Churchill Downs

The fifth pool of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager and lone Kentucky Oaks offering is set to begin Friday at Noon ET and will close Sunday evening, Churchill Downs said in a press release on Tuesday. Both pools feature $2 Win and Exacta wagering, as well as a separate Oaks/Derby Future Double linking selections in both races. The Kentucky Derby Future Wager closes Sunday at 6 p.m., while the Oaks Future Wager remains open until 6:30 p.m. Headlining the Derby wagering slate is GII Fasig-Tipton Risen Star winner Paladin (Gun...

So-called prediction markets have become all the rage across a wide swath of topics, from election results to gas prices to the amount of snowfall might occur in a given place. The Kentucky Derby and horse racing at large? That topic was the subject of a panel entitled 'Prediction Markets and Wagering: An Emerging Threat To Horse Racing and Interstate Horseracing Act Revenue' during Thursday's session of the National HBPA Conference at Oaklawn Park. Speakers agreed that prediction markets have the ability to dwarf even sports betting in America. The...

The biggest move made in this week's poll was the jump made by Explora (Blame) after her game win in the GIII Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn. She jumped from seventh to third. The latest list also includes She Be Smooth (Lexitonian), who lands at No. 4 after her impressive win in the GII Davona Dale Stakes. It will be a quiet weekend for the 3-year-old filly division, but they will run the rescheduled GIII Santa Ysabel Stakes Sunday at Santa Anita. All eyes will be on last year's 2-year-old filly...

Trainer Todd Pletcher had a lot to discuss on this week's TDN Writers' Room. This weekend on the Kentucky Derby trail, he'll send Jackson Hole to the GII Fountain of Youth Stakes and Class President to the GII Rebel Stakes, plus he has two fillies in the GII Davona Dale Stakes.

Unbeaten 3-year-old fillies Zany (American Pharoah) and Bella Ballerina (Street Sense), one-two on the most recent TDN Kentucky Oaks Top 10, lead the list of 89 early nominations to this year's GI Kentucky Oaks, released Tuesday by Churchill Downs. Repole Stable's Zany is three-for-three following her win in the Feb. 7 Suncoast Stakes and is expected to make her next start in the Apr. 3 GI Central Bank Ashland Stakes. Godolphin's Bella Ballerina took her record to a matching three-for-three with her victory in the Feb. 14 GII Fasig-Tipton Rachel...

Okay, so probably we're just running these animals in sufficient circles for the squeaking of the hamster wheel eventually, randomly, to yield something that seems curiously meaningful. But there are times when horses give the impression that they are participating in some mysterious wider scheme in human affairs. Last week, however inadequately, I joined the many in our community grieving the abrupt loss of one of its great horsemen, and gentlemen. The very next day, at Fair Grounds, a colt saturated with the legacy of John Shirreffs missed Olympiad's track...

The judge overseeing the pending class-action federal lawsuit over computer-assisted wagering (CAW) on Friday put a halt to "discovery" in the case, meaning that for the time being, the small-scale bettor who initiated the litigation back in October won't be able to go forward with the process of trying to gather evidence from some of the nation's biggest tracks and bet-takers who are named as defendants in the suit. The order by Judge Joan Azrack was entered into the electronic docket late in the afternoon of Feb. 20 without any...

With nominations for the $500,000 Virginia Derby closing Wednesday, Feb. 25, GSW Incredibolt (Bolt d'Oro) and Ocelli (Connect) have emerged as likely starters, Colonial Downs said in a press release on Friday. The 1 1/8-mile Virginia Derby will be run Saturday, Mar. 14, highlighting Colonial Downs's three-day meet held Mar. 12-14. Nominations for all seven opening week stakes also close Feb. 25. Held just under two months from the GI Kentucky Derby, the Virginia Derby awards 50-25-15-10-5 qualifying points to the top five finishers toward a berth in the "Run...

Since you asked readers for input at the end of Carrie Brogden's letter, I'll offer what I've observed over the 38 years that I've been a racing fan. First: look at how U.S. racing regards races for fillies and mares. The distances are shorter and purses are smaller. Getting a filly to the Kentucky Derby has become much harder ever since a points system was implemented. Plus, there's no Triple Crown equivalent for fillies. Every other top level racing country has Grade I classics for each gender... the U.S. has...

In response to allegations from HISA that Churchill Downs owes the organization $2.4 million in fees, Churchill Downs issued a statement Thursday in which it said it does not "accept HISA's mischaracterization of our actions" and rebuffed any suggestions that Churchill Downs and its affiliate tracks are not fully committed to safety and integrity. The statement read: "Churchill Downs Incorporated remains fully committed to the safety and integrity of Thoroughbred racing. Any suggestion that the company is not supporting safety efforts is inaccurate. Churchill Downs has invested significantly in safety...

by Dan Ross and T.D. Thornton The Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) Authority on Wednesday summoned Churchill Downs Racetrack and its corporate parent, CDI, to a hearing before a panel of HISA board members in an attempt to secure payment of 2025 assessment fees that CDI has allegedly failed to submit on behalf of four racetracks the gaming corporation owns in Kentucky and Pennsylvania, including its flagship track in Louisville. HISA wants Churchill to pay $2,408,501 in allegedly overdue 2025 fees (plus $93,998 in interest) to the Authority...

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA)-related rulings from around the country. The following rulings were reported on HISA's "rulings" portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU)'s "pending" and "resolved" cases portals. Among this week's rulings, the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority has issued to Churchill Downs Incorporated four notices for non-payment of its 2025 fees related to federal regulatory oversight of its Churchill Downs, Turfway Park, Ellis Park and Presque Isle Downs racetracks. The matter will...