LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Frank Irvin – the owner of Fear the Kitten, who was excluded from  Saturday’s Kentucky Derby after initially being an also-eligible entrant – expressed dismay Friday at circumstances that prevented his horse from gaining entry in the Derby, even following the scratch of Black Onyx from the race late Friday morning.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Phipps family has enjoyed so much success in Thoroughbred racing that it wouldn’t be right to lament the ones who got away.

Yes, Gladys Mills Phipps – the grandmother of Ogden Mills “Dinny” Phipps – owned Seabiscuit before he became a cult hero. And yes, there was that infamous coin flip that went the wrong way, leaving the Phipps family with a filly named The Bride and Penny Chenery with the beast who became Secretariat.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – When trainer Shug McGaughey left New York late last year for his winter base in Florida, Orb owned only a maiden win, and McGaughey figured Orb would likely return to New York in the spring with, perhaps, having added an allowance win to his resume.

“At the beginning of the year, I had no idea I’d be standing here, none whatsoever,” McGaughey said.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The special 15-minute Kentucky Derby/Oaks training session was advanced nearly three hours Friday to 5:45 a.m., the time at which the Churchill Downs  racetrack regularly opens each morning, to accommodate the change in the training schedule resulting from the early post time on Oaks Day. The Derby and Oaks horses had been allotted an exclusive 8:30 to 8:45 a.m. time slot in which to train for the past two weeks. The track closed for training Friday at 8 a.m. 

The eighth season of Countdown to the Crown returns as one of the most comprehensive handicapper’s scouting reports of the 3-year-old scene. Posted each Friday at DRF.com from Jan. 4 through the Belmont Stakes, Countdown keeps you apprised of the rising stars of the 3-year-old class, from the maiden ranks through the Grade 1 stakes. You can access daily updates, opinions, and interactive features at Countdowntothecrown.com as well.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Black Onyx, the winner of the Spiral Stakes, was scratched from Saturday's Kentucky Derby on Friday when X-rays revealed a chip in his left front ankle, trainer Kelly Breen said.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – With Weather.com forecasting a 50 percent chance of showers Saturday in Louisville, as of this writing early Friday morning, there is the possibility for a wet track on Kentucky Derby Day.

Should that scenario unfold, which horses stand to benefit if rain results in the Derby being run on a sloppy or muddy track? Based on their past performances: Itsmyluckyday and Vyjack, stakes winners over such surfaces, and Palace Malice, who finished second in a fast allowance race over a sloppy surface.

Dr. Larry Bramlage, the equine orthopedic surgeon who was injured in a fall on Thursday on the Churchill Downs backside, will remain in the hospital on Friday for “continued observation,” according to Dr. Mary Scollay, a colleague of Bramlage and the equine medical director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Fear the Kitten, the lone also-eligible in Saturday's Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, was officially withdrawn at scratch time Friday morning because none of the 20 horses in the main body of the race was scratched.

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas will saddle Will Take Charge and Oxbow in Saturday's Kentucky Derby, seeking his fifth victory in the classic, which would give him sole possession of second place on the all-time list.

However, Lukas says that putting either owner Willis Horton or Brad Kelley in the winner's circle would mean more to him than another win for himself.