Spokane is not among the more heralded Kentucky Derby winners. By an Illinois sire, he was foaled in Montana, trained for the races in Tennessee, and won the Derby’s 15th edition on May 9, 1889, 125 years ago.

The details of Spokane’s early years are fairly well documented, but the end portion of his life is a mystery. In Montana folklore, he’s known as the “Spirit Horse of the Rockies.” Spokane blazed forth from the western mountains and briefly dominated racing’s 3-year-old division. And when twilight beckoned, he disappeared.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – By riding in their first Kentucky Derby together Saturday, Jose and Irad Ortiz Jr. will become the first set of brothers to ride in the same Derby since Eddie and Sam Maple did so in 1984.

Jose Ortiz, 20, will be aboard Samraat, while Irad Ortiz Jr., 21, has the mount on Uncle Sigh in the 140th Derby at Churchill Downs. The brothers are from Puerto Rico, where they would sneak into the Hipodromo Camarero as young boys. Among their idols are fellow countrymen Angel Cordero Jr. and John Velazquez, both Hall of Fame jockeys.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Kentucky Derby invariably brings together an eclectic mix, not only among horses but their jockeys as well.

The 140th Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs is a case in point. The starting gate will be filled with riders who have known Derby glory on multiple occasions, those who have savored victory one precious time, those who have known the frustration of riding the race but are still seeking a first win, and the rookies who will get a Derby thrill for the first time.

[bc_video_id:322896:]LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Another series of overnight showers created a muddy racetrack for training hours Wednesday. Although the regular Derby/Oaks training session at 8:30 a.m. attracted plenty of attention, the star of the show, Derby favorite California Chrome, went out early at 6:50. California Chrome visited the paddock and then several minutes later galloped locally for the first time.[:slideshow-right:]

Wednesday at Churchill Downs
54 degrees, cloudy, muddy

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Ten years ago, trainer Rick Violette Jr. sent out his first starter in the Kentucky Derby, Read the Footnotes, who finished seventh. He’s back anew at Churchill Downs with Samraat, the once-beaten runner-up in the Wood Memorial, and is savoring the moment.

“Part of it seems like it has been more than 10 years, but other parts feel like it was yesterday,” Violette, 61, said Wednesday morning. “There’s that same electricity, the way it builds day by day.

“Being a little older, maybe I’m appreciating it a little more. I’m taking the time to enjoy it.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Churchill is teaming with its sister company, Twinspires.com, to offer pick-six pool guarantees on Oaks and Derby Days. The Oaks pool is guaranteed at $250,000 and the Derby at $1 million.

The pick six carries a $2 minimum, with the sequence concluding with the marquee race each day.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Wesley Ward isn’t wishing misfortune on anyone, but that’s the only way Pablo Del Monte – the lone also-eligible in Derby 140 – can actually make the race.

“We’d love to get in, but if we don’t, we’ll just keep training him and go in the Preakness” on May 17, Ward said.

Pablo Del Monte arrived here Wednesday, just before the 8 a.m. deadline mandated for all Derby runners to be on the Churchill grounds. He went out for an easy jog as training hours wound down just before 10 a.m., with Jeffrey Sanchez up. Sanchez will ride if the colt makes the race.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Woodbine will host a Kentucky Derby handicapping seminar ahead of the first jewel of the Triple Crown on Saturday. The seminar will take place at 11 a.m. Eastern on the second floor and will be hosted by Jim Mazur, president of Progressive Handicapping Inc. Those interested in attending are encouraged to arrive early for registration.

The first 125 people to register will receive copies of Mazur’s “The Derby Zone” and “Sire Ratings” books. A live stream of the seminar will be available on Woodbine’s website.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Trainer Gary Contessa had Uncle Sigh stretch his legs over a muddy Churchill Downs track Wednesday, and the Withers and Gotham stakes runner-up went a half-mile for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby in a quicker-than-anticipated 52.70 seconds. Contessa said he was looking for more of a 54-second move but was elated with the way his colt moved over the surface.

“My God, his body language was great,” Contessa said. “That’s exactly what I was looking for body-language-wise, so I’m very thrilled. Let him open his lungs a little bit.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In a two-week span early in 2012, Chris Mara won a Super Bowl and saw his daughter get nominated for an Academy Award. If ever there was a time to press one’s luck, that was it.

So, Mara, senior vice president of player personnel for the New York Giants – a team owned by the Mara family – told his wife, Kathleen, that he was going to “pull the trigger” on pursuing a lifelong dream of owning racehorses. Two years later, Mara hopes that dream includes a trip to the winner’s circle in the 140th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.