Tue, 12/01/2015 - 11:42

Road to the Derby: Delta Downs Jackpot

Coady Photography
Delta Jackpot favorite Exaggerator, with Kent Desormeaux aboard, gets up by a neck over Sunny Ridge.

Grade 3, $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot; 1 1/16 miles; Delta Downs; Nov. 21, 2015
(10 Derby qualifying points for a win, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth)

Winner: Exaggerator (sire: Curlin)
Trainer: Keith Desormeaux
Jockey: Kent Desormeaux
Owner: Big Chief Racing
Beyer Speed Figure: 92

Mon, 11/30/2015 - 14:33

Road to the Derby: Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes

Airoforce handled a sloppy dirt track just fine in winning the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs on Saturday.

Grade 2, $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes; 1 1/16 miles; Churchill Downs; Nov. 28, 2015
(10 Derby qualifying points for a win, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth)

Winner: Airoforce (sire: Colonel John)
Trainer: Mark Casse
Jockey: Julien Leparoux
Owner: John Oxley
Beyer Speed Figure: 87

Mon, 11/30/2015 - 09:06

Mutuel field 3-5 in Pool 1 of Kentucky Derby Futures Wager

Barbara D. Livingston
At 9-1, Nyquist was the lowest price of the individual horses in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The mutuel field, the No. 24 or “all others” option, closed Sunday as the favorite in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager and in the Sire futures offered for the first time this year by Churchill Downs.

The field is 3-5 in Pool 1 and 2-1 in the Sire wager.

Both pools opened Thursday for a four-day run. A big bet was made early that day on the field in Pool 1, and the odds never rose higher than 3-5. The top individual choices are Nyquist at 9-1, Moyahmen at 11-1, Swipe at 18-1, and Airoforce at 18-1.

Sat, 11/28/2015 - 15:18

McLaughlin gets his Remsen win with Mohaymen

R.L. Thibodeau
Mohaymen, ridden by Junior Alvarado, wins the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes by 1 1/2 lengths Saturday.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – There would be no tough beat for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin this year in the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes as Mohaymen split horses in midstretch and drew clear to a 1 1/2-length victory in Saturday’s $300,000 stakes for juvenile males at Aqueduct.

In six previous runnings of the Remsen, McLaughlin had finished second three times, including narrow losses in 2013 with Cairo Prince and last year with Frosted.

Tue, 11/24/2015 - 10:33

Kentucky Derby Future Wager opens with new option

Susie Raisher
Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Nyquist will stand at Darley's Jonabell Farm in Lexington, Ky., upon his retirement.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The first of four pools in the 2016 Kentucky Derby Future Wager opens Thursday with something of a twist – for the first time, a separate wager involving the sires of Derby runners also will be available.

The new Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager is modeled after the future wager offered annually by Churchill Downs since 1999. It requires bettors to pick the sire of the Derby winner from a list of 23 stallions, although the morning line for this novelty wager suggests the 24th or “all others” wagering option could be a heavy favorite.

Thu, 11/05/2015 - 15:28

King: Some early Kentucky Derby prospects for 2016

Keeneland/Coady Photography
Airoforce has raced exclusively on turf, but his pedigree indicates he may adapt well to dirt routes.

When Nyquist won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last Saturday at Keeneland, overcoming a troubled start, a wide trip, and a style change that saw him farther off the pace than usual, my first thought was, “How could he possibly have won with that trip?”

Then I looked at the clock and understood. He raced 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.79, more than a second slower than Songbird’s winning time of 1:42.73 in the Juvenile Fillies.

Fri, 10/02/2015 - 13:11

Riker looks to stay perfect in Grey Stakes

Michael Burns
Riker, ridden by Jesse Campbell, is now 3 for 3 after winning the Swynford by 2 1/2 lengths.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Two-time stakes winner Riker will look to remain unbeaten while trying two turns for the first time in Sunday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Grey Stakes for 2-year-olds at Woodbine. The winner of the 1 1/16-mile Grey will earn 10 points toward qualifying for next year’s Kentucky Derby.

Riker has found the winner’s circle in all three of his starts, including the Colin and Swynford stakes. Trainer Nick Gonzalez said Riker has been pointing toward this spot since the Swynford.

Wed, 09/09/2015 - 15:31

Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks points up for grabs this weekend

Barbara D. Livingston
Just Wicked, winner of the Adirondack at Saratoga, will be a heavy favorite in the Pocahontas.

It’s nearly eight months away, but that won’t stop racing fans from thinking about the first weekend in May at Churchill Downs when back-to-back stakes for 2-year-olds are run Saturday as part of a four-stakes package.

The Grade 3, $150,000 Iroquois Stakes is the first of 35 points races toward the 2016 Kentucky Derby. Similarly, the Grade 2, $200,000 Pocahontas Stakes – the richest race of the September meet – is the first of 31 points races to the 2016 Kentucky Oaks. The winner of each 1 1/16-mile race will earn 10 eligibility points.

Mon, 08/24/2015 - 14:35

Ticketmaster to offer Kentucky Derby tickets

Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., has reached a deal that allows Ticketmaster to offer tickets for the Kentucky Derby and Oaks and the track’s other live-racing events, the companies announced on Monday.

Ticketmaster will replace SeatAdvisor under the new deal. In a release, Churchill said it had selected Ticketmaster “because it is the leading and most reliable ticketing company and is able to meet the complexity and high demand for Kentucky Derby tickets.”

Wed, 08/12/2015 - 13:36

Derby points doubled for Breeders' Cup Juvenile

Churchill Downs on Wednesday released the schedule of points races that will determine eligibility for the 2016 Kentucky Derby, with the lone change being a doubling in points for the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile from 10 to 20.

Otherwise, the schedule of 35 races remains virtually the same as it has since the points system was first implemented leading into the 2013 Derby, although Churchill also announced Wednesday a modification to the tiebreaker rule for two or more horses with the same number of points.