The $400,000-dollar, Grade 3 Lexington Stakes has, in years’ past, been a last chance for a 3-year-old prospect to garner enough points to gain a spot in the Kentucky Derby. Not so this year. With just a maximum of 20 points up for grabs, the Winner of Saturday’s feature race at Keeneland will be woefully short of the cutoff to qualify for the May 3rd Run … Continue reading Who Wins The Lexington Stakes?
Barring any last-minute withdrawals, the field for Kentucky Derby 151 on May 3rd is all set. The final pieces fell into place after Tuesday’s $1.25 million dollar, Grade I Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. In that race BURNHAM SQUARE rallied from last to catch pacesetting EAST AVENUE for the Win. RIVER THAMES ran 3rd. All three of those horses earned enough qualifying points to Run … Continue reading Here’s The Derby Field…For Now.
It’s been a bit of a dry spell since the Wood Memorial Stakes last produced a Kentucky Derby Winner. Some might even call it a drought. It was 2003 when FUNNY CIDE ran 2nd in the Wood, (to EMPIRE MAKER) and then went on to Win the Run for the Roses. That said, does Saturday’s Wood Memorial Winner- RODRIGUEZ have what it takes to make … Continue reading Can RODRIGUEZ Win The Derby?
The Blue Grass Stakes was scheduled for Saturday at Kenneland Racetrack. But with a weather forecast that calls for several days of thunderstorms and potential widespread flooding in the Lexington area, the race has been rescheduled for Tuesday, April 8th. Keeneland increased the purse for the 1 1/8-mile, Grade 1 Blue Grass to a record $1.25 million dollars for 2025 and will also distribute qualifying points … Continue reading Who Wins The Blue Grass Stakes?
Tampa Bays Downs has its marquee Kentucky Derby prep race Saturday. Seven 3-year-old colts are entered to compete for a total of 105 Derby points in the 45th running of the $400,000 dollar Tampa Bay Derby. The 1 1/16-mile race distributes points on a 50-25-15-10-5 basis to its top five finishers. Here is a brief look at the field: 1. OWEN ALMIGHTY [ML 5-1] Jockey: Irad Ortiz … Continue reading Who Wins The Tampa Bay Derby?
Prep races are in full swing, owners, trainers and fans are getting caught caught up in Derby Fever- and rightfully so. It was over thirty years ago when a Kentucky Derby hopeful had his Derby dreams dashed on the morning of the first Saturday in May. And even after all these years, when old rail-birds talk about him, his name is usually prefaced with but … Continue reading A.P. Indy…What If?
The road to the 2025 Kentucky Derby goes autobahn come March 1st. Saturday Gulfstream Park will be one focal point on a nation-wide day of prep races as it hosts the 79th edition of the Fountain Of Youth Stakes. The $415,000 dollar, Grade 2 Stakes run at 1 1/16 miles on dirt is the third of four preps at Gulfstream that offer qualifying points to the … Continue reading Who Wins The Fountain Of Youth?
The Road to the Kentucky Derby makes the first of three stops at Gulfstream Park Saturday with the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes. The race will offer 20 qualifying points to the Winner as top 3-year-olds compete to accumulate points and earn a place in the gate for the first Saturday in May. Inaugurated in 1990 as the Preview Stakes, the race was re-named in honor of … Continue reading Holy Bull !
Saturday is the Grade 3, $250,000 dollar Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds. The race is the second of four stops at the New Orleans venue on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. For a race that carried a mere $40,000 purse as recently as 1996, it’s impressive how quickly this contest has developed into an important stop on the Derby Trail. The race is named in honor of … Continue reading The Lecomte Stakes
Prior to 2013 the traditional qualifying factor for horses wanting to participate in the Kentucky Derby was total Graded Stakes purse earnings- the more money an eligible horse Won, the increased chance of entering the starting gate. But beginning in 2013 Churchill Downs refined the classic earnings method in favor of a points based system which revamped the traditional prep races. These prep races were officially … Continue reading Ease On Down The Road (To The Kentucky Derby)
