Kentucky Derby News

5 Fast Facts about the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, a European Road to the Kentucky Derby prep race

Founded in 1853, the race was known through most of its history as the Grand Criterium. It was renamed in 2003 after Jean-Luc Lagardere, a successful businessman,...

5 Fast Facts about the FrontRunner Stakes, a Road to the Kentucky Derby prep race

First staged in 1970 by the Oak Tree Racing Association, the race was known through most of its history as the Norfolk Stakes until Oak Tree lost its lease to race at...

Handicapping the FrontRunner Stakes for a better bet
Santa Anita’s opening-day weekend will feature a bevy of stakes with Breeders’ Cup implications and Saturday’s $300,000 FrontRunner (G1) serves as a “Win & You’re In”...

Saxon Warrior joined two classic pictures on Sunday when posting a 2 1/2-length victory in the Beresford Stakes (Ire-G2) at Naas Racecourse in Ireland.
The Beresford is not only an early lead-up to the Epsom Derby (Eng-G1) next year but also kicked off...

A new pathway to the 2018 Kentucky Derby (G1) will wind itself through Europe over the next six months. The horse that accumulates the most points in the seven-race European Road to the Kentucky Derby series will receive an automatic entry into the Churchill...

The last grade 1 race for 3-year-old dirt males, the Pennsylvania Derby, is being staged Saturday, but there are more runners from this year’s Kentucky Derby field that are instead contesting a grade 3 race many miles to the west this weekend.
The...

5 Fast Facts about the Beresford Stakes, a European Road to the Kentucky Derby prep race

The Beresford Stakes was founded in the middle years of the 19th century. Run over a mile, the Beresford is being run this year at Naas racecourse, in County Kildare,...

Beloved racing icon Penny Chenery, who campaigned 1973 Triple Crown legend Secretariat and 1972 Kentucky Derby champion Riva Ridge, passed away at home in Colorado Saturday. Aged 95, she sustained complications from a stroke.
Although those Meadow Stable...

Patrona Margarita wasn’t expected to win Saturday’s $200,000 Pocahontas Stakes (G2), at least not according to her 23-1 odds. But the dark bay daughter Special Rate paid no never mind to such trivial things as being the fourth longest shot...

…the breeding shed.
That’s right. A lot goes into preparing a Kentucky Derby runner before he/she even enters the starting gate at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May, but the absolute first stop is the breeding shed.
Some may think...