The New York State road to the 2023 Kentucky Derby moves on this Saturday, with the 143rd edition of the $250,000 Grade 3 Withers Stakes. Named after prominent 19th-century owner David Withers, the race was held for the first time in 1874 at Jerome Park. It has been held at several different tracks, but has been run at Aqueduct Park since 1997. Historically held in the spring, the Withers was … Continue reading The Withers Stakes
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
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
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
There are lots of so-called rivalries in sports. But there are few whose status lives on and can stand up to the test of time. It is one small three letter word that is the barometer for these athletic battles that grow more legendary with each passing generation. That word? AND. It’s just that simple. Whenever you cannot name one participant without the reflexive action … Continue reading AFFIRMED & ALYDAR
Three take-a-ways from three of the major players in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes. EARLY VOTING : Jockey Jose Ortiz has ridden the Preakness Stakes Winner in each of his four career starts, but his time with the horse extends well beyond that. When trainer Chad Brown needed Ortiz to work the horse in the morning, he always answered the call, something some accomplished jockeys are reluctant to do. “I’ve been … Continue reading Preakness In The Rear-View
There is no Triple Crown on the line in this year’s $1.65 million Preakness Stakes. But Kentucky Oaks Winner SECRET OATH will face the 2nd- and 4th-place finishers from the Derby. The Preakness is scheduled as race 13 on a card of 14, with a scheduled Post Time of 7:05. Here then is a look at the field. 1. SIMPLIFICATION [ML 6-1] Trainer: Antonio Sano. Jockey: John Velazquez. … Continue reading Creative Secret
Kentucky Derby Winner RICH STRIKE is not running in the Preakness in order to rest up for the Belmont Stakes. Regardless, the 147th running of the $1.5 million dollar Grade 1 Preakness May 21st at Pimlico should still be an exceptionally exciting race. Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks Winner SECRET OATH will attempt to become the seventh filly in history to Win the race, following in the footsteps of … Continue reading Shhh ! It’s A Secret
The $1.5 million, Grade 1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course is the second leg of U.S Thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown, taking place just two weeks after the fabled Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. But what a difference two weeks makes in how horseplayers approach handicapping the two races. The Preakness in contrast to the Derby receives considerably less attention from a trends and angles perspective, with … Continue reading Preakness Trends
As the horse racing faithful are, no doubt, already aware, Kentucky Derby Winner RICH STRIKE will bypass the May 21st Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in favor of a run in the June 11th Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park, announced owner Rick Dawson on Friday. “Our original plan for RICH STRIKE was contingent on the Kentucky Derby,” Dawson said in a release. “Should we not run in … Continue reading No Triple Crown
