, a young Cherie DeVaux galloping beneath the twin spires, or riders piloting winners before a roaring Churchill Downs crowd on the Derby undercard.
Now, they’re in the eye of the storm. Accounting for the shape of the field as of Friday morning, as many as four trainers and seven jockeys are looking to make their Kentucky Derby debuts on Saturday.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – When not wearing his old-school protective helmet while atop his stable pony, trainer Bill Mott can usually be seen sporting a New York Yankees baseball cap. On a recent morning on the Churchill Downs backstretch, Mott had a grayish cap emblazoned with a double-bordered green and white diamond, the stable symbol of his son Riley.
“I’m very proud of him,” said the elder Mott, whose own stable symbol is a singular bordered green and white diamond.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Workout watching has become an increasingly popular pastime in the age-old quest to sort out the top contenders and ultimately pick the winner of the Kentucky Derby. This year’s talented crop of 3-year-olds has done its very best to make that task a lot more challenging than usual, with so many impressive performances to choose from during training hours in the weeks leading up to the big event.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Racing, perhaps more than any other sport, is about family. Working with horses isn’t as much a job as it is a way of life. The 24/7, 365-day nature of the profession makes it this way.
The theme of family, shared experiences or sense of loss, permeates throughout Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, the annual two-minute highlight for this industry that plays out for the 152nd time beneath the twin spires at Churchill Downs.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Fulleffort, winner of the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks who appeared to be training superbly for his first start on dirt in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, will be scratched from the race due to a chip in his left hind ankle, trainer Brad Cox said Thursday.
His defection moves Ocelli into the field.
“Fulleffort had some pressure in his left hind ankle this morning. We took X-rays. He had a chip and he was off, so obviously he will not be running on Saturday,” Cox said.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Juan Hernandez has a massive collection of trophies and awards to show for his widespread success as a leading rider in California in recent years.
Hernandez has won 12 riding titles at Del Mar or Santa Anita since the summer of 2023, including the last four titles at the prestigious Del Mar summer meeting.
The goal this week is different - build a cache of mementoes from Churchill Downs.
