Sat, 05/05/2012 - 18:57

Kentucky Derby 2012: I'll Have Another comes on late to win

Emily Shields
I’ll Have Another (left) with Mario Gutierrez riding, goes past Bodemeister on his way to victory in the Kentucky Derby.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Paul Reddam named I'll Have Another for his nightly reply when his wife, Zillah, asks him if he'd like another cookie. He got the sweetest treat of all on Saturday, when his colt I'll Have Another scored a 15-1 upset in the 138th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, giving trainer Doug O'Neill and rookie jockey Mario Gutierrez, as well as Reddam, their first Derby victories.

Sat, 05/05/2012 - 13:43

2012 Kentucky Derby odds update as of 4:30 p.m. Eastern

Kentucky Derby odds as of 4:30 p.m. Eastern

Pool Total: $18,356,561

1. Daddy Long Legs: 23-1

2.Optimizer: 35-1

3. Take Charge Indy: 10-1

4. Union Rags: 9-2

5. Dullahan: 10-1

6. Bodemeister: 7-1

7. Rousing Sermon: 36-1

8. Creative Cause: 11-1

9. Trinniberg: 39-1

10. Daddy Nose Best: 12-1

11. Alpha: 21-1

12. Prospective: 56-1

13. Went the Day Well: 26-1

14. Hansen: 13-1

15. Gemologist: 8-1

16. El Padrino: 26-1

Sat, 05/05/2012 - 13:27

VIDEO: Mike Watchmaker's Woodford Reserve Turf Classic analysis

Sat, 05/05/2012 - 12:33

2012 Kentucky Derby Day results, video replays

Sat, 05/05/2012 - 07:52

2012 Kentucky Derby: Churchill track closed for training Saturday morning

Tom Keyser
Atigun wins the first race at Churchill Downs on Saturday over a wet track.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Churchill Downs main track was closed for training on Saturday morning because of heavy rain overnight.

The track is normally open for just two hours, from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., on Derby Day, owing to the early 10:30 a.m. post.

Several Derby horses, in particular Hansen, were scheduled to train Saturday morning, but conditions precluded that from happening. Hansen was quite eager in his training here Thursday and Friday, and his Mike Maker, was hoping to give him something to do Saturday morning, 12 hours before the race.

Fri, 05/04/2012 - 19:40

2012 Kentucky Derby: Union Rags early favorite; Oaks/Derby daily double will pays

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - At 6-1, Union Rags is a slight favorite for Saturday’s 138th Kentucky Derby through 7:20 p.m. Eastern on Friday. The total includes only money bet ontrack at Churchill Downs. The pool was $108,501.

Take Charge Indy, the Florida Derby winner, and Hansen, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner, are listed at 7-1. Bodemeister, the Arkansas Derby winner, and Gemologist, undefeated winner of the Wood Memorial, are both listed at 8-1.

[KENTUCKY DERBY: Past performances, video previews, latest news]

Fri, 05/04/2012 - 14:02

2012 Kentucky Derby: Pletcher enjoying Louisville visit more than a year ago

Barbara D. Livingston
Todd Pletcher is pleased with how both Gemologist and El Padrino are coming into this year's Kentucky Derby.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -  On the day before last year’s Kentucky Derby, trainer Todd Pletcher sat at a podium in the Churchill Downs auxiliary press box with his owner, Mike Repole, and somberly announced the scratch of Uncle Mo from the world’s most famous horse race.

On the day before this year’s year Kentucky Derby, Pletcher was in much better spirits as he gets set to run Gemologist and El Padrino in Saturday’s 138th running of the Derby.

Fri, 05/04/2012 - 13:30

2012 Kentucky Derby: Daddy Long Legs hits track for first time

Emily Shields
Daddy Long Legs stretches his legs over the Churchill Downs track Friday after being released from quarantine. He will break from post 1 in the Kentucky Derby.

If one were to judge the chances of Aidan O’Brien-trained overseas shippers by the way they looked during their first morning training session at a new venue, one would think they never won.

Fri, 05/04/2012 - 13:16

Smith enters 19th Kentucky Derby still on top of his game

Jeff Coady/Coady Photography
Giacomo (left), Mike Smith up, outduels Closing Argument to win the 2005 Kentucky Derby, still the only Derby win of Smith’s career.

Mike Smith knew something was wrong the second the music stopped. It was Derby Day 1994, and as far as Smith was concerned the 120th running of America’s most famous horse race was Holy Bull’s to lose. Only trouble was, as the gray colt took his place in the post parade in front of 100,000 fans, he clearly was not the keen, looking-for-trouble Holy Bull who blew away his opposition in the Florida Derby and the Blue Grass.

Fri, 05/04/2012 - 12:58

2012 Kentucky Derby: Starters spend Friday morning jogging, galloping

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - All 20 prospective starters in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby visited the racetrack on Friday morning for a variety of training activity that ranged from a very easy jog by Creative Cause to a couple of two mile gallops from Optimizer and Done Talking.

[KENTUCKY DERBY: Get PPs, watch analysis video, read latest updates]