Kentucky Derby

Light Up Racing is pushing back against a New York Times article on horse racing with a message sent to its members Friday. The message reads in part: "A new New York Times article on horse racing has been published, and unfortunately, it follows a familiar pattern: misleading claims, outdated narratives, and a failure to acknowledge the industry's real progress. They frame the industry as reliant on subsidies while overlooking the hundreds of millions it contributes in tax revenue. They call racing a dying sport but ignore the record Kentucky...

Smarty Jones, the Pennsylvania-bred horse that captured the hearts of sports and horse fans across the world during his race for the Triple Crown in 2004, is the subject of a new 37-minute documentary titled 'Ride of a Lifetime: The Smarty Jones Story'. Following Smarty Jones being named a finalist for the National Museum of Racing's 2025 Hall of Fame last week, the documentary can be streamed for free exclusively on a newly-launched website. Filmed last year to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of Smarty Jones' Triple Crown run, the story...

NBC Sports presents continuing coverage of the 1/ST RACING TOUR Saturday at 5 p.m. ET on CNBC and Peacock. The two-hour program, featuring six live races, will be headlined by the GII DK HORSE San Felipe Stakes from Santa Anita and the GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes from Gulfstream Park. The additional stakes races that will be presented live on CNBC and Peacock include the GIII Honey Fox Stakes and the GII Mac Diarmida Stakes from Gulfstream Park. Britney Eurton hosts Saturday's coverage, alongside analyst and Hall of Fame...

FanDuel TV's "Road to The Kentucky Derby" will feature live, expanded coverage of all the official Kentucky Derby points races, with in-depth coverage of Derby contenders and their human connections, feature stories, interviews and analysis from FanDuel TV's roster of racing experts and handicappers, including Todd Schrupp, Christina Blacker, Simon Bray, Larry Collmus, Caton Bredar, Joaquin Jaime, Michael Joyce, Scott Hazelton, Gabby Gaudet, Matt Bernier, Andie Biancone, Matt Carothers, Ashley Mailloux, Dave Weaver, Joe Talamo and Kurt Hoover. "The Kentucky Derby is one of the most anticipated races on the...

The voice of the GI Kentucky Derby, Travis Stone, will be on the mic to announce the Virginia Derby meet at Colonial Downs, the track announced Wednesday. Stone will call all three days of the meet, set for March 13-15, headlined by the Virginia Derby, a Kentucky Derby points race, Saturday, March 15. "I'm really looking forward to being part of the Virginia Derby meet at Colonial Downs," Stone said. "It's exciting to see the 'Road to the Kentucky Derby' go through Virginia and to be involved in such an...

Godolphin's First Resort (Uncle Mo), winner of the GII Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes last November, has been forced off the Triple Crown trail by a hairline fracture in his left hock, according to trainer Eoin Harty. The news was first reported by Daily Racing Form's Dave Grening. First Resort was expected to make his sophomore debut in Saturday's John Battaglia Stakes, but was scratched out of that race when when Harty noticed stiffness in that left leg following a work at Turfway Feb. 18. The injury is not expected to...

From Bob Hutt Let me preface my remarks as President of the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (PTHA) by saying I am humbled and honored that Smarty Jones was made a finalist for the Hall of Fame. Smarty Jones was the first horse unbeaten through the Kentucky Derby and Preakness since Seattle Slew in 1977.  Justify and Seattle Slew are the only horses to win the Triple Crown while unbeaten. Smarty's run through the 2004 Triple Crown races compares very favorably with Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify. In fact,...

All-American National Champion gymnast Olivia "Livvy" Dunne along with Major League Baseball star Jayson Werth will host meet-and-greets in Sports Illustrated's Club SI at historic Churchill Downs during the 151st runnings of the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks and GI Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve Friday, May 2 and Saturday, May 3, respectively. Club SI, a multi-year exclusive partnership between Churchill Downs Racetrack and Sports Illustrated, debuted at last year's Kentucky Derby and offers guests a modern, sophisticated race day experience as part of the racetrack's recent $200 million reimagined...

The only rule is that there are no rules. Some of our most expensive freshmen are entering precisely the end game that drove their purchase: Arabian Knight (Uncle Mo) and Muth (Good Magic) cost $2.3 million and $2 million respectively, as juveniles; Prince of Monaco (Speightstown) was a $950,000 yearling. Yet the GI Kentucky Derby remains as likely to be won by a $30,000 claim like Rich Strike (Keen Ice) or, most recently, a son of the $10,000 cover Goldencents. Last week, we saluted the advent of a $2,500 yearling...

California Burrito (Army Mule) is the newest player on the 'Road to the Kentucky Derby,' earning 20 points with a gate-to-wire win in Saturday night's John Battaglia Memorial Stakes at Turfway Park. Shaken up for the lead from mid-gate, the 7-2 shot, who came off a 7 1/4-length win going just a 1/16th shorter on the local Tapeta Jan. 24, showed the way along the inside through fractions of :24.50 and :49.41 with 37-1 longshot Maitre D (Game Winner) keeping him honest to the outside and 2-1 race favorite Baby...

The GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth, the final prep for the GI Curlin Florida Derby held March 29, will headline a program laden with nine stakes, of which eight are graded, worth $2.15 million in purses next Saturday. The 79th running of the Fountain of Youth offers qualifying points for the GI Kentucky Derby on a 50-25-15-10-5 scale. Burnham Square, the GIII Holy Bull winner, is scheduled to clash with seven other 3-year-olds entered for next Saturday's feature. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher is represented in the Fountain of...

Godolphin's First Resort (Uncle Mo) will scratch from Saturday's $175,000 John Battaglia Memorial at Turfway Park after exiting a workout earlier this week with stiffness in his left hind leg, according to trainer Eoin Harty. The 2-1 morning-line favorite was set to make his 3-year-old debut following a victory in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club last fall at Churchill Downs. He worked a half-mile in :51.20 (8/11) at Turfway Tuesday. "I worked him (Tuesday), and by Wednesday he was a little stiff behind," Harty said. "He hasn't really improved, so we're...