Kentucky Derby
There's never been a GI Kentucky Derby contender quite like No Parole (Violence), who stayed undefeated when winning Saturday's Premier Night Prince S. at Delta Downs. He may not be the best 3-year-old in the country, but he is certainly the most intriguing. How good is he? It's impossible to tell. His route to the Derby has included a maiden race, an allowance race and the Prince, all races against fellow Louisiana-breds. Normally, anyone winning those races wouldn't register on anyone's radar, but this horse is different. The 'TDN Rising...
It wasn't nearly as easy as his 1-5 odds suggested it would be, but 'TDN Rising Star' Nadal (Blame) survived a grueling pace and gutted out a hard-fought win that would have made his notoriously tenacious namesake proud in Sunday's GII San Vicente S. at Santa Anita, the promising colt's first step along the GI Kentucky Derby trail. Garnering expectations early on after commanding $700,000 as a :10 flat Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream breezer, the bay showed up to his Jan. 19 debut with a sharp worktab and delivered on 6-5 favoritism...
7th-Fair Grounds, $47,000, Alw (NW2X)/Opt. Clm ($40,000), 2-9, 4yo/up, 1 1/16m, 1:43.75, ft. BY MY STANDARDS (c, 4, Goldencents--A Jealous Woman {MSW & GSP, $469,956}, by Muqtarib), a maiden winner over this track and trip last February, earned a ticket to the GI Kentucky Derby with a next-out victory in the Mar. 23 GII Louisiana Derby, but had been missing since a troubled 12th-place effort in the big dance last May. Sent off the 1-2 favorite, the bay colt shadowed pacesetting Two Emmys (English Channel) through fractions of :24.64, :49.29,...
Shooting Star Thoroughbreds' Chance It (Currency Swap) tuned up for the Feb. 29 GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. with a five-furlong breeze in company in :59.74 (3/43) at Gulfstream Park Sunday. "It was a good work. I'm happy with where we're at," trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. said. "He'll have two more works and we should be ready to go in the Fountain of Youth." Chance It is coming off a win in the Jan. 4 Mucho Macho Man S. Sole Volante (Karakontie {Jpn}), who finished third that day, returned...
With all eyes on unbeaten Independence Hall (Constitution) in Saturday's GIII Sam F. Davis S., Sole Volante (Karakontie {Jpn}) came rolling down the Tampa Bay stretch to upset the 3-5 favorite by a widening 2 1/2 lengths. It was 11 1/4 lengths back to third-place finisher Ajaaweed (Curlin). Sole Volante, campaigned in partnership by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Andie Biancone and Limelight Stables Corp., won his first two starts on grass, including an impressive come-from-behind win in the Pulpit S. at Gulfstream Nov. 30. He ran on nicely to finish third...
In 2016, just a few months after completing a championship season with a victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Nyquist (Uncle Mo) made the first start of his 3-year-old season in the GII San Vicente S. before adding the GI Florida Derby and GI Kentucky Derby. Reigning Eclipse Award winner Storm the Court (Court Vision) will look to emulate that success by kicking off his season in the seven-furlong test Sunday afternoon at Santa Anita. The bay colt defeated 1-5 Garth (Into Mischief) in his Aug. 10 bow over...
Tiz the Law (Constitution), an impressive return winner of the GIII Holy Bull S. last Saturday, will remain in Florida leading up to the GI Kentucky Derby and will next contest the GI Florida Derby at Gulfstream Mar. 28, owner Sackatoga Stable announced Friday. The Barclay Tagg trainee, who won last year's GI Champagne S. before finishing a close third in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S., was also being considered for the GII Louisiana Derby. "There really are a number of factors, starting with how well he ran in...
Ed DeRosa of Brisnet.com takes on TDN's Steve Sherack and Brian DiDonato as they handicap Triple Crown prep races plus the big three races themselves. The three will make $100 Win/Place bets in the preps and $200 Win/Place bets in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont. Highest bankroll at the end wins. DeRosa - Last Week - Decent start in week one, tabbing two of three winners--Max Player (+$905) and Thousand Words (+$290). Unfortunately, the most impressive winner of the trio by far--Tiz the Law in the Holy Bull--was the...
Peter Eurton knows. He has been training since 1989, after all: the year of Sunday Silence and Easy Goer. One, on the West Coast, began his sophomore campaign in an allowance race at Santa Anita over 6 1/2 furlongs, before moving up in distance for the San Felipe 17 days later. The other started out in the Swale over seven furlongs at Gulfstream--the fourth running of a race that had already been won by Chief's Crown and Seeking The Gold--before going up a furlong for the Gotham, and again for...
A total of 347 3-year-olds, headed by juvenile champion and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Storm the Court (Court Vision), were nominated to this year's Triple Crown during the early nomination phase, which closed Jan. 25. All of the newly-turned 3-year-olds were nominated with a $600 payment to run in this season's GI Kentucky Derby May 2; GI Preakness S. May 16; and the GI Belmont S. June 6. The total decreased 4.1% (15 horses) from last year's 362 that were nominated at this stage. Leading the fray is Exline-Border...
9th-GP, $51K, OC 75k/N1X, 3yo, 7f, 5:03 p.m. ET CARPE OMNIOUS (Carpe Diem) punched through an inviting opening along the rail to win at first asking going six furlongs with a very solid 83 Beyer Speed Figure at Gulfstream Dec. 21. The priciest of 73 first-crop yearlings by Carpe Diem to sell in 2018 when he brought $550,000 at Keeneland September, Carpe Omnious is co-owned by WinStar Farm and China Horse Club International and trained by Todd Pletcher. His dam Renards Lapin (Tiznow) is a half-sister to English highweight Lucky...
Churchill Downs has entered into an agreement with Australian-based Steriline Racing to design and construct a new custom-made, 20-stall starting gate that will be used for the 146th running of the GI Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 2, the track announced Monday. The new starting gate will be utilized exclusively for the Kentucky Derby and will replace Churchill Downs' standard starting gate, which will continue to be used for all other races. A six-stall "auxiliary starting gate" addition, which was attached to Churchill's main 14-horse starting gate, was first used in...