Ethan West

The sun had just barely emerged above the tree line at Turfway Park when Ethan West was given a leg up onto his next galloper that morning. It was the usual late August affair--hot, humid, and deviating from the direct line of the nearest fan made it feel like one was walking through soup...or drowning in it. And yet, the barn moved to the beat of its own drum as everyone went through their usual paces. Emerging from the shedrow on the back of an eye-catching grey, West allowed the...

After respectable showings in the Louisiana, Kentucky, and Ohio Derbys, Chunk of Gold (Preservationist) finally has one to his tally with a sterling effort in the GIII West Virginia Derby. The grey has been eyeballing some of the best of his generation in his last four starts. He shipped to Louisiana in mid-February to contest their Triple Crown preps, and ran second in both the GII Risen Star Stakes and the GII Louisiana Derby, Feb. 15 and Mar. 22, respectively. Having garnered enough points for the big dance, he went...

It's rare for things to go exactly according to plan in the Kentucky Derby. Trainer Ethan West learned that lesson about five seconds into his first attempt. In the past, Chunk of Gold (Preservationist) had done his best work coming from off the pace, but in the Derby he broke sharply and, with Jareth Loveberry aboard, found himself just behind the frontrunners heading into the first turn. "That was not on the bingo card," West admitted. "We were hoping to be mid-pack and Jareth would find a nice little hole...

With just three weeks remaining to the GI Kentucky Derby, a trio of probable starters turned in workouts over the Churchill main track, while another continued his preparations at Turfway Park. Trainer Steve Asmussen sent out his GII Louisiana Derby romper Tiztastic (Tiz the Law) for a five-furlong move in the company of maiden stablemate Publisher (American Pharoah). Taking to the track around 5:45 a.m., the pair went the distance in 1:00.80 in fractional times of :13, :24.80 and :36.60 before galloping out six furlongs in 1:13.40 and up seven-eighths...

For those willing to lay out seven figures for a horse at the sales there are no guarantees. Some turn out to be very good horses and some can't run a step. The same goes for horses bought for a few thousand dollars. That doesn't mean they can't run. Case in point: Chunk of Gold (Preservationist). He's now run second in both the GII Risen Star Stakes and the GII Louisiana Derby. That gives him 75 points, more than enough to qualify for the race. That couldn't have been anything...

GII TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby winner Tiztastic (Tiz the Law) was one of several shippers who arrived at Churchill Downs early Tuesday morning from Fair Grounds. "We thought he'd run a better race in the Louisiana Derby with the extra distance and he took the step forwarded he needed," said Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. "He has a great mind to him. I think he ran a solid race but there is more in him." CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm's John Hancock (Constitution), who finished fourth in the Louisiana Derby,...

As 2023 draws to a close, the TDN is asking industry members to name their favorite moment of the year. Send yours to suefinley@thetdn.com The month of October was pretty special. We started out by welcoming our little girl to the world and we closed it out by giving the barn its first graded-stakes victory at Keeneland with Runaway Storm (Midnight Storm) in the Bryan Station.--Ethan West