LEXINGTON, Ky. - He did it again.
Trainer D. Wayne Lukas, down to his last bullet to make the 129th Kentucky Derby, has come through the back door once again. This time, it was Scrimshaw who raced to victory in the Grade 2 , marking the third time in four years that Lukas has gotten a last-ditch Derby prospect to win the Grade 2 race at Keeneland.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - He did it again.
Trainer D. Wayne Lukas, down to his last bullet to make the 129th Kentucky Derby, has come through the back door once again. This time, it was Scrimshaw who raced to victory in the Grade 2 , marking the third time in four years that Lukas has gotten a last-ditch Derby prospect to win the Grade 2 race at Keeneland.
Bob Baffert won the Kentucky Derby last year with an overlooked front-runner whom he acquired after the colt began his career elsewhere. Might Indian Express, this year's model, have an aim as true as War Emblem?
Indian Express was 35-1 in the Santa Anita Derby, but he nearly pulled off the upset. After dueling with Ocean Terrace through torrid fractions, he put away all rivals except Buddy Gil, who beat Indian Express by a head. That effort convinced Baffert that Indian Express deserves a shot at the Derby.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Kentucky Derby train is set to pull into Louisville - almost, anyway.
The final station on the long route to Churchill Downs just happens to be situated some 80 miles up the road at Keeneland Race Course, where on Saturday the 22nd running of the Lexington Stakes figures to decide the Derby fates of a handful of classics hopefuls.
When trainer Bobby Frankel thought Empire Maker had more to give, he tried blinkers to bring out the best in the colt. Significantly sharper performances were the result, with victories in both the Florida Derby and the Wood Memorial. Now Empire Maker is the Kentucky Derby favorite.
Neil Drysdale, who trains Ministers Wild Cat, and Ron Ellis, the trainer of Aswhatimtalknbout, are hoping blinkers can bring similar improvement to their top 3-year-old prospects. Like the band members of "Spinal Tap," they are turning the knob to 11, trying to get that little something extra.
He did not get tired. He did not displace his palate. He did not bleed; a little, maybe, but nothing that should have caused him to stop. He did not get hurt. He underwent all kinds of diagnostic tests. Still nothing. Ocean Terrace's performance in the Santa Anita Derby remains a mystery.
But absent any compelling reason not to go on, trainer Bob Hess Jr. has decided to give the Saint Ballado colt a chance to redeem himself in Saturday's $325,000 Coolmore Lexington Stakes at Keeneland.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Before the Louisiana Derby, Badge of Silver was the hottest prospect for the Kentucky Derby. He had run consecutive races in which he earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 108. His trainer, Ronny Werner, was getting inundated with media requests. And Empire Maker had yet to run in the Florida Derby.
