Sharing with you my fascinating discoveries about Thoroughbred racing, sales, fashion, food, beverage, tips and more.
Welcome to the 143rd consecutive running of the Kentucky Derby! We have waited a long time to get to this historical moment and the time is upon us this weekend. Who will win The Run For The Roses?
Continue reading “Derby Digest”
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It was a big day for Shackleford and Darby Dan Farm yesterday! As part of Horse Country, the same group I book most of my farm tours through, there was a special event, for local fans, on March 18, 2017. Tickets were limited but several area wide farms offered free tours for the day. Hot on the Kentucky Derby trail, I chose Darby Dan Farm!
Continue reading “Shake It Up Shackleford”
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With Kentucky Derby points up for grabs, who will grasp them in the Gotham? The Gotham Stakes, won by greats like Secretariat, takes place once again tomorrow. Ten thoroughbreds will face off to try to arrive at the top of the leaderboard on the road to the KY Derby.
Continue reading “Grasping the Gotham”
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The results are in! Last night, the 2016 Eclipse Award winners were announced. Congratulations to the connections of all the 46th annual award winners.
The Eclipse Awards were originated in 1971. These awards are given to the most elite of North American Racing in 17 horse and human categories as well as media and people worthy of lifetime achievement recognition. The name Eclipse was derived in honor of the great sire Eclipse. Eclipse was foaled during a solar eclipse in 1764. He was sired by Marske and his dam was Spilletta. Eclipse did not race until he was 5 years-old. He was undefeated. He won 18 races consecutively and then retired because he had no one to race with. 8 of his 18 wins were walkovers. He simply had no competition entered in his races because no one dared to try to match him. Therefore, he retired to stud in 1771. He was an amazing stallion. His offspring, of up to 400 winners, have gone on to make him part of the pedigree in most Thoroughbred horses. Secretariat and Phar Lap got their oversized heart from the Eclipse line.
On January, 21, 2017 the 2016 Eclipse Awards winners were announced beginning at 8 P.M. EST at Sport of Kings Theater, part of Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Tickets to attend were $425 or it could be watched via TVG2 or multiple streaming services. Last night’s awards were presented to the best horses, jockeys, trainers, owners, breeders, racing media, handicapper and 2 awards of Merit. The panel of judges was appointed by the Daily Racing Form, the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA). The awards were organized by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and presented by the Breeders’ Cup, the Daily Racing Form and the Stronach Group.
Prior to last evening’s presentation the recipients were announced in the following categories:
Last night we discovered those honored with the remaining awards:
Thank you for all the award recipients for their contributions to the Thoroughbred industry. Also, thank you for the money they raised last night at the live auction during the ceremony. Over $80 thousand dollars were collected for Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. I am proud of all the fine people and horses that make my favorite sport better.
Thank you for continuing to read and share my webpage. My next post will get us up to speed on the upcoming Pegasus World Cup.
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Classic Empire, takes to the dirt at Churchill Downs for the Bashford Manor Stakes.
In the days leading up to the 2016 Kentucky Derby some 2 year-old Thoroughbreds were already in training for 2017’s big race. 3 days short of the 142nd Run for the Roses, on May 4, 2016, Classic Empire broke his maiden at Churchill Downs.
Classic Empire was foaled to Pioneer of the Nile and Sambuca Classica on 3/21/14. Classic Empire has an outstanding pedigree. He is the half brother of American Pharoah by his sire. His dam carries Secretariat in her genes. Classic Empire was bred in KY by Steven and Brandi Nicholson. He is owned by John C. Oxley who purchased him for $475,000 in the 2015 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Oxley’s silks are gold and blue blocks with white stripes on the sleeves and a gold cap. This colt is trained by Mark E. Casse and his current jockey is Julien R. Leparoux.
Classic Empire parades out before the 2016 Bashford Manor Stakes.
Classic Empire is at the top of the leaderboard for the $2 million dollar, Grade 1, 143rd KY Derby. The KY Derby selects its field of 20 horses using a tiered point system they apply to certain qualifying races. Most of the early races award 10 points to win, 4 to place, 2 to show and 1 point for a finish at 4th place. Some important stakes and the later races carry more points, except for the final prep. Nine of these 37 races have already taken place. The first race was held at Churchill on 9/17/16. The last will be held at Keeneland on 4/15/17 and the KY Derby will take place on 5/6/17.
Classic Empire has 30 points. In second, on the leaderboard, is Practical Joke with 14 points. The next 5 horses have half as many points as Classic Empire. I first saw Classic Empire when I went to Churchill Downs for my extended birthday celebration. On 7/2/16, Classic Empire won the Grade 3 Bashford Manor Stakes. He has finished 1st in 4 of his 5 career starts. He did not finish the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes when he was stopped by the outriders after unseating his jockey, Irad Ortiz, Jr. That allowed Practical Joke to win the Hopeful. Classic Empire got his 1st 10 points when he won the Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland on 10/8/16. He gathered a whopping 20 points when he won the Grade 1 Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
Classic Empire blurs through the finish in the Bashford Manor.
The next KY Derby prep race in on 12/10/16. 5 preps take place throughout January. Trainer Casse has reportedly said that Classic Empire will winter in Florida. He will be stabled at Gulfstream Park. The Holly Bull, another KY Derby prep race, takes place at Gulfstream on 2/4/17. Perhaps that will be Classic Empire’s next race?
In the mean time, I will be looking forward to racing at Los Alamitos, in Cypress, California. The 12/10/16 Grade 1 Los Alamitos CashCall Futurity is a one and 1/16th mile race that carries a $300,000 purse and KY Derby points. It is a dirt race for 2 year old colts. Who will pick up the next 10/4/2/1 points and how will the leaderboard change? Then on 12/17/16, California Chrome, who has stabled at Los Alamitos for 3 years will race there himself for the first time. This was a tremendous surprise to Chrome’s fans, after the BC Classic, as we thought his next and last race would be the Pegasus World Cup in January. The Winter Challenge is a race that Los Alamitos developed specifically to attract Chrome to race there once before he headed off for the Pegasus and following retirement. I can never get enough of California Chrome. Check back, you know I will roll out a nice story for my fellow Chromies!
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What would a blog site dedicated to sharing educational information about Thoroughbreds be without multiple references to his legacy and a post all about Secretariat? Without further ado, I bring you a Big Red story.
Secretariat was one of, if not, the greatest Thoroughbred race horses in all of history. Born in Virginia, in March of 1970, this amazingly conformed red chestnut horse by Bold Ruler and Somethingroyal by Princequillo grew to be one of the most treasured animals to ever live. Secretariat became a racing legend. He swept the Triple Crown in 1973, he raked in 5 Eclipse Awards and he became a Hall of Famer. In 21 starts he won 16 races. Secretariat raced from August of 1972 until October of 1973. He ended his racing career on top having won his last 2 races and setting yet another time record.
By 1974, Secretariat produced his first foal and in 1975 he turned out his first crop from his stud career at Claiborne Farm in Kentucky. His legacy is strong today. In fact he is in the bloodline in so many of the best horses today including 6 of the 9 horses in today’s Woodward Stakes.
Secretariat was so great that his entire team became rather famous. His connections are his owners, Meadow Stables with Christopher and Penny Chenery, groom, Eddie Sweat, exercise riders, Jim Gaffney and Charlie Davis, trainer, Lucien Laurin and jockey, Roy Turcotte. Some of these folks will be making an appearance at this year’s Secretariat Festival!
The 9th annual festival will be held in downtown Bourbon County September 16-18, 2016. From Thursday thru Sunday Paris, KY is hosting a festival in honor of Big Red. There will be farm tours, art, food, bourbon, a parade, an auction, autographs, entertainment and more. See the full schedule here: Secretariat Festival. Admission to the festival is free but some activities are for ticket holders only and some fees are included with ticketed events. Most event are in Paris but some of the tours are not and require meeting at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. Claiborne Farm where Secretariat lived his stud career and was buried in October, 1989 is one of the several farm tours. Ashford Stud where Triple Crown winner, American Pharoah is a stallion is also on the list of tours.
The Grade 1 Woodward Stakes, when it was held at Belmont Park, is one of the few races that Big Red didn’t win. That race took place in 1973. Today is an honor that many of his offspring will run that same race, now held at Saratoga. He is in the pedigree of Tapin Mojo, Catholic Cowboy, Bradester, Samraat, Tale of Verve and Frosted. Frosted is the favorite to win. It would be thrilling to see one of Secretariat’s current racers win today!
The $600,000 Woodward Stakes wild be held at Saratoga today. The race is 1 and 1/8 miles (9 furlongs). It is part of the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” challenge. NBC sports network will televise the Saratoga from 5 P.M. to 6 P.M. EST. The Woodward is the 10th race on the card and will post at 5:46 P.M. EST 9/3/16. It is for horses 3 years and older. The race is named for William Woodward, Sr. who developed Belair Stud producing 2 Triple Crown winners, Gallant Fox and Omaha. Be sure to tune in today and thanks for following.
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Woo hoo for the Whitney! The 87th running of the Whitney Handicap will take place tomorrow, August 6,2016 at Saratoga in Saratoga Springs, NY. If I could click my heels and go anywhere right now, I’d be at “The Spa”.
The Whitney Handicap was inaugurated in 1928. It has been at various tracks for different genders, ages and distances historically. Tomorrow, the Whitney will take place on Saratoga’s dirt track. It will be a race of 9 furlongs (1 and 1/8 mile) for horses 3 years old and upwards. 6 Thoroughbreds will compete for the “Win and You’re In” automatic entry into the Breeders’ Cup Classic and the $1.25 million dollar purse. The winner will also receive a blanket made of Marylou Whitney pink roses and a sterling silver chalice trophy with the Whitney family crest.
Considered one of the top Grade 1 races, the Whitney is named for the Whitney family. Historically this family’s contributions to Thoroughbred racing have shaped the industry and blessed us with a vast number of graded stakes winners. Marylou Whitney continues the tradition. She has a home in Saratoga as well as a farm in my hometown, Lexington, KY. The Whitney’s have won their own stakes race 4 times.
Last year’s Whitney winner was Honor Code. Kelso and Discovery each won the race 3 times.
The 2016 Whitney field is as follows by post/horse/jockey/trainer/owner/age:
El Kabeir is a beautiful grey colt by Scat Daddy and Great Venue. El Kabeir ran his first 2 of 15 career starts at Saratoga. He is a multiple graded stakes winner though he has not won in 2016.
Comfort is a colt by Indian Charlie and Unkatzable. Comfort has only raced 7 times and never at Saratoga nor has he won a graded stakes. His jockey/trainer combo won the Whitney in 2013 with Cross Traffic.
Upstart is the son of Flatter, whom I wrote about in my last story when I met him while touring the stallions at Claiborne Farm. Upstart’s dam is Party Silks. Upstart won his maiden at Saratoga on his first start. He has raced at that track 3 times of his 14 career races. He is a multiple graded stakes winner. He was fourth in last year’s Travers.
Frosted is the favorite for the Whitney. He is another lovely grey colt. He is the offspring of Tapit and Fast Cookie. He raced at Saratoga in 3 of his 16 starts. He placed 2nd the 1st two times at that track and third the last time out there. Those races were a maiden, the Jim Dandy and the Travers respectively. He is coming off a strong win at Belmont in June. In 2015 he finished the Belmont 2nd to our Grand Slam winner, American Pharoah. Frosted’s trainer, McLaughlin, won the Whitney with Invasor in 2006.
Noble Bird is the gorgeous horse in the photo. I met him at Keeneland this past April. I caught him with his tongue out as he ate a peppermint. He is the son of Birdstone and Anyhow. Noble Bird is trained by Casse, whom works with one of my favorite fillies, Tepin! She is a Saratoga sales grad. Noble Bird has raced at Saratoga once before in his 16 starts. He is a multiple graded stakes winner.
Effinex is the son of Mineshaft and What A Pear. Effinex has the most experience with 24 career starts. He has raced twice at Saratoga, where he finished 2nd in the Woodward Stakes. He is a multiple graded stakes winner. He was second to American Pharoah in last years BC Classic. His jockey, Smith, won the Whitney in 1993 with Brunswick. The father of James A. Jerkens, the trainer of Effinex, trained Onion who beat the amazing Secretariat in 1973’s Whitney.
As if the Whitney isn’t enough action, there are 11 races on the card Saturday. 5 of those are stakes races and there is another stakes on Sunday. Then the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearling Sale takes place August 8th and 9th while my most favorite horse, Juba, races at Saratoga on the 8th as well.
I part own 5 horses that will be auctioned off at the sale. 3 will go on Monday and the 4th and 5th on Tuesday. This sale is one of the first of the season and finest of sales for yearlings. 252 select yearlings have been catalogued for the 96th Saratoga Sale.
Juba is trained by Jerkens, just like Effinex and has the same jockey, Velazquez ,as Comfort. Juba is a 5 year-old grey son of Tapit and Adoradancer. That is the same sire that Frosted has.
If you are at Saratoga tell me all about it. If you’re watching from a television or computer tune in to NBC Sports for race 10, the Whitney, at 6:18 pm EST on 8/6/16. Find Juba, in race 8 at 5:02 pm EST on 8/8/16. I’m hoping to see it on TVG. Finally, follow along with the Fasig-Tipton sale on http://www.fasigtipton.com
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The Bluegrass State is getting a big dose of some much needed rain today. It was not the best weather for touring but I had a great visit to Claiborne Farm, nonetheless.
Claiborne Farm was established in Paris, KY in 1910 by Arthur B. Hancock. Over a century later it is still operated by the Hancock’s. Seth Walker Hancock, Jr. is the 4th generation Hancock horseman and manager. The farm sprawls across 3,000 acres. The pamphlet, provided at the tour, states Claiborne has had 22 Racing’s Hall of Fame horses, 63 Champions, 17 Horses of the Year, 22 Kentucky Derby winners, 19 Preakness Stakes winners, 22 Belmont Stakes winners, and 29 Breeders’ Cup winners. It also pointed out that half of all Triple Crown winning horses have been sired by their stallions.
Though it has 50 barns my hour long tour just featured a few of those. The first stallion I was introduced to was Orb. Orb is only 6 years old. He won the Kentucky Derby in 2013. He was sired by Malibu Moon and his dam is Lady Liberty. Orb’s 1st crop were foaled in 2015. Kevin, the tour guide, held Orb still so I could pet him. Kevin lives on the farm. His father and grandfather both worked there too. He has an abundance of detailed information on the stallions.
Flatter came out of his stall for a visit. He was foaled in 1999 and Claiborne was his breeder. His sire was A.P Indy and his dam was Praise by Mr. Prospector. Mr. Prospector is buried in 1 of the 3 horse cemeteries on the property. Flatter is the sire of multiple graded stakes winners including Upstart.
Lea is adorable and loves to savor his peppermints. He packs them in his gums and sips water to enjoy the flavor. Lea is a multiple graded stakes winner and is 7 years old. He is the progeny of First Samurai and Greenery. This is his first year at stud.
Blame by Arch and Liable is 10 years old. In 2010 Blame won the Breeders’ Cup Classic and an Eclipse Award for Champion Older Horse. His breeder was Claiborne. He has sired multiple graded stakes winners since 2011.
War Front is the most expensive stud on the farm. The son of Danzig and Starry Dreamer was born in 2002 and won multiple graded stakes. He retired to stud in 2007. Air Force Blue and Hit It A Bomb are some of his 2015 champion offspring. I gave a big hug and he stuck his tongue out! As Twitter’s famous Woodbine Racetrack barn cat, Gator Kitten (@Gatorkitten) would say, he is “to sassys”!
The tour concluded with a visit to one of the cemeteries. Secretariat is one of the most well know Thoroughbreds buried there. He was purchased in 1972 to stand at Claiborne Farm. His stall is currently empty. It is waiting for a pretty special stud to come along.
I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Claiborne Farm. I hope you like the stallion pictures. Tours are available 7 days a week for most days of the year. To arrange your own visit go to Claiborne Farm . Thanks for reading my story. Check back soon for more Thoroughbred news and adventures.
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The 141st running of the Grade I Preakness Stakes will take place this Saturday, 5/21/16. I will be betting on Nyquist (update: that is him pictured above), our latest Kentucky Derby winner! He was just announced as the morning line favorite with 3/5 morning-line odds immediately following the post position draw. Here is the full field:
Post Position: Horse/Jockey/Trainer/Owner/M-L Odds
While the Preakness Stakes is eligible to 14 Thoroughbreds only these 11 will be participating. That is 3 more than last year’s small field when American Pharoah became the 14th horse to take the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. He went on to win at the Belmont Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Classic to become our 12th Triple Crown winner and our first Grand Slam winner. The competition is tough to see if Nyquist can follow in those horseshoes.
Cherry Wine was an “also eligible” as the 22nd horse in a 20 post position race for the Kentucky Derby but he did not get his chance that day. He is a lovely grey late bloomer. It took him 5 starts to break his maiden. His last 2 of 8 career races were graded stakes. He finished 4th in the Rebel Stakes and then 3rd in the Blue Grass Stakes. In all he has 2 wins, 1 place and has come in third twice. American Pharoah won from post position 1 in last year’s Preakness.
Uncle Lino wasn’t in the Kentucky Derby. His last race out was the California Chrome Stakes. He finished 1st place with his only win since he broke his maiden his second start. Out of his 7 races he has been twice at each 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. He has has finished in the top four of all three of his graded stakes, Robert B. Lewis, San Felipe and Santa Anita Derby. His sire is Uncle Mo, making him a half brother to Nyquist and Laoban and Abiding Star.
Nyquist is the favorite and I have written about him a few times if you want a more complete history on him check on my webpage, ThoroughbredU.com. He is undefeated in 8 starts and he wants to keep that title. He just won the KY Derby by 1 and 1/4 lengths on 5/7/16. California Chrome won the Preakness from post position 3 in 2014. Secretariat liked this post in 1973.
Awesome Speed has finished 1st in 4 of his 6 career starts however, he was 4th in his only graded stakes race, the Fountain of Youth. His connections have noted that he has bumped around a lot in his last couple of races. He is a pacemaker in his running style.
Exaggerator ran an exciting late sprint to earn 2nd to Nyquist in the KY Derby. He is 1 of only 3 horses from that race to step up to the Preakness challenge. His sire, Curlin, won the 2007 Preakness. To read more about Exaggerator, look back to my KY derby story.
Lani is the final horse to return from this past KY Derby. This lovely grey son of Tapit finished 9th in the KY Derby. Lani is described in more detail in my former KY Derby story. His dam sire, Sunday Silence, won the Preakness in 1989.
Collected is trained by Bob Baffert. Baffert has won the Preakness with Silver Charm, Real Quiet, Point Given, War Emblem, Lookin At Lucky and American Pharoah. In 6 career starts, Collected has 4 wins and a finish in 2nd place as well. He has won 2 of his 4 graded stakes races. These were the Cecile B. DeMille, Sham, Southwest and Lexington Stakes.
Laoban was the other “also eligible” that missed the KY Derby by a post. One of the 4 sired by Uncle Mo he is a front runner but also he has never won a race! Despite that, his connections have raced him 5 times and 3 of those where graded stakes, the Sham, Gotham and Blue Grass Stakes.
Abiding Star is the 4th and final horse sired by Uncle Mo in this race. He has had an amazing 11 career starts in which he has won 5 times and finished at 2nd and 3rd place each once. It took him 7 times to break his maiden. He has never ran in a graded stakes race, however he is on a five race winning streak.
Fellowship is trained by Mark Casse. He is the trainer of one of my favorite Thoroughbreds, Tepin. Fellowship has had a total of 12 starts. He has finished 1st two times and 2nd and 3rd three times each. He raced at Churchill Downs on KY Derby day in the Pat Day Mile where he finished fourth. That race was his fourth graded stakes race. He is of the Secretariat lineage.
Stradivari is the final horse in the Preakness. He has only been in 3 races. He won the last two. These were not stakes races. To my personal surprise, his trainer Todd Pletcher, despite all his fame, has never won the Preakness. Pletcher was 3rd in 2000 with Impeachment.
Preakness Fun Facts:
I hope everyone finds this info useful and helpful for their Preakness Stakes planning. Check back after the race for another blog post. Go, Nyquist, go! Let’s wish the rain holds off this year.
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It is hard to contain my enthusiasm with only 2 days to go until the 142nd Kentucky Derby. Post time is 6:34 P.M. EST on 5/7/16 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY. The KY Derby Undercard can be watched from 12 PM to 4 PM on NBCSN and then NBC will broadcast coverage from 4 PM to 7:30 PM EST.
The Longines Kentucky Derby has taken place annually since 1875. The race is held on the first Saturday of May. The track is dirt and is raced 10 furlongs, 1 and 1/4 miles. Contenders are 3 year old Thoroughbreds that were selected from a points system in 35 qualifying races. Points are awarded to the 1st four finishers on those races. The first race, on the road to the KY Derby, was the Iroquois held at Churchill Downs on 9/12/15. The last race to qualify in was the Lexington at Keeneland on 4/16/16. Last evening 22 horses drew post positions. 20 will race, the final 2 are “also eligible” if there is a scratch before 9 A.M EST on 5/6/16. The field is as follows:
Post position. Horse/Jockey/Trainer/Owner
Trojan Nation has not even broken his maiden in 6 starts but he received his qualifying Derby points when he finished 2nd in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct on 4/9/16. His dam sire, Summer Squall, was 2nd in the KY Derby in 1990. Ferdinand was the last horse that won the KY Derby from post position 1 and that was back in 1986.
Suddenbreakingnews has raced 8 times with 7 times winning or placing. He is experienced in 3 graded stakes races that are all KY Derby select races. He got his points in the Arkansas Derby, 2nd, and the Southwest Stakes, 1st, while he was a disappointing 5th place finisher in the Rebel Stakes. His dam sire, Afleet Alex, was 3rd in the 2005 KY Derby.
Creator also has 8 starts behind him. He has finished in the top 3 in 7 races. He is a lovely grey son of Tapit. Juba, my favorite horse is sired by Tapit. Lani and Mohaymen are also sired by Tapit. Creator did better in both the Rebel, 3rd, and the Arkansas Derby, he was the winner, than Suddenbreakingnews who ran 5th and 2nd respectively.
Mo Tom has finished 1st or 3rd in 6 of 7 races. He is the offspring of Uncle Mo as are Nyquist and Outwork. Mo Tom ran in 4 KY Derby qualifying graded stakes races and gathered points in each of them. He was 3rd in the KY Jockey Club, 1st in the LeComte, 3rd in the Risen Star and 4th in the Louisiana Derby.
Gun Runner, son of Candy Ride, has participated in 5 races and won all but the KY Jockey Club Stakes when he came in 4th, right behind Mo Tom. He beat out Mo Tom in 2 other graded stakes when he won both the Risen Star and the Louisiana Derby. He shares a trainer with Creator. California Chrome won the KY Derby from post 5 in 2014!
My Man Sam has only raced 4 times. It took him twice to break his maiden and he placed twice since then. He has only been in one graded stakes and he finished 2nd. It was the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on 4/9/16 that gave him his KY Derby points.
Oscar Nominated has finished 4th or better in his 7 races. In his 3rd stakes race he won the Grade 3 Spiral Stakes and earned his KY Derby points. The Ramsey’s are frequent winners at Keeneland and Churchill but they have never had a KY Derby horse yet.
Lani is another Tapit colt. He is also a champ on an international level. He has raced 6 times in Japan and in the United Arab Emirates. It was his win in the U.A.E. Derby that qualified him to “Run for the Roses. In all 142 KY Derbys he is only the 2nd Japan based entry. Ski Captain was the other Japan based horse. He came in 14th in 1995 in the KY Derby with the same jockey as Lani has now, Take.
Destin has 3 wins and 1 show finish is his 5 starts. Two of his 3 graded stakes races were part of the KY Derby prep series. He was 4th in the LeComte, where Mo Tom won, and he was 1st in the the Tampa Bay Derby. He is a pretty grey.
Whitmore will be have the winner of the past 2 KY Derbys on his back, Espinoza! Espinoza won with California Chrome and again with American Pharoah. Whitmore has 2 firsts, 2 seconds and 1 third place finish out of his 6 races. 4 of his races were KY Derby prep stakes. He earned no points in the Delta Downs Jackpot where he finished 5th. He was 2nd in both the Rebel Stakes and the Southwest Stakes. In the Arkansas Derby he finished 3rd. He lost to Suddenbreakingnews in the Southwest but beat him in the Rebel. Whitmore beat Creator in the Rebel too.
Exaggerator has had a whopping 9 starts in his lifetime. 5 of these races were for KY Derby points. He was 1st in the Santa Anita Derby and the Delta Downs Jackpot. He took second in the Breeders’ Futurity. He was 3rd in the San Felipe Stakes and 4th in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He has beat out Whitmore in the Delta Down Jackpot. Nyquist beat Exaggerator in the San Vicente Stakes. Exaggerator’s sire Curlin was 3rd in the 2007 KY Derby.
Tom’s Ready has had 9 starts too. He is a Pennsylvania bred horse. His dam sire, Broad Brush, was 3rd in the 1986 KY Derby. He is owned by the same owner as Mo Tom. He hasn’t won since he broke his maiden his 3rd time out. He participated in 4 KY Derby preps. He finished 8th in the KY Jockey Club. He was 2nd in the LeComte and the Louisiana Derby and 7th in the Risen Star. He finished behind Mo Tom in the KY Jockey Club and the Risen Star but bested him in the LeComte and the Louisiana Derby. Gun Runner has beat him in 3 prep races. Tom’s Ready beat Destin in the LeComte.
Nyquist is the favorite to win and I have agreed with that for some time. I have seen Nyquist on several occasions and written a great deal about him. He is pictured at the top. He is undefeated in seven races. He drew lucky post 13 which is the post he won from in the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, where I first saw him. Three of his races were in the KY Derby prep series, the FrontRunner Stakes, the BC Juvenile and the Florida Derby. He has beaten Exaggerator in the San Vicente and Mohaymen in the FL Derby.
Mohaymen is another lovely grey sired by Tapit. He has raced 6 times and was undefeated until his last race. Nyquist beat him in the Florida Derby where he can in a very unexpected 4th place. His other 3 Derby preps were the Remsen Stakes, the Holly Bull Stakes and the Fountain of Youth Stakes where he dominated them all.
Outwork is a fine colt of Uncle Mo. He has only 4 career starts. He did 2 KY Derby preps. He was 2nd in the Tampa Bay Derby and 1st in the Wood Memorial Stakes, when he beat Trojan Nation. Outwork drew post 15, the post that American Pharoah won from last year! Outwork’s dam sire, Empire Maker, was 2nd in the 2003 KY Derby.
Shagaf has the same trainer as My Man Sam and the same owner as Mohaymen. Shagaf took on two KY Derby prep races in his slim 4 starts. He won the Gotham Stakes but he scored no points in his 5th place finish in the Wood Memorial Stakes. Trojan Nation beat him in his last race.
Mor Spirit is trained by Baffert, winner of last year’s KY Derby. He has 3 1st place finishes and 4 2nd place races in his 7 starts. 5 of these were KY Derby prep races. He was 2nd in the KY Jockey Club, San Felipe Stakes and Santa Anita Derby. Mor Spirit was 1st in the Los Alamitos and Robert B. Lewis Stakes. He has beaten Mo Tom, Tom’s Ready,Exaggerator and Gun Runner.
Majesto has raced 6 times. It took 5 times out to break his maiden but then his next time out he was 2nd in the Florida Derby. Nyquist beat him out that day but he still bested Mohaymen.
Brody’s Cause also has had 6 starts. 4 of them were on the road to the KY Derby. He won the Breeders’ Futurity and the Blue Grass Stakes. He was 3rd in the BC Juvenile and a sad 7th in the Tampa Bay Derby. He has lost to Nyquist, Outwork, Exaggerator and Destin. He has beaten My Man Sam.
Danzing Candy has put in 5 races with 2 KY Derby preps. He won the San Felipe Stakes but was 4th in the Santa Anita Derby. He has lost to but also beaten both Exaggerator and Mor Spirit.
Finally, if there is a scratch by tomorrow morning there are 2 also eligibles and I will add an update if that happens.
KY Derby Fun Facts:
I hope everyone has an opportunity to do something special for the Kentucky Derby. I will be cheering for Nyquist as I could never get enough of watching him win. Just as I mentioned with my KY Oaks story, you may want to bookmark Thoroughbred U for a quick reference for this information on race day. Who is your Derby favorite?
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