LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The weather forecast for Saturday was improving by the time trainer Chad Brown arrived at Churchill Downs early Friday morning. But he decided it was better to go with what was in front of him than risk chancing a different track Saturday morning, so out went the highly regarded Zandon for his final workout for the May 7 Kentucky Derby, highlighting a morning of activity here that otherwise focused on fillies in the May 6 Kentucky Oaks.
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DRF Past Performances
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Furniture maven Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale bet roughly $2.4 million to win on Essential Quality in the Kentucky Derby last year to help make sure the colt would be the post-time favorite.
With the 148th Derby set for Saturday at Churchill Downs, McIngvale once again is offering a full refund to any customer spending at least $3,000 on merchandise from his Houston-based Gallery Furniture stores if the Derby favorite wins.
Thu, 04/28/2022 - 13:50
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Thursday was the calm before the storm in regard to Kentucky Derby and Oaks activity at Churchill Downs, with nary a single workout from horses training locally for either race. Routine gallops were the order of the day, with a majority of the Oaks runners scheduled to work Friday and Derby contenders penciled in for Saturday and Sunday mornings. There was a 50 percent chance of rain in the forecast for Sunday as of noon Thursday.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After a quiet Thursday morning for Kentucky Derby and Oaks prospects at Churchill Downs, there was serious work happening some 2,000 miles west when Taiba went six furlongs in 1:12.80 at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.
Taiba won the April 9 Santa Anita Derby by 2 1/4 lengths in just his second start. The Thursday breeze will be the only one for the Gun Runner colt ahead of the May 7 Kentucky Derby.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Churchill Downs starts its spring meet with a clean slate Saturday night. Not only have major improvements been undertaken and completed all around these historic grounds, including a $10 million turf course, but the upcoming Kentucky Oaks and Derby are real doozies.
LOUISVILLE, KY. – If there is a buzz horse going into the 2022 Kentucky Derby not named Zandon, it would be Crown Pride, whose stock has risen a long ways in a short time, not only from the attention he receives as a result of his somewhat unconventional training regimen, but also because of works like the one he posted during the Derby/Oaks training session Wednesday at Churchill Downs.
The skies were clear and the temperature in the low 40s in Louisville for a second straight morning, with the racetrack a bit on the quick side throughout training hours.
Classic Causeway was in the Kentucky Derby, then out, and now back in. While the decision on Monday to go ahead and run in the Derby on May 7 at Churchill Downs despite a belly flop in his final prep, the Florida Derby, can be debated right up until post time, if not beyond, the significance of his addition cannot be overstated in terms of how he impacts the pace.
And over the past decade, the pace of the Derby, most notably where horses are in relation to that pace, has proven to be one of race’s most significant handicapping factors.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – April has been a breakthrough month for Saffie Joseph Jr., but he’s hoping May brings an even greater first.
Joseph won the Florida Derby for the first time in his ascendant training career, sending out White Abarrio to victory in the Gulfstream Park showcase April 2. The next day, Joseph wrapped up the Gulfstream Championship meet training title, ending an 18-year reign by Todd Pletcher.
“It was quite amazing,” Joseph said earlier this week via Zoom from his South Florida base.