My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
A horse with only three starts, Mage was not favored to win the Derby, but he came on with a decisive run in the stretch and battled Two Phil’s all the way to the wire. Angel of Empire finished third. Mage is an interesting horse and I’ll write more later, but right now Zelda is […]
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With only hours to go before the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby, this morning the favorite, Forte, was scratched after his morning workout. The colt had developed a hoof bruise on Wednesday and state vets found him unfit to compete. This decision came after four horses died at Churchill Downs last week and four […]
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Japan’s Continuar has become the third horse scratched from the Kentucky Derby, following Practical Move and Lord Miles. Trainer Yoshito Yahagi released the following statement tonight: “After evaluating the colt upon my arrival, I feel that he has not been able to reach the peak fitness required to take on a race as tough as […]
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Lord Miles, winner of the Wood Memorial, has been scratched from the Kentucky Derby after his trainer, Saffie Joseph Jr. was suspended from Churchill Downs indefinitely following the unexpected — and unexplained — death of two horses trained by Joseph over the past week at Churchill Downs. “For the betterment of racing, the health and […]
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Yesterday, Equine Ink looked at the Derby entries with the highest Derby points, their starting gate positions and their jockeys. Today, I’m going to look at how breeding might help identify contenders that have the stamina/endurance to perform well over the Derby’s mile and a quarter (keeping in mind that with 20 three-year olds breaking […]
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There are only four more days until the Kentucky Derby (and three to the Kentucky Oaks). With post positions announced yesterday, it’s time to look how the races might shape up. The new 20-horse starting gate installed by Churchill Downs in 2020 has changed the dynamic slightly. Before then, they used a 14-horse gate and […]
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It made be months until the Kentucky Derby but with the release of the 2023 “Official Art of the Kentucky Derby” by international artist, Romero Britto, Churchill Downs has set the stage for this most iconic of races.Known for his vibrant colors and bold patterns that evoke joy and fun, Britto is one of the […]
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The last set of prep races for the Kentucky Derby held a few surprises — both good and bad — which will help shape the final field for the big race. Santa Anita Derby In less than two minutes on Saturday, Taiba (Tay-bah) went from a debut maiden sprint winner with zero Kentucky Derby (G1) […]
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