GI Kentucky Derby

Leslie and Pierre Amestoy, the co-owners of Practical Move, share their journey to this year's Kentucky Derby.

For U.S. expatriate Kate Hunter, the GI Kentucky Derby is about relationships. Hunter, who is based in Japan when she's not traveling the globe, is the founder of Marugai Racing. She is the Japan representative for a number of American racing organizations including Churchill Downs. Her journey with the connections of Derby contenders Derma Sotogake (Jpn)(Mind Your Biscuits) and Continuar (Jpn) (Drefong) began early this year as she traveled with them from Japan to Saudi Arabia in February, then on to Dubai in March, and finally to Kentucky, where they...

The colt had been getting a little fractious in the gate and now he half sat down: too low for Jareth Loveberry to climb out, but not low enough to scramble underneath. "Get me out!" the jockey hollered. He was just trying to lift himself clear when his mount came back up and pinned a calf against the steel. The pain was excruciating. It was only five seconds or so before they got the gate open but that was enough, as they stretched him out, for the agony to be...

It was a packed house at the Louisville Thoroughbred Society on Tuesday, April 18 for the Backside Learning Center's Derby Handicapping Social. The sold-out event drew a crowd of racing owners and enthusiasts looking forward to spending an evening  narrowing down their picks for this year's GI Kentucky Derby while also learning more about the latest initiatives going on at the Backside Learning Center (BLC). The BLC is a nonprofit organization based in Louisville that provides support and resources for racetrack workers and their families. The organization serves over 1,000...

Amy Moore, breeder of leading Kentucky Derby contender Forte, joins this week's TDN Writers' Room.

It was a big Saturday for trainer Brad Cox who won the GI Arkansas Derby with Angel of Empire (Classic Empire), and the story may not change this week. Cox has serious threats in a number of big races, among them the GI Ashland S., the GI Blue Grass S. and the GII Wood Memorial. All of which means it was a perfect time to have Cox join the team on the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland. For the second time this year, Cox was the Green Group...

Five weeks ago, Ben Colebrook had to jump through quite a few hoops to make sure he could see both of his top 3-year-old colts make the starting gate on the road to the Kentucky Derby. Without so much as pausing to get his picture taken after Raise Cain's (Violence) victory in the GIII Gotham S., the conditioner hopped on a plane bound for Kentucky to saddle Scoobie Quando (Uncle Mo) ahead of a runner-up effort in the John Battaglia Memorial S. at Turfway just over four hours later. This...

Trainer Todd Pletcher joins this week's TDN Writers' Room ahead of champion Forte's bid in the GI Curlin Florida Derby.

Saturday's two 100-point preps for the GI Kentucky Derby yielded a pair of colts who are polar opposites in many ways. Yet the stock is on the rise for both Two Phil's (Hard Spun) and Kingsbarns (Uncle Mo), as their respective scores in the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks and GII Louisiana Derby are attracting attention while stamping both as legitimate mid-tier threats on the Triple Crown totem pole. Two Phil's ($150,000 KEESEP) has appeal as a 4-for-8 blue-collar closer/stalker whose strengths are versatility and adaptability. He's won sprinting and routing...

We had the Forte (Violence) bit last week. Now for the piano. The champion juvenile resumed his sonata in virtuoso fashion, reprising themes established in its first movement with familiar verve.

7th-Oaklawn, $103,000, Alw (NW2L)/Opt. Clm ($100,000), 3-9, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:45.38, sy, 1 1/2 lengths. MENDELSSOHNS MARCH (c, 3, Mendelssohn--Unappeased {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) led the whole way when debuted over a mile on the grass at the Fair Grounds Feb. 2 just to be nailed on the line by a drifting rival and awarded the win via a steward's decision. A distant 8-1 behind heavily favored Heroic Move (Quality Road), the Triple Crown-nominated colt raced in the second flight along the rail, taking kickback on the dirt for the...

Led by the $3 million GI Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve Sat. May 6, a record 50 stakes races that total $20.525 million will be staged at Churchill Downs Racetrack during the 44-day Spring Meet which spans April 29-July 3. The lineup features 28 stakes races that received significant boosts--including the GI Stephen Foster which is now worth $1 million--and one new event, the $175,000 Chorleywood Overnight S. Derby Week kicks off the Spring Meet with 22 stakes that total a record $13.125 million over the six-day stretch that...