Sun, 04/09/2023 - 13:22

Lord Miles, Hit Show headed home to prep for Kentucky Derby

Barbara D. Livingston

Lord Miles (left), Hit Show (center), and Dreamlike hit the wire together in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Lord Miles was on his way back to South Florida on Sunday morning and Hit Show was to depart New York for Kentucky on Monday as the one-two finishers from Saturday’s Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct point to the Kentucky Derby on May 6 at Churchill Downs.

Lord Miles and Hit Show both survived some bumping in the stretch – and Lord Miles withstood an inquiry and objection – to emerge from their performances unscathed and with enough qualifying points to crack the competitive 20-horse field.

Sun, 04/09/2023 - 10:43

Pletcher planning to send Kentucky Derby brigade to Churchill on April 16

By Marty McGee

Coady Photography

Tapit Trice outfinishes Verifying to win the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. Both horses earned Beyer Speed Figures of 99.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Tapit Trice will spend another week at Keeneland before heading over next Sunday (April 16) to Churchill Downs in Louisville, where the Blue Grass Stakes winner will embark on final preparations as one of the favorites for the 149th Kentucky Derby.

Sat, 04/08/2023 - 19:02

Lord Miles ($120.50) survives bumpy Wood Memorial, clinches Kentucky Derby berth

By David Grening

Debra A. Roma

Lord Miles (8) runs clear as Hit Show (center) and Dreamlike appear to bump during Saturday's running of the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - On a day full of surprises at Aqueduct, Lord Miles - at 59-1 the third-longest price in the field of 12 - pulled off the biggest and arguably most important one, outlasting Hit Show and Dreamlike to the wire to win the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial by a nose and earn his way into the Kentucky Derby.

Sat, 04/08/2023 - 18:15

Tapit Trice outruns Verifying in Blue Grass Stakes

By Marty McGee

Coady photo

Tapit Trice (left) beats Verifying by a neck in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on Saturday.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Tapit Trice joined his Todd Pletcher stablemates as major contenders for the 149th Kentucky Derby by getting the best of Verifying in an exciting stretch duel Saturday in the Keeneland spring showcase, the Grade 1, $998,125 Blue Grass Stakes.

Racing closer to the pace than he did last month in winning the Tampa Bay Derby, Tapit Trice used another determined stretch run in defeating Verifying by a neck. The winner returned $5.28 as the favorite in a field of 11 when finishing the 1 1/8-mile distance in 1:50 over a fast track.

Sat, 04/08/2023 - 13:01

Geaux Rocket Ride scratched from Santa Anita Derby with temperature

By Brad Free

ARCADIA, Calif. – The exciting two-start colt Geaux Rocket Ride is off the Kentucky Derby trail after he spiked a temperature Saturday that necessitated his scratch from the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby.

Richard Mandella trains Geaux Rocket Ride, who followed his debut sprint romp with an outstanding runner-up finish behind Practical Move in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes at a mile and a sixteenth. The Santa Anita Derby on Saturday would have been his third start.

Fri, 04/07/2023 - 14:20

Pletcher sends out Kingsbarns, Major Dude in team work for Kentucky Derby

By Mike Welsch

Barbara Livingston

Kingsbarns, here winning the Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds, and stablemate Major Dude worked five furlongs in 1:02.99 at Palm Beach Downs on Friday.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Louisiana Derby winner Kingsbarns on Friday took his first step on the final road to the Kentucky Derby, breezing four furlongs in 49.74 seconds in company with stablemate Major Dude at Palm Beach Downs.

Trainer Todd Pletcher said he was very pleased with the work and the subsequent gallop-out for both 3-year-olds. They worked five furlongs in 1:02.99, up six furlongs in 1:16.

Thu, 04/06/2023 - 14:25

Cox and Pletcher look to add to their Kentucky Derby teams in Wood Memorial

By David Grening

Barbara Livingston

Hit Show will probably be favored in the Wood off this victory in the Withers, but he must overcome the outside post.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Brad Cox and Todd Pletcher already have horses securely in this year’s Kentucky Derby. It is the size of their contingent that remains to be determined.

Thu, 04/06/2023 - 12:10

Blue Grass Stakes: Tapit Trice favored to take down a second Derby prep

By Marty McGee

Tom Keyser

Tapit Trice is already assured a berth in the Kentucky Derby due to his victory in the Tampa Bay Derby.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – He already has Forte as the Kentucky Derby favorite, with Kingsbarns as a backup. Next up for Todd Pletcher is putting the finishing touches on another hot prospect, Tapit Trice, in lining up the troops for the first Saturday in May.

Thu, 04/06/2023 - 11:35

Practical Move puts reputation on the line in Santa Anita Derby

By Brad Free

Benoit Photo

Practical Move wins the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes on March 4 at Santa Anita.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Spring finally arrived at Santa Anita, where the disruptions during a wet winter were matched by instability among Santa Anita Derby and Kentucky Derby aspirants.

More than 34 inches of rain this season led to the cancellation or rescheduling of eight racing programs since opening day on Dec. 26, as horsemen juggled workouts and races around the weather. The chaos filtered into the California 3-year-old division.

Wed, 04/05/2023 - 15:41

Wood Memorial: Withers winner Hit Show to start from the outside in 13-horse field

By David Grening

Hit Show wins the Withers at AQU Feb 22 2023

Adam Coglianese/NYRA

Hit Show won the 1 1/8-mile Withers by 5 1/2 lengths under Manny Franco in February.

Hit Show, the Grade 3 Withers winner, drew the extreme outside in a bulky field of 13 3-year-olds entered Wednesday for Saturday’s Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.

The Wood’s top five finishers earn qualifying points (100-40-30-20-10) to the May 6 Kentucky Derby.

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