Last November, a few days before the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland, jockey Umberto Rispoli drove to Louisville, Ky., to get a first-hand look of racing at Churchill Downs. Rispoli did not have a mount, but wanted to visit the historic track.
In a few weeks, Rispoli will return to Churchill Downs with a much greater purpose. On May 1, he is scheduled to ride the undefeated Rock Your World in the Kentucky Derby and the top turf horse Smooth Like Strait in the Grade 1 Old Forester Turf Classic.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Proxy may or may not already have enough qualifying points to make the 20-horse cutoff for the May 1 Kentucky Derby, but forget that for a moment. A more immediate concern for trainer Mike Stidham is seeing whether the colt is good enough to win a Grade 3 race such as the $200,000 Lexington Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland.
“I can’t answer any questions about the Derby until we see how he runs in this spot,” Stidham said.
Greatest Honour, one of the top contenders for the Kentucky Derby, is out of the race and will get 60 days off, trainer Shug McGaughey said Wednesday from Florida.
McGaughey said he wasn't satisfied with Greatest Honour exiting the Florida Derby and had him examined "the other day" in Kentucky by noted equine veterinarian Dr. Larry Bramlage. The decision was made to give him 60 days off, with the first 30 days turned out at the farm, where Greatest Honour is now.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Get Her Number is the wild card in the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby on Saturday at Oaklawn Park - the kind of horse who could step up and run a big race in the year’s final major prep for the Kentucky Derby.
The Arkansas Derby drew six horses Tuesday led by the undefeated Concert Tour. The mile and an eighth race anchors a 13-race program and will be supported by the Count Fleet Sprint Handicap, Oaklawn Mile, and Carousel Stakes.
Churchill Downs will make available approximately 15,000 infield-only tickets for the Kentucky Derby and the Kentucky Oaks beginning Wednesday at noon Eastern, the track said on Monday.
The tickets, which will be made available for purchase on Churchill’s website, will represent approximately 25 to 30 percent of the “capacity” of the 22-acre infield, which is only open on Derby and Oaks days. The infield attendance record for the Derby was set in 2015, at 60,000, according to Churchill officials.
Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial, 1 1/8 miles, Aqueduct, April 3, 2021
(100 Derby qualifying points for first, 40 for second, 20 for third, 10 for fourth)
Winner: Bourbonic, by Bernardini
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Kendrick Carmouche
Owner: Calumet Farm
Beyer Speed Figure: 89
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Julien Leparoux has picked up the mount on Helium for the May 1 Kentucky Derby, trainer Mark Casse said Monday. Unbeaten in three career starts, Helium will run in the Derby off just one prep race as a 3-year-old, that being the March 6 Tampa Bay Derby.
Leparoux replaces Jose Ferrer, the 57-year-old veteran who guided Helium to his Tampa win. This will be the 13th time in the last 15 runnings that Leparoux has had a Derby mount, with his best finish coming aboard the Casse-trained Classic Empire, fourth in 2017.
Grade 1, $752,000 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby, 1 1/8 miles, Santa Anita, April 3, 2021
(100 Derby qualifying points for first, 40 for second, 20 for third, 10 for fourth)
Winner: Rock Your World, by Candy Ride
Trainer: John Sadler
Jockey: Umberto Rispoli
Owner: Hronis Racing LLC and Talla Racing LLC
Beyer Speed Figure: 100
ARCADIA, Calif. - Rock Your World, winner of the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby on Saturday, will be trainer John Sadler’s fifth starter in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 1, and the first in seven years.
In 2014, Candy Boy finished third behind California Chrome in the Santa Anita Derby. A month later, Candy Boy had a troubled trip to finish 13th behind that colt in the Kentucky Derby.
California Chrome raced in a stalking position in those wins. Rock Your World may have the same kind of prominent trip in the Kentucky Derby at 1 1/4 miles.
