Andrew Beyer and Daily Racing Form National Correspondent Jay Privman handicap and discuss the leading Kentucky Derby contenders.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Amr Zedan walked out of Churchill Downs one year ago as the winning owner of the Kentucky Derby, his Medina Spirit having crossed the wire first. He’ll walk back in on Saturday trying to win the Derby with Taiba, as an odyssey that has included extreme highs and crushing lows continues to play out.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The chaos of Kentucky Derby week can be a major gauntlet for young, inexperienced horses - even those who have raced in this country. Summer Is Tomorrow has extra hurdles. Not only has he traversed the globe to get here, but his base is the private Zabeel Stables in the U.A.E., a much more serene setting than the typical American backstretch. 

Trainer Bhupat Seemar expresses optimistim that his colt, who has been stabled at Churchill Downs since April 23, can adapt to the challenges. 

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The expected full field for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby will create a scenario none of the 20 who go into battle have ever seen before, or will again. Young nerves will be tested in such a large field by the jostling for position, tight spaces, and fierce challenges. 

The experience is impossible to replicate or fully prepare for, although most youngsters get traffic training in company as part of their basic education. John Ortiz, who will send out his first Derby starter in Barber Road, explained the process of instilling competitiveness and confidence. 

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – It’s been 21 years since a Derby starter was 99-1 on the Churchill toteboard, and it appears unlikely that drought will end this year.

Maybe Rich Strike would reach triple-digit odds if he was to somehow draw into the race as No. 21 before the Friday morning scratch deadline, but otherwise it seems unlikely any of the other 20 starters will reach that threshold. Without Rich Strike, maybe the longest shot will be Summer Is Tomorrow, although Happy Jack, Pioneer of Medina, and Ethereal Road also should be big numbers.

Aside from the plethora of familiar wagering options Saturday, Churchill is offering two new multi-race bets. They are a 50-cent pick five comprising main-track stakes, starting with the Knicks Go (race 6), and a $3-minimum all-3-year-old pick three (Pat Day Mile, American Turf, Derby).

Those are in addition to all the other multi-race wagers, including the 20-cent Derby City jackpot wager (races 7-12) and four 50-cent pick fives, as well as all vertical wagers such as exactas, trifectas, superfectas, and a $1 super high five on the Derby.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Fans who climbed aboard the Epicenter or Zandon bandwagon well before each colt established himself as a Kentucky Derby favorite have an edge on their fellow futures bettors.

Zandon was 56-1 and Epicenter was 52-1 in the first of five pools in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager offered by Churchill Downs ahead of the 148th Run for the Roses. Aggregate handle (win and exacta) was nearly $1.9 million. Those pools were held Nov. 25-28, January 21-23, Feb. 11-13, March 11-13, and April 7-9.

CHURCHILL DOWNS
Weather: Cloudy
Temperature:  57
Track:  Fast

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Crown Pride was all the rage, and rightfully so, Wednesday morning at Churchill Downs after turning in a powerful and very impressive final breeze for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The numbers are staggering.

Horses trained by Steve Asmussen made 2,427 starts during 2021. Asmussen, as of Monday, had won 9,727 races during his career. He has won eight Breeders’ Cup races, won the Preakness twice, and won the Belmont once. He has trained the American Horse of the Year four times, including three years in a row, with Curlin in 2007 and 2008 and Rachel Alexandra in 2009.

Last summer, the number in Asmussen’s head was 9,446, the victory that would make him the sport’s winning-most North American trainer.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – They say breed the best to the best, and hope for the best. Mandy Pope began seriously upgrading her broodmare band about a decade ago in order to follow that maxim, and has established one of the best in the country. That has led her to Kentucky Derby week, where she’s hoping for the best with her lightly raced Charge It.