Wed, 11/28/2018 - 07:34

Road to the 2019 Derby: Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes

Coady Photography
Signalman paid $9.20 with the victory in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes on Saturday.

Grade 2, $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club; 1 1/16 miles; Churchill Downs; Nov. 24, 2018
(10 Derby qualifying points for a win, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth)

Winner: Signalman, by General Quarters

Trainer: Kenny McPeek

Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.

Owner: Tommie Lewis, David Bernsen, and Magdalena Racing

Beyer Speed Figure: 84

Sun, 11/25/2018 - 19:20

Field closes at 6-5 in Pool 1 of Kentucky Derby Future Wager

Barbara D. Livingston
Game Winner remains unbeaten in four starts by winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile on Friday.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” option, closed as usual as a decisive favorite in Pool 1 of the 2019 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which closed Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern after a four-day wagering window.

Thu, 11/22/2018 - 14:00

King: Sizing up Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager

Adam Coglianese/NYRA
Network Effect, shown winning an Aug. 11 maiden race, should offer value in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Time to raise a glass, or a mutuel ticket, to the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which is now under way through Sunday and is in its 21st consecutive year. This parimutuel wager, of which Pool 1 of four opened on Thursday, is as much about bragging rights as it is about profits – a chance for horseplayers to state their opinions early and be validated if proven right.

Mon, 11/19/2018 - 11:20

Kentucky Derby Future Wager throws fillies into the mix

Barbara D. Livingston
Game Winner remains unbeaten in four starts by winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile on Friday.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Fans betting into the first pool of the 2019 Kentucky Derby Future Wager this Thursday-Sunday are being presented with the new option of “any filly” among the 24 betting choices.

Listed as No. 23, the “any filly” option is self-explanatory: any filly that happens to make the lineup for the Derby next May will be a live play.

“Any filly” is pegged at 30-1 on the morning line as released Monday by Churchill Downs. No filly has won the Derby since Winning Colors in 1988, and none has started since Devil May Care was 10th in 2010.

Sun, 11/18/2018 - 10:41

Watchmaker: Assessing the link between BC Juvenile, Kentucky Derby

Barbara D. Livingston
Game Winner remains unbeaten in four starts by winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile on Friday.

If future-book wagering on the Kentucky Derby in Las Vegas weren’t virtually extinct, you could be certain that the current favorite for the 2019 Derby would be Game Winner.

As well he should be. And yes, that would be the case even after the sensational debut Saturday at Del Mar by Bob Baffert barnmate Coliseum, who delivered a performance that sparked enormous buzz in the American racing community.

Thu, 11/08/2018 - 14:36

King: Five prospects to watch for the 2019 Kentucky Derby

Jim Leuenberger
The Bob-Baffert trained Improbable impressed in winning the one-mile Street Sense Stakes on the Breeders’ Cup Friday undercard at Churchill Downs.

The moment Game Winner crossed the wire first in the Nov. 2 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Churchill, the early Kentucky Derby favorite was clearly established. Lengths the best, overcoming a wide trip and midstretch bumping, he showed off all the tools that suggest that, health permitting, he will be a force on the first Saturday in May.

Tue, 10/09/2018 - 12:38

Road to the 2019 Kentucky Derby: Breeders' Futurity analysis

Keeneland/Coady Photography
Knicks Go became the first Grade 1 winner for trainer Ben Colebrook and jockey Albin Jiminez when the colt upset the Breeders’ Futurity at 70-1 on Saturday.

Grade 1, $500,000 Breeders’ Futurity; 1 1/16 miles; Keeneland; Oct. 6, 2018
(10 Derby qualifying points for a win, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth)

Winner: Knicks Go, by Paynter

Trainer: Ben Colebrook

Jockey: Albin Jimenez

Owner: KRA Stud Farm

Beyer Speed Figure: 81

Mon, 10/08/2018 - 16:35

Road to the 2019 Kentucky Derby: Champagne Stakes analysis

Barbara D. Livingston
Complexity earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 94 for his win in the Champagne.

Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne Stakes, one mile, Belmont Park, Oct. 6, 2018
(10 Derby qualifying points for a win, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth)
Winner: Complexity, by Maclean’s Music
Trainer: Chad Brown
Jockey: Jose Ortiz
Owner: Klaravich Stables
Beyer Speed Figure: 94

 

Mon, 10/01/2018 - 16:31

Road to the 2019 Kentucky Derby: Iroquois Stakes analysis

Coady Photography
Cairo Cat wins the Iroquois Stakes on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Grade 3, $150,000 Iroquois Stakes, 1 1/16 miles, Churchill Downs, Sept. 15, 2018
(10 Derby qualifying points for a win, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth)

Winner: Cairo Cat, by Cairo Prince
Trainer: Kenny McPeek
Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.
Owner: Walking L Thoroughbreds LLC
Beyer Speed Figure: 80

Sun, 09/30/2018 - 18:11

Road to the 2019 Kentucky Derby: American Pharoah Stakes

Emily Shields
Game Winner, with Joel Rosario aboard, wins the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes by 4 1/2 lengths.

Grade 1, $300,000 American Pharoah Stakes, 1 1/16 miles, Santa Anita, Sept. 29, 2018
(10 Derby qualifying points for a win, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth)

Winner: Game Winner, by Candy Ride
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Joel Rosario
Owner: Gary and Mary West
Beyer Speed Figure: 97