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)
Over four decades (can that be right?) removed from his sensational jockey career, Steve Cauthen lives the life of a typical Thoroughbred insider in his hometown of Verona in Northern Kentucky. Best known for capturing the 1978 Triple Crown aboard AFFIRMED, Cauthen had established himself as a potential superstar in his first full year as a jockey in 1977. He was honored for that season with three Eclipse Awards—outstanding apprentice and journeyman … Continue reading He’ll Always Be ‘The Kid’
At 4 feet 11 inches tall and 98 pounds, it didn’t look like Bill Shoemaker could ride a ten-speed Schwinn, let alone control a head-strong, 1200 pound Thoroughbred Race Horse. Still, Shoemaker personified that mysterious bond between horse and rider. He communicated with an innate light touch on the reins, coaxing the horse into the action, gentling it with his hands. Horses would always run for Shoemaker, … Continue reading ‘The Shoe’ Was Tough As Leather
There is at least one racing term that immediately inspires respect, and admiration from people in the racing industry and from those with little knowledge of the sport – the Triple Crown. The difficulty of capturing the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, at three distances, on three tracks, all in the span of five weeks is not hyperbole. The task is such a tall … Continue reading The Triple Crown 70’s
BARNES an unraced 2-year-old colt has been entered by trainer Bob Baffert in a 5 ½-furlong Maiden Special Weight sprint at Churchill Downs next Wednesday (11/27). The start will be Baffert’s first at the Louisville track since Churchill Downs announced in July of this year that it was lifting their imposed three-year suspension. This was the moratorium that kept the trainer from racing in the … Continue reading Baffert Back At Churchill
The Road to the Kentucky Derby is under going a bit of construction in 2025, but there will be no delays. The $500,000 dollar Virginia Derby held at 1 1/8 miles will be run on March 15th during a special four-day spring meet at Colonial Downs. The contest has been added to the Road to the Kentucky Derby Championship Series. The series consists of select … Continue reading Road Work Ahead
Jason Kelce is a former NFL star, and will work for the world leader of ignorance in sports- ESPN next season analyzing professional football. Football, it would seem, is something Kelce can speak about semi-intelligently given that he played the game. Kelce also is a co-host of a podcast with Taylor Swift’s boyfriend. And even though ESPN has a long-storied history of hiring ex-athletes that don’t … Continue reading Village Idiot
It seems as though the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission stewards judge the Derby differently than they would an Allowance race on Thursday afternoon. There was obvious bumping in the stretch run between runner-up SIERRA LEONE and 3rd-place finisher FOREVER YOUNG and the actions of Tyler Gaffalione aboard SIERRA LEONE as the wire approached – appearing to straight-arm FOREVER YOUNG like a running back shedding a … Continue reading Why No Stewards Inquiry?
The 2024 Kentucky Derby is just two weeks away, so horseplayers need to start getting ready. Whether you’re a novice or a railbird, the time is now to start ramping up the handicapping- you need to be sharp, and mentally alert in order to checkout past performances and discover hidden trends. The Daily Racing Blog has found a delicious way to to be up to … Continue reading Java For Jockeys
