Kentucky Derby News

Midnight Bourbon made all the running in the $200,000 Lecomte Stakes (G3), leading wire-to-wire for Winchell Thoroughbreds and Steve Asmussen in the first of three Kentucky Derby qualifiers at Fair Grounds.
Joe Talamo was up on the Tiznow colt, and Midnight...

On Friday, Oaklawn Park kicks off its racing season and series of Kentucky Derby (G1) preps. The opening day feature, the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes, serves as a stepping stone to the Feb. 15 Southwest (G3), Mar. 13 Rebel (G2), and finally the Apr....

A field of 11 3-year-olds will travel 1 1/16 miles in the $200,000 Lecomte (G3) at Fair Grounds on Saturday. The 2021 Road to the Kentucky Derby challenge series contest will reward the top four finishers of the race with points on a 10-4-2-1 structure...

Although a new year was going to prompt an overhaul of my Kentucky Derby (G1) Top 10 list, a couple of sensational maiden winners made it imperative. They’re certainly not the only promising graduates of late, but both captured my imagination –...

After Souper Sensational impressively won her first two starts in the span of three weeks last fall in Canada, her connections contemplated, but ultimately decided against, another quick turnaround for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1).
An...

Trainer Brad Cox has other Kentucky Derby (G1) hopefuls in his barn in addition to Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) hero Essential Quality, and one of them – Mandaloun – takes his first test on the trail in Saturday’s $200,000 Lecomte...

Top sire Tapit, and global operation Godolphin, are still seeking an elusive first Kentucky Derby (G1) winner. Both could achieve the goal simultaneously courtesy of Essential Quality, who comes from the same female line as Smarty Jones.
Tapit has furnished...

A field of eight fillies and mares will travel 5 1/2 furlongs on the Fair Grounds lawn in Saturday’s $75,000 Nelson J. Menard Memorial S. The well-matched affair features the top-four finishers of the recent Pan Zareta S. on the course, and the...

Fresh off establishing a new single-season progeny earnings record for a North American sire, Into Mischief could be in line for an even greater achievement in 2021. No stallion has sired back-to-back Kentucky Derby (G1) winners, so if Life Is Good –...

Runner-up to stablemate Varda in the Dec. 5 Starlet (G1) last out, Kalypso relished the cutback to one turn in Sunday’s $200,500 Santa Ynez Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita. The Bob Baffert trainee, who went off as the 9-10 favorite after Varda was scratched,...