Wed, 05/27/2020 - 10:40

Wells Bayou will skip Belmont Stakes

Coady Photography
Wells Bayou is being considered for the Indiana Derby or Blue Grass Stakes for his next start.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisiana Derby winner Wells Bayou will bypass the June 20 Belmont Stakes in favor of the July 8 Indiana Derby at Indiana Grand or July 11 Blue Grass at Keeneland, trainer Brad Cox said. Fifth in a division of the Arkansas Derby in his last start, Wells Bayou already has a sufficient number of qualifying points (104) to make the 20-horse cutoff for the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby.

Mon, 05/25/2020 - 14:45

Road to the Derby: Matt Winn Stakes analysis

Coady Photography
Maxfield was one of three stakes winners on Saturday's Churchill card produced by daughters of Bernardini.

Grade 3, $150,000 Matt Winn Stakes; 1 1/16 miles; Churchill Downs; May 23, 2020
(50 Derby qualifying points for a win, 20 for second, 10 for third, 5 for fourth)

Winner: Maxfield, by Street Sense

Trainer: Brendan Walsh

Jockey: Jose Ortiz

Owner: Godolphin LLC

Beyer Speed Figure: 95

Mon, 05/25/2020 - 14:06

Los Alamitos Derby possible next stop for Storm the Court

Barbara D. Livingston
Eclipse Awards champ Storm the Court tuned up for the Arkansas Derby with a five-furlong work at Santa Anita on Wednesday.

Storm the Court, the champion 2-year-old male of 2019, might have his next start in the Grade 3 Los Alamitos Derby on July 4, trainer Peter Eurton said Monday.

Storm the Court is winless in three starts this year and recently underwent precautionary tests after finishing sixth in a division of the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on May 2 at Oaklawn Park.

“We didn’t find much of anything,” Eurton said. “We gave him a little freshening.”

Mon, 05/25/2020 - 11:50

Bernardini matrons have huge day at Churchill

Coady Photography
Maxfield was one of three stakes winners on Saturday's Churchill card produced by daughters of Bernardini.

Champion and prominent sire Bernardini is steadily emerging as a broodmare sire, following in the footprints of his late, great sire, A.P Indy. Bernardini recorded a triple with three stakes winners out of his daughters on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Sat, 05/23/2020 - 19:19

Maxfield starts making up for lost time with victory in Matt Winn Stakes

Benoit Photo
Maxfield picks up 50 Kentucky Derby points by winning the Matt Winn Stakes under Jose Ortiz on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Maxfield rewarded the patience of his connections and ran himself squarely into the Kentucky Derby picture with a one-length triumph Saturday in the 23rd running of the Grade 3, $150,000 Matt Winn Stakes at fan-free Churchill Downs.

Fri, 05/22/2020 - 21:16

Keeneland applies to race five days in July

Keeneland/Coady Photography
Keeneland's 2020 spring meet is scheduled to open on Thursday, April 2.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Ky., has applied for five days of live racing, spectator-free, from July 8-12, with the Blue Grass Stakes scheduled for July 11, the track announced late Friday.

Thu, 05/21/2020 - 12:36

Chase for Derby points resumes in Matt Winn Stakes

Amanda Hodges Weir/Hodges Photography
Major Fed is being pointed to the Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes on May 23 at Churchill Downs.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Three-year-olds going two turns at Churchill Downs in May is cause for celebration – in previous years, and now in this wacko year.

The Matt Winn Stakes, which will be run Saturday without fans in attendance at Churchill, represents something of a return to normalcy. While the Kentucky Derby was postponed to Sept. 5 because of the coronavirus pandemic, its lead-in schedule of Derby qualifying races took a hit, too.

Wed, 05/20/2020 - 13:46

Walsh has put plenty of work into Maxfield for his Matt Winn return

Coady Photography
Maxfield has worked 11 times at Keeneland and Palm Meadows since having an ankle chip removed.

Trainers keep early hours, but Brendan Walsh awoke in a start the other morning at 3 a.m., earlier than usual. “My mind started to running,” he said.

That’s not the only thing he has running. After more than 7 1/2 months, Walsh on Saturday will finally get his prized colt Maxfield back to the races when he makes his 3-year-old debut in the Grade 3, $150,000 Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs. The anticipation has left Walsh both excited and anxious.

Wed, 05/20/2020 - 11:40

Kentucky Derby: Who's hot, who's not for May 20, 2020

WHO’S HOT

The lightly raced, unbeaten Pneumatic, who makes his stakes debut Saturday in the Matt Winn at Churchill Downs, is the latest newcomer to the Derby Watch top 20. He comes in as a 50-1 shot on the line set by Marty McGee of Daily Racing Form for the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby. There were no changes over the past fortnight to the other 19 runners in the top 20, with Nadal still slightly favored at 7-2 over the pair of Charlatan and Tiz the Law, who are 4-1. Those three are all under consideration for the reconstituted Belmont Stakes, set for June 20.

Wed, 05/20/2020 - 11:36

Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Maxfield

Coady Photography
The pedigree of Maxfield, a son of Street Sense, leans toward stamina.

Maxfield

Street Sense – Velvety, by Bernardini

Bred in Kentucky by Godolphin