Tags ‘kentucky derby’

Rocket Can likely to run next in Arkansas Derby

DRF | 1 year ago
The imposing presence of reigning juvenile champion Forte in the lineup for the $1 million Florida Derby on April 1 could result in several other top 3-year-old prospects being re-routed elsewhere for their final Kentucky Derby prep. Among them is Holy... Read More...

Rocket Can likely to run next in Arkansas Derby

DRF | 1 year ago
The imposing presence of reigning juvenile champion Forte in the lineup for the $1 million Florida Derby on April 1 could result in several other top 3-year-old prospects being re-routed elsewhere for their final Kentucky Derby prep. Among them is Holy... Read More...

Brave Emperor after qualifying points in Kentucky Derby Condition Stakes at Kempton Park

DRF | 1 year ago
A stakes winner in France last month, Brave Emperor will be favored to win for the fifth time in his seventh start in the $72,600 Road to the Kentucky Derby Condition Stakes at Kempton Park near London on Wednesday. Read More...

Road to 2023 Kentucky Derby: Tampa Bay Derby analysis

DRF | 1 year ago
Luis Saez earned his money in the Tampa Bay Derby. It was exhausting just watching Saez ride the hair off Tapit Trice from the seven-sixteenths pole to mid-stretch. All that effort paid off as the odds-on favorite won going away while making his stakes... Read More...

Road to 2023 Kentucky Derby: Tampa Bay Derby analysis

DRF | 1 year ago
Luis Saez earned his money in the Tampa Bay Derby. It was exhausting just watching Saez ride the hair off Tapit Trice from the seven-sixteenths pole to mid-stretch. All that effort paid off as the odds-on favorite won going away while making his stakes... Read More...

Forte clear choice in Pool 5 of Kentucky Derby Future Wager

DRF | 1 year ago
Pool 5 in the 2023 Kentucky Derby Future Wager closed Sunday evening with Forte a clear-cut favorite among 40 wagering options following the customary three-day run. Read More...

Forte clear choice in Pool 5 of Kentucky Derby Future Wager

DRF | 1 year ago
Pool 5 in the 2023 Kentucky Derby Future Wager closed Sunday evening with Forte a clear-cut favorite among 40 wagering options following the customary three-day run. Read More...

Confidence Game likely to skip Louisiana Derby

DRF | 1 year ago
Confidence Game, one-length winner of the Rebel Stakes on Feb. 25 at Oaklawn Park, is unlikely to run back March 25 in the Louisiana Derby. Trainer Keith Desmormeaux is keeping options open for Confidence Game, who could run on April 1 in the Arkansas ... Read More...

Confidence Game likely to skip Louisiana Derby

DRF | 1 year ago
Confidence Game, one-length winner of the Rebel Stakes on Feb. 25 at Oaklawn Park, is unlikely to run back March 25 in the Louisiana Derby. Trainer Keith Desmormeaux is keeping options open for Confidence Game, who could run on April 1 in the Arkansas ... Read More...

Arabian Knight taken out of training, will miss Kentucky Derby

DRF | 1 year ago
Arabian Knight, undefeated in two races and rated among the leading candidates for the Triple Crown, has been taken out of training, owner Amr Zedan announced in a message on Twitter late Saturday night. Read More...

Arabian Knight among Kentucky Derby candidates to work in advance of storm

DRF | 1 year ago
Three of the biggest names among the California-based 3-year-olds had workouts at Santa Anita on Thursday, a day before the expected arrival of a rainstorm. Read More...

Arabian Knight among Kentucky Derby candidates to work in advance of storm

DRF | 1 year ago
Three of the biggest names among the California-based 3-year-olds had workouts at Santa Anita on Thursday, a day before the expected arrival of a rainstorm. Read More...

Tapit Trice will be short price to win Tampa Bay Derby

DRF | 1 year ago
One week after Forte further entrenched himself as the Kentucky Derby favorite, trainer Todd Pletcher will be looking for at least one more of his talented 3-year-olds to emerge as a contender for the May 6 Run for the Roses. Read More...

Tapit Trice draws post 6 for Tampa Bay Derby

DRF | 1 year ago
Tapit Trice heads a field of 12 3-year-olds set to go Saturday in the lone Kentucky Derby qualifying race of the weekend, the Grade 3, $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs. Read More...

Tapit Trice draws post 6 for Tampa Bay Derby

DRF | 1 year ago
Tapit Trice heads a field of 12 3-year-olds set to go Saturday in the lone Kentucky Derby qualifying race of the weekend, the Grade 3, $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs. Read More...

Two Phil’s headed to Turfway for Jeff Ruby

DRF | 1 year ago
Two Phil’s, second in the Lecomte Stakes and third in the Risen Star, has left Fair Grounds and settled into trainer Larry Rivelli’s string at Hawthorne, and will make his next start March 25 at Turfway Park in the $700,000 Jeff Ruby Stakes.   Read More...

Two Phil’s headed to Turfway for Jeff Ruby

DRF | 1 year ago
Two Phil’s, second in the Lecomte Stakes and third in the Risen Star, has left Fair Grounds and settled into trainer Larry Rivelli’s string at Hawthorne, and will make his next start March 25 at Turfway Park in the $700,000 Jeff Ruby Stakes.   Read More...

Instant Coffee among four possible Louisiana Derby starters for Cox

DRF | 1 year ago
Trainer Brad Cox still is sorting where to run a bevy of Fair Grounds-based Kentucky Derby hopefuls. Cox had three runners in the Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds and figures to have at least that many in the Louisiana Derby there.  Read More...

2023 Kentucky Derby: Pope has patience; Tapit Trice may have other plans

DRF | 1 year ago
In partnership with Gainesway Stable, Mandy Pope co-owns Tapit Trice, who figures as a solid favorite Saturday in the Tampa Bay Derby. Tapit Trice enters the Grade 2, $350,000 Tampa Derby off an eight-length allowance victory last month in a Gulfstream... Read More...

Arabian Knight gets back to work with eye on Kentucky Derby points

DRF | 1 year ago
The brilliant and unseasoned Arabian Knight, who went 19 days without a workout during the Santa Anita wet-weather track closures, is back on the tab. An early favorite for the Kentucky Derby after runaway wins in a maiden sprint at Keeneland and Grade... Read More...

Road to 2023 Kentucky Derby: San Felipe Stakes analysis

DRF | 1 year ago
The complexion of the San Felipe changed long before post time when morning-line favorite Natiional Treasure was scratched with a foot problem. Fourth-choice Practical Move won with a perfect trip (and some help from his friends) as the rest of the fie... Read More...

Road to 2023 Kentucky Derby: San Felipe Stakes analysis

DRF | 1 year ago
The complexion of the San Felipe changed long before post time when morning-line favorite Natiional Treasure was scratched with a foot problem. Fourth-choice Practical Move won with a perfect trip (and some help from his friends) as the rest of the fie... Read More...

Road to the 2023 Kentucky Derby: Fountain of Youth analysis

DRF | 1 year ago
You never know how a talented 2-year-old is going to winter and come back at age 3. Take BLAZING SEVENS, a Grade 1 winner last year who ran a slyly strong fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile to cap his 2022 campaign. He showed nothing at any point in ... Read More...

For Practical Move, time to get serious about Kentucky Derby

DRF | 1 year ago
Practical Move earned a triple-digit Beyer in scoring a decisive victory in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita and emerging as a serious contender for the Kentucky Derby. Read More...

Raise Cain rallies in stretch, takes big Gotham Stakes triumph

DRF | 1 year ago
Trainer Ben Colebrook gave jockey Jose Lezcano a leg up on Raise Cain in the Aqueduct paddock, made a quick pitstop in the film theater and then jumped into an Uber headed to John F. Kennedy Airport before the horses went to post for Saturday’s Grade 3... Read More...

Fountain of Youth: Champion Forte powerful in season opener

DRF | 1 year ago
Forte returned as good as ever Saturday when dominating the 77th running of the Grade 2, $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Read More...

Fountain of Youth: Champion Forte powerful in season opener

DRF | 1 year ago
Aside from a few anxious moments, perhaps, in the run down the backstretch, the $400,000 Fountain of Youth played out about as perfectly as trainer Todd Pletcher could have hoped for his leading Kentucky Derby candidate Forte. The reigning juvenile cha... Read More...

Cairo wins at short odds in Irish qualifier for Kentucky Derby

DRF | 1 year ago
Cairo, an Irish-bred Quality Road colt trained by Aidan O’Brien, moved to the fore of the European-based hopefuls for the Kentucky Derby with a two-length win in his 3-year-old debut in Friday’s $42,300 Patton Stakes at a mile on the all-weather surfac... Read More...

Cairo wins at short odds in Irish qualifier for Kentucky Derby

DRF | 1 year ago
Cairo, an Irish-bred Quality Road colt trained by Aidan O’Brien, moved to the fore of the European-based hopefuls for the Kentucky Derby with a two-length win in his 3-year-old debut in Friday’s $42,300 Patton Stakes at a mile on the all-weather surfac... Read More...

Juvenile champion Forte starts drive to Kentucky Derby in Fountain of Youth

DRF | 1 year ago
The much anticipated 3-year-old debut of reigning juvenile champion Forte will take place Saturday at Gulfstream Park when the top-rated Kentucky Derby hopeful goes a mile and one-sixteenth against eight rivals in the $400,000 Fountain of Youth. Read More...

Cox has two leading contenders in wide-open Gotham

DRF | 1 year ago
Eyeing Clover and Slip Mahoney won't be mentioned on many people's top 20 lists for the Kentucky Derby. But as far as Saturday's Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham Stakes is concerned, they have to be considered two of the top contenders in a seemingly wide-open renewal of the one-mile stakes at Aqueduct. Read More...

Illness forces Arctic Arrogance out of Gotham

DRF | 1 year ago
Arctic Arrogance, who accrued 16 Kentucky Derby points by running second in the Grade 2 Remsen, Jerome and Grade 3 Withers, will miss Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham Stakes due to illness. Read More...

Kentucky Derby: It’s on to Sunland Derby for Henry Q after easy win in Mine That Bird Derby

DRF | 1 year ago
Henry Q established himself as the early favorite for the Grade 3, $600,000 Sunland Park Derby when he obliterated his rivals in Tuesday's local stepping-stone, the $100,000 Mine That Bird Derby. Read More...

Kentucky Derby: General Jim misses a day of training for Fountain of Youth

DRF | 1 year ago
Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey sounded pessimistic about the chances of running General Jim in the Fountain of Youth Stakes after the colt missed a scheduled workout. Read More...

Kentucky Derby: Rebel winner Confidence Game has John Shirreffs connection

DRF | 1 year ago
While John Shirreffs trains West Coast-based Kentucky Derby prospect Skinner, he is intimately familiar with the dam of an emerging Derby prospect in the Midwest. Shirreffs trained Eblouissante, dam of Rebel Stakes winner Confidence Game. Eblouissante ... Read More...

Kentucky Derby: McCarthy will find out what he’s got in Gotham, San Felipe

DRF | 1 year ago
Though he won the 2021 Preakness with his first Preakness starter, Rombauer, it is a reach to suggest trainer Michael McCarthy can win the Kentucky Derby with his first Derby starter. And yet, neither Lugan Knight nor Genius Jimmy can be ruled out yet. Read More...

2023 Kentucky Derby: Brown performs juggling act in Saturday’s preps

DRF | 1 year ago
On Saturday, Chad Brown, the trainer, will send out the Grade 1 winner Blazing Sevens in the Grade 2, $400,000 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park and the maiden winner Uncorrelated in the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham at Aqueduct. Brown, the breeder, will... Read More...

Gold’s Kentucky Derby prospects looking up

DRF | 1 year ago
As the owner of Instant Coffee, Al Gold has a 3-year-old whose prospects for the Kentucky Derby appear to strengthen weekly as horses that Instant Coffee has beaten have come back to win. Gold has another horse that will attempt to win a Kentucky Derby points-scoring race when Slip Mahoney runs in Saturday's Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct. Read More...

Gold’s Kentucky Derby prospects looking up

DRF | 1 year ago
As the owner of Instant Coffee, Al Gold has a 3-year-old whose prospects for the Kentucky Derby appear to strengthen weekly as horses that Instant Coffee has beaten have come back to win. Gold has another horse that will attempt to win a Kentucky Derby points-scoring race when Slip Mahoney runs in Saturday's Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct. Read More...

Road to the 2023 Kentucky Derby: Rebel Stakes analysis

DRF | 1 year ago
Trainer Keith Desormeaux doesn’t buy yearlings on a big budget, yet more years than not he comes up with a horse that at least sniffs the edge of the Kentucky Derby trail if not setting out on it entirely. Read More...

Road to the 2023 Kentucky Derby: Rebel Stakes analysis

DRF | 1 year ago
Trainer Keith Desormeaux doesn’t buy yearlings on a big budget, yet more years than not he comes up with a horse that at least sniffs the edge of the Kentucky Derby trail if not setting out on it entirely. Read More...

Confidence Game possible for either Louisiana Derby or Arkansas Derby, trainer says

DRF | 1 year ago
Confidence Game’s next stop on the Road to the Kentucky Derby is to be determined, but the winner of the Grade 2, $1 million Rebel at Oaklawn Park on Saturday could return to Arkansas or run back at his home track of Fair Grounds, trainer Keith Desorme... Read More...