LOUISVILLE, Ky.- – It was Ladies Day at Churchill Downs on Friday morning, although with a little wrinkle thrown in during the special Derby-Oaks training session, which takes place from 7:30 to 7:45 a.m. daily. Six likely Oaks starters and a seventh hoping to draw into the race here next Friday turned in their final works, although all were overshadowed somewhat by the appearance of potential Derby favorite Zandon, who made his way onto the work tab 24 hours earlier than expected.

MIDWAY, Ky. – Less than a day old, the dark gray filly tottered beside her mother on stilt-like legs, a near carbon copy of her half-brother Zandon at that age in these paddocks at Airdrie Stud. Looking at Memories Prevail and her newest foal on an April morning less than three weeks before Zandon’s Kentucky Derby run, Airdrie vice president Bret Jones couldn’t help reminiscing.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Notwithstanding drama that preceded the workout and the noise he made during the work, Messier posted a visually impressive drill on an eventful Friday morning at Santa Anita.

Runner-up in the Santa Anita Derby and among the top contenders for the Kentucky Derby, Messier was about to commence his six-furlong workout following the 6:30 a.m. track renovation when another horse lost its rider and ran loose into the far turn.

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.

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.

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.

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.