All the O’Neills had gathered at the hospital in Honolulu in support of David. Doug and Dennis, his brothers, were in from California. David’s son, Patrick, Doug and Dennis’s nephew, arrived from Hong Kong, where he had an internship. David’s wife, daughters, all there, anxiously awaiting word.

The doctor emerged from surgery, approached the waiting family.

“It went well,” he said. Hearts began to soar, if only for a second. “He has another six months.”

“We just sat there in stunned silence,” Patrick remembered.

Will a Derby horse be 99-1?

Horses sent off in the Kentucky Derby at 99-1 or higher have seemingly become extinct despite an expansion from 14 to 20 betting interests in 2001 – which also happened to be the last time any horse was sent away at triple-digit odds. Startac was 10th at 102-1 and Arctic Boy was 12th at 101-1 behind the victorious Monarchos that year.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Bettors sharp enough to back Hot Rod Charlie in some of the earlier pools in the 2021 Kentucky Derby Future Wager bought themselves wagering value ahead of the 147th Derby.

As a separately listed interest in all five futures pools offered by Churchill Downs, Hot Rod Charlie had closing odds of 34-1, 40-1, 35-1, and 53-1 before he won the March 20 Louisiana Derby, after which he was 12-1 in the final pool. He figures as no worse than fourth choice Saturday and is 8-1 on the morning line.

CHURCHILL DOWNS
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 71
Track: Fast

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Wednesday morning was the calm before the storm, literally, at Churchill Downs, with intermittent rain expected to move into the local area later in the afternoon and linger through the night before getting even heavier on Thursday.

The forecast raises the possibility that this morning could well have been the last time the 20 Kentucky Derby hopefuls will have an opportunity to train over a fast track before the main event.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Space is at a premium in the winner’s circle for the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, with all those associated with the victorious horse crowding together for a once in a lifetime snapshot for the history books.

Yet should Mandaloun prevail in the Kentucky Derby this Saturday, or should Malathaat or Millefeuille find herself draped in lilies on Friday evening, there will be empty space in the winner’s circle due to the recent death of two titans of the sport.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – You can find three “Ls” in this river city’s name, two more in the name of the city’s storied racetrack, but the world’s most famous horse race at Churchill Downs here in Louisville, will not include a single “L” next to the names of horses racing in the 2021 Kentucky Derby.

“L” in past performance notation stands for “Lasix,” and the masters of the Derby, like much of North American racing, have taken a stand against a race-day medication that, until 2020, had become ubiquitous in the American Thoroughbred.

Churchill Downs Inc. and Nevada casinos remain dead-locked in a longstanding dispute over the company’s simulcast signals, but race books in the state were given authorization last week to offer fixed-odds bets on this Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, in defiance of Churchill’s demands.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Canonero II posting arguably the most improbable upset in Derby history.

Canonero quickly became the darling of Venezuela, where the colt had trained prior to making an arduous journey to the U.S. to win the 1971 Derby as a member of the mutuel field. The $1,200 yearling purchase went on to win the Preakness but faded to fourth in the Belmont Stakes.

A veritable smorgasbord of wagering options is available to fans on both the Oaks and Derby Day programs, including several two-day wagers starting with the Friday card.

The two-day bets are:

◗ A $2 pick six comprising Grade 1 events: the La Troienne and Oaks on Friday, followed by the Derby City Distaff, Churchill Downs, Old Forester, and Derby on Saturday. (Last year’s pool, $452,357.)

◗ A 50-cent pick three linking the Oaks, Old Forester, and Derby. (Last year’s pool, $414,613.)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Everybody has their ups and downs, but c’mon – what Luis Saez has crammed into a relatively short time is mind-boggling.

Saez, 28, enjoys the kind of prosperous life that people his age can only dream of. He’s a wildly successful jockey, one who zoomed to the very top of his profession in just a few years. Since leaving his native Panama for the United States in 2009, his mounts have won 2,600 races and nearly $136 million in purse money. He has accumulated more wealth in a dozen years of riding racehorses than most people can hope to earn in a lifetime.