Churchill Downs

Fern Circle Stables, Three Chimneys Farm and Magdalena Racing's King Fury (Curlin) will be forced to scratch from Saturday's GI Kentucky Derby after spiking a fever Friday, his trainer Ken McPeek announced via a video on twitter. The $950,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling and last-out GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. winner was drawn in post 16 and was 20-1 on the morning line. "King Fury spiked a 104 fever this afternoon after he galloped this morning. He went off his feed. We obviously have to do the right thing--I feel gutted for...

Local 541, the racetrack employees union that includes Churchill Downs valets, has threatened this week to strike over a wage and contract dispute. A press release sent on behalf of the group Friday said that, "With less than 24 hours until the 147th Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs Incorporated failed to attend a meeting early this morning to, once and for all, finalize a contract with its valets and avoid major disruptions at the Derby. The governor and mediator were notified of the meeting last night; even still, the valets were...

J. Kirk and Judy Robison's Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) returns to one turn for the first time since winning the GI Champagne S. last October as the likely favorite in Saturday's GII Pat Day Mile beneath the Twin Spires. A $95,000 Keeneland September purchase, Jackie's Warrior is perfect in four starts up to a mile, having stamped himself as the leader of his generation with powerful front-running victories in the GII Saratoga Special S. and GI Hopeful S. ahead of a 5 1/2-length tally in the Champagne that made him...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 8th-BEL, $80K, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 6fT, post time: 4:19 p.m. ET CROWDING OUT (Street Boss), a $55K in utero purchase at Keeneland November in 2017, fetched $37K as a KEESEP yearling in 2019, but blossomed into a $230K OBS April breezer after working an eighth of a mile in a slick :9 4/5. That price was the second most expensive of this sire's 20 juveniles sold last year. The chestnut's dam Pride of Place (A.P. Indy)--who sadly passed away in 2020--is a daughter of French...

'TDN Rising Star' Gamine (Into Mischief) is the 1-5 morning-line favorite for Saturday's GI Derby City (ex Humana) Distaff, and, facing just five other rivals that lack anything near her front-running prowess, she could go off an even shorter proposition than that. Now six-for-seven lifetime as her once-disputed Oaklawn allowance victory has now been reinstated, Gamine was other-worldly at trips around one turn during her championship season in 2020, winning the one-mile GI Longines Acorn S. by 18 3/4 lengths last June and the seven-furlong GI Longines Test S. by...

Saturday's GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic brings together this country's best turf runners currently in training, and Robert and Lawana Low's Colonel Liam (Liam's Map) has an opportunity to cement his status at the top of the heap in a race with several winning chances. The $50,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $1.2-million OBS April breezer is four-for-five on the grass, his lone defeat coming at the hooves of Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}) when beaten a half-length into fourth in the Saratoga Derby last August. Given some rest following...

Unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Annex (Constitution) looks to keep his perfect record in tact as the favorite in the GII American Turf S. at Churchill Downs. Rallying from well back to take his debut at Gulfstream Jan. 16, the chestnut captured the Palm Beach S. there Feb. 27 and followed suit with a win in the Cutler Bay S. in Hallandale Mar. 27. The red-hot Irad Ortiz, Jr. climbs aboard for the first time here, which adds even more upside to this talented favorite. Shug McGaughey saddles a strong contender...

It's not often you come across a 13-horse Grade I sprint with no confirmed frontrunner, but the Churchill Downs S. Saturday is just that, with only lightly raced 20-1 shot Get the Prize (Candy Ride {Arg}) having gotten the first call last out. Stalker Flagstaff (Speightstown) gets the tepid 3-1 nod on the morning line coming off a victory over three of these foes in Keeneland's GIII Commonwealth S. going the same distance Apr. 3. He shipped into Oaklawn after that to fire a pair of quick bullet breezes, and...

LOUISVILLE, KY - Now, this is much more like it. With a forecast calling for sunny skies and temperatures in the low 70s, the GI Kentucky Oaks returns to its traditional spot on the calendar Friday. While last year's delayed GI Kentucky Derby and Oaks were both conducted spectator-free over Labor Day weekend due to the COVID-19 pandemic, limited crowds of between 40,000-50,000--health and safety protocols in place and all-are expected to be on hand at Churchill Downs this weekend. Following the withdrawal of Ava's Grace (Laoban) earlier this week,...

Owner James 'Mattress Mack' McIngvale, who earlier this week announced that he would be making a bet in excess of $2-million as a hedge against a promotion in which customers of his Gallery Furniture chain will be refunded in the event that favored Essential Quality (Tapit) prevails, has confirmed that the bet will be placed on site at Churchill Downs in order to maximize the money that goes to purses. McIngvale has bet through casinos on similar promotions on the World Series and Super Bowl, where he is able to...

LOUISVILLE, KY - Despite heavy overnight rain leaving the Churchill Downs main track a sloppy mess, there was still plenty to take in during Thursday's GI Kentucky Derby/Oaks training session, including an appearance by the horse that has the big bulls-eye on his back. Rock Your World (Candy Ride {Arg}), Soup and Sandwich (Into Mischief) and Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) drew a nice crowd of admirers by the Lukas gap as the track was being sealed beneath ominous skies and humid conditions just a tick before 7:30 a.m. With his...

Funeral services for Donald Ray "Donnie" Richardson, the former senior vice president of racing for Churchill Downs Incorporated until his retirement in 2012, will take place Friday morning, Apr. 30, at the St. Patrick Catholic Church, 1000 N. Beckley Station Road in Louisville, with burial to follow in Cavalry Cemetery. A visitation was to be held Thursday evening. Richardson, who was 75 at the time of his passing, was born Jan. 27, 1946, and spent the majority of his career in the racing business. His father, Elmer, ran the program...