Four also-eligibles will be able to draw into the field for the Kentucky Derby for the first time in 2012 under a new policy announced Friday by Churchill Downs.

The policy, which also will apply to the Kentucky Oaks, will allow as many as four horses to draw into the Derby in the event of any scratches prior to 9 a.m. the day before the race. The also-eligibles will be ranked in preference by career graded stakes earnings, under the same system that is used to determine the 20-horse Derby field.

The date was 11-11-11, and the blogs were abuzz in the wake of Ever So Lucky’s maiden voyage at Churchill Downs [Watch Replay]. Why not? A $600,000 sale-topper last May, sired by Uncle Mo’s papa Indian Charlie and trained by a Hall of Famer, the colt made short work of a 6 1/2-furlong event as if it were nothing more than a walk in the park. [UPDATE: Indian Charlie dies at age 16]

Strike the Gold, the 1991 Kentucky Derby winner who became a successful sire in Turkey, died Wednesday after having a heart attack, the Jockey Club of Turkey's longtime adviser Jean-Pierre Deroubaix confirmed Thursday.

Strike the Gold, by Alydar, was 23 and had been the oldest living Derby winner. He died at the Jockey Club of Turkey's Karacabey Pension Stud Farm. He had stood in Turkey since 1999.

"He collapsed and fell," Deroubaix said. "The vet succeeded in waking him up. When he fell he broke his fetlock."

Veterinarians euthanized the horse.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - If the Kentucky Derby were run Saturday and not in May, Union Rags would be the likely favorite, with Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Hansen and West Coast standout Creative Cause seemingly next in line.

But as most horseplayers are fully aware, a lot can and will happen to horses in one month, much less five. Physical setbacks can derail top prospects, no matter their talent level, as we saw last year with To Honor and Serve and Uncle Mo, who both missed the race. Others will fall off the Derby trail because of stamina issues or simply a shortage of talent.

The Breeders' Cup Juvenile got a 94 Beyer Speed Figure. Thus, this must be a weak group of 2-year-olds. Not necessarily.

As much as I love the numbers, they really have been not much help in predicting 3-year-old form. Since 1997, the Juvenile has been won with a triple-digit Beyer six times. Only one of those winners had a serious 3-year-old campaign.

Six prep races for the Kentucky Derby, including the Wood Memorial, Santa Anita Derby, and Blue Grass Stakes, will be televised live on the NBC family of networks next year as part of an agreement between NBC, racetracks, and the Jockey Club, according to a joint announcement from the companies on Tuesday.

Your browser does not support iframes

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – John Velazquez is sharing an unspecified percentage of his winnings from the 137th Kentucky Derby with fellow jockey Robby Albarado, whom he replaced Saturday in winning the race aboard Animal Kingdom. In addition, Barry Irwin, who manages the Team Valor International partnership which owns Animal Kingdom, is matching the amount that Velazquez is giving Albarado.

The national television rating for the final hour of the Kentucky Derby broadcast on NBC-TV on Saturday afternoon was an 8.5 with a 19 share, down 13.3 percent compared with the 9.8 rating share for the race portion of the broadcast in both 2010 and 2009, according to figures released by the network.