LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In 1882, Jesse James was killed, false teeth and the electric iron were patented, Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” opened in Moscow, and Apollo won the Kentucky Derby without having raced at age 2.
A lot has happened in the 130 years since, especially in regards to dental care. But no horse since Apollo has been able to win the Derby without racing as a 2-year-old, something Verrazano will be trying to accomplish on Saturday in the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
In the midst of a year filled with career-defining accomplishments, University of Louisville men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino is prepared to extend his remarkable spring in Kentucky Derby 139, in which he has a live contender in Santa Anita Derby winner Goldencents.
Pitino, who first became enamored with racing during the 1990s when he was the head coach of Kentucky, owns 5 percent of Goldencents, who looked sharp in his morning gallop over Churchill Downs’s main track Wednesday morning.
[bc_video_id:291023:]LOUISVILLE, Ky. – All 18 of the 20 prospective Kentucky Derby starters on the grounds at Churchill Downs on Wednesday went to the track almost simultaneously after the renovation break, many taking the opportunity to visit the starting gate at the top of the stretch for brief schooling sessions.
Wednesday at Churchill
60 degrees, sunny, fast
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A large crowd of owners, their entourages, and scores of fans who are granted access to the backstretch Derby Week gathered outside trainer Todd Pletcher’s barn on Wednesday morning just before his five Derby runners were to head to the track for their routine training sessions.
Several Jefferson County Sheriff's officers, assigned to watch the Derby horses, were trying to police the area, when one of them jokingly said, “I need to taze someone.”
Pletcher pointed at Mike Repole, who owns Overanalyze, and said, “Taze him.”
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Orb, the morning-line favorite for the Kentucky Derby, became spooked in the paddock while schooling before Wednesday’s first race at Churchill Downs, and though he repeatedly kicked the back of his stall, he did not dislodge any of his shoes and was walking fine minutes later.
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - This is the first time in many years that the nearby Trackside simulcast annex will not be open for fans wishing to avoid the hassles of attending the Oaks and Derby at Churchill. It was announced in March that the facility was being shuttered after becoming too expensive and troublesome to maintain for just a handful of business days per year.
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The usual abundance of wagering options will be available on the 12-race Friday and 13-race Saturday cards at Churchill, including:
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◗ Two-day wagers linking the Oaks and Derby in a daily double ($1 minimum), and the Oaks, Woodford, and Derby in a pick three (50-cent minimum).
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A total of 21 horses were entered Wednesday morning for Saturday’s $2 million Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Post positions were to be drawn Wednesday at 5 p.m. Eastern during a one-hour show broadcast on NBC Sports Network.
Giant Finish, a New York-bred who was announced as an entry late Tuesday, pushed Fear the Kitten to the also-eligible list. A horse would have to scratch by 9 a.m. Friday in order for Fear the Kitten to make it into the field.
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Field for the 2013 Kentucky Derby. Click horse names to access contender profiles including race record, replays, and handicapping analysis video by Dan Illman and Mike Beer. MORE: Get Kentucky Derby PPs, watch video previews, read latest updates »
