The 2023 Road To The Kentucky Derby heads back to the Louisiana portion of the path this Saturday, with the running of the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes. The Lecomte will be run at its customary 1 1/16-mile distance and will have a purse of $200,000 dollars. The race will award 20 points to the Winner on the Road To The Kentucky Derby points schedule. The race is … Continue reading The Lecomte Stakes
Churchill Downs Incorporated announced on Monday that Churchill Downs Racetrack has renewed its relationship Woodford Reserve Kentucky Bourbon. The agreement ensures that Woodford Reserve will be the presenting sponsor of the Kentucky Derby through 2027. Woodford Reserve has been the Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby since 1999 and the presenting sponsor for the past four years. “We are thrilled to welcome back Woodford Reserve … Continue reading Kentucky Derby & Bourbon
As we previously wrote, it was in 2013 that the Kentucky Derby prep races were officially bundled under the banner of The Road To The Kentucky Derby. Otherwise referred to (fondly) as the Derby Trail. The introduction of the prep series has led to a much easier guideline for both horsemen and horse racing fans. The Derby Trail also allows for more focused promotion of hopefuls targeting … Continue reading Prep Season Schedule
In our previous column we wrote about Kentucky Derby Prep races and the point system used to gain entry in order to run on the first Saturday in May. Well, we forgot to mention the minor adjustments that were made to said system last September. Churchill Downs Racetrack officials made slight modifications to the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Points will now be awarded to … Continue reading Prep Amendments
As the two-year-old racing season concludes, the road to the 2023 Kentucky Derby is open and traffic will get a bit heavier as the Prep Races begin in earnest. If you’re new to horse racing you might have questions about how all of this works. Well wonder no more, the Daily Racing Blog is here to help. Here is a basic overview about qualifying for the Run for the Roses. … Continue reading 2023 Kentucky Derby (Never Too Early)
The 2022 horse racing season is coming to a close. There is certainly much to look back on, but for the sake of brevity and attention span, we’ll limit our trip down memory lane to a four race sprint. THE KENTUCKY DERBY: A horse acquired for a claiming tag is not supposed to go on to Win the Kentucky Derby. In fact, no one had done … Continue reading 2022 Racing In Review
The Kentucky Derby is five months away. And while it is still too early to have any horses entered in the annual contest, it’s apparently not too soon to announce the Official Art of the Kentucky Derby. And yes, that’s a real thing. Last week Churchill Downs released the 2023 Official Art of the Kentucky Derby, which will be provided by renowned international artist, Romero Britto. … Continue reading The Art Of The Derby
At 4 feet 11 inches tall and 98 pounds, it didn’t look like Bill Shoemaker could lug a couple bags of groceries, let alone control a head-strong Thoroughbred Race Horse a dozen times his weight. 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 … Continue reading ‘The Shoe’
The Daily Racing Blog wishes the incomparable Johnny Velazquez a belated Happy Birthday. The Hall Of Fame jockey celebrated his 51st lap around the solar track yesterday (Thanksgiving). A native of Puerto Rico, Johnny V as he’s affectionately known, is Thoroughbred racing’s all-time leading money Winning jockey, with career purse earnings of more than $446 million from 6,357 Wins. A Winner of three Kentucky Derbies, Velazquez has Won … Continue reading Belated Birthday Greetings
Monday we wrote about the racing rivals, today The rider. 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 … Continue reading The Kid Is 62
