146th Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve

The final fixture of the regular season for Fulham falls on Derby Day this year, so guess where I'll be?
First things first. The track has ordered a brand new, 20 stall starting gate that will make it's debut at this year's Run For The Roses. It will eliminate the need for the six stall auxiliary gate that's been in service since 1942, and the main, 14 stall gate, which was first used the year before...yep, 1941. Eleven horses have won from the auxiliary gate since it's first Derby use in 1965. It was needed 38 times for the Derby, every year since 1988. But no more. The new gate is expected to arrive from the Australian builders in early April.
https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-ra...ill-to-debut-20-stall-gate-for-kentucky-derby
As of right now, 347 three year olds are nominated to the Triple Crown races, but, of course, there are but four or five dozen, at best, still considered probable starters. We're in the middle of the major prep races, so the 47 that the Derby offal has ranked will be whittled significantly, starting this weekend. There are 3 Saturday, the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields near Berkeley and two divisions of the Grade II Risen Star Derby at The Fairgrounds in New Orleans. The Real has not produced a Derby winner, but the winner gets into the Preakness. The Star drew 23 entries, thus the two races, both of whom the winner will get 85 Derby points and $400,000. The favorites are Enforceable for the first race, and Anneau d'Or in the second, but I'm following a horse with local connections. Major Fed is trained by a long time fixture at Churchill Downs, Greg Foley. His son and mine played ball in middle school together. Greg's dad, Dravo, was also a long time CD trainer. The Downs based trainers rarely get the chance to train a 3 year old talented enough to be considered a Derby contender, so Fed's a long shot. But I'm crossing my fingers that one of the good guys who works his tail off can get a little Derby glory for us home folks.
But the reality is that somebody like Bob Baffert, Todd Pletcher, Mark Casse or Steve Asmussen, whom are based in California, New York, Florida and Texas, respectively, will win.
Here's the link to the kentuckyderby.com leaderboard, which has 47 horses listed at the moment.
Enjoy!
https://www.kentuckyderby.com/horses/leaderboard

 

Here’s my boy working out in NOLA.

 

My horse, Major Fed, finished 2nd in the second division of the Risen Star Stakes at The Fairgrounds in N'awlin's Sat-dee. The winner, Modernist, is now second in the Derby points standings. Mr. Monomoy, the winner of the first division, is atop the current leaderboard. Major Fed is 8th, having earned 20 points for his runner-up finish. It looks like he'll earn enough points/earnings to make it into the 20 horse field, but.....the big name Derby preps are on the horizon. Major Fed and the other horses who earned points last weekend in New Orleans will most likely meet in the Louisiana Derby on March 21st. There are three big races on March 7th: The Gotham at Aqueduct in New York, the Tampa Bay Derby in Florida and the San Felipe at Santa Anita in California. Throw in the Fountain Of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park in Florida on Feb. 29th, the Florida Derby at the same oval on March 28th, the Sunland Derby in New Mexico (remember Mine That Bird?) on March 22nd, the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, the Santa Anita Derby AND the Bluegrass Stakes at Keeneland in Lexington, all on April 4th, and, well, you get the idea. A lot to be decided between now and the evening of April 11th, when the last two races with Derby points available, the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland and the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn are run.

 

Well now... Whilst awaiting the next big weekend of Derby preps on March 7th, a funny thing happened in a race in...Japan. Before we get too far down the road, an explanation. Three years ago Churchill Downs created the possibility of a horse qualifying for the Derby, from Japan. The next year, they created a similar route to Kentucky for one from Europe, If a horse accumulates enough points from the designated races on their continent, one, or both would be extended an invitation to one of the twenty post positions. To date, only Master Fencer from Japan has qualified and started the Derby. He finished 6th last year under Julien Leparoux.
Back to the present. The winner of Sunday's Hyacinth Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse was won by three year old named Cafe Pharoah. You can probably guess who his sire is: 2015 Triple Crown Champion American Pharoah. Cafe is now 2 for 2 in his young career, and lapped the whole field after breaking last. That's hard to do at any age, anywhere. Here ya' go.

 

A brief Derby update. Mr. Monomoy, the winner of the first division of the Risen Star Stakes in NOLA on Feb. 15th, is off the Derby trail with a minor ankle injury. He'll be sidelined for at least 60 days and is back at WinStar Farm near Versailles, Kentucky to rest and heal. If that sounds like a long time for an ankle, remember that horse ankles and legs are relatively spindly compared to the bulk and weight they must sustain.
Ete Indien has leapt to the top of the standings based on his victory in Saturday's Fountain Of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park in Florida. That one is worth 50 points, one of the highest. One of the lowest is tomorrow at Kempton Racecourse, in far southwest London, The Road To Kentucky Condition Stakes.
It's only worth 20, so the winner is a long shot anyway. My horse, Major Fed, is back up to 8th with the loss of Mr. Monomoy from the field. Again, three big 50 pointers Saturday in Florida, New York and California.
Stay tuned.

 

Bob Baffert's Authentic has leapt to the top of the Derby standings by virtue of his win in the San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita Saturday. That race is worth 60 points (don't ask me how they determine the point assignments, smh). Mischievious Alex won the Gotham Stakes and 50 Derby points Saturday, while long shot (49-1) King Guillermo won the Tampa Bay Derby over heavily favored Sole Volante, who added 20 points to his previous 10 with a runnerup finish. Guillermo is not currently nominated to the Triple Crown, so his 50 points won't count unless and until he is. It's my understanding that nominating a horse at this point is quite expensive, into the mid six-figures range, but that doesn't seem to bother most of the well heeled owners.
This weekend the biggest prep is the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas, a fifty pointer.
Due to three new horses cracking the top ten this week, my horse, Major Fed, has dropped to 12th. He runs again March 21st in the Louisiana Derby at NOLA's Fairgrounds. That winner gets 100 points. There are six 100 pointers after that one: the UAE Derby and the Florida Derby, both on 3/28, the Wood Memorial, the Bluegrass Stakes and the Santa Anita Derby on 4/4, and the Arkansas Derby on 4/11. Those seven will most likely sort out the field of 20 that heads postward on May 2nd. Stay tuned....

 

Churchill Downs has scheduled a 9:00 a.m. announcement via teleconference for tomorrow morning (Tuesday, March 17th, 2020) about the "timing" of the 146th Kentucky Derby and the 146th Kentucky Oaks. At least one state based source is reporting that it will be postponed until Saturday, September 5th, 2020. Whether or not that date is accurate remains to be seen, but it will almost certainly not run on the first Saturday in May for the first since 1945, when it was run on Saturday, June 9th due to World War II.

 

Official.

https://www.kentuckyderby.com/updates

 

A quick Kentucky Derby update, which will now be run (fingers crossed) on Saturday, September 5th, 2020. Tiz The Law and Ete Indien occupy 1st and 3rd in the current standings by virtue of their 0ne-two finish in the Florida Derby on March 28th. Louisiana Derby Division 2 winner Wells Bayou is in the 2nd spot. 4 of the 5 remaining major Derby preps have been postponed, the lone holdout being the Arkansas Derby, scheduled to run now on what would have been this year's Derby Day, May 2nd. My horse, Major Fed, is still in the field of 20 at this point, at 15th, but with only 30 points. Like everything else, the situation is fluid, and who knows who'll be in or out come Labor Day. I'm sending an email this week to enquire about the new starting gate the track ordered specifically for the Derby, a 20 staller from Australia. It was scheduled to be in the first of this month but, with the delay, who knows now? There's certainly no rush to get it ready, that's for sure.

 

...was supposed to be today. Just a reminder, it's now scheduled to run on September 5th, 2020. There were two divisions of today's Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, which was moved from April 11th to today. Two Baffert horses, Charlatan and Nadal, won the divisions handily and will most surely move up the Derby standings.

 

Excellent question sir. Technically, not until January 1, 2021. Regardless of their actual foaling date, all thoroughbred’s ages are calculated from the beginning of the year in which they were born. That being the case, most breeders attempt to time the arrival of such animals as close to that date as possible. They don’t risk getting too close, however, for several reasons, the primary one being money. If a colt has a chance at the Derby, every day’s worth of maturity at such a young age (3 year olds are considered young teens in human development) is critical. American Pharoah was foaled on Feb. 2, 2012. Justify was foaled on March 28, 2015, but he grew quickly into a massive colt, weighing between 1270 and 1380 pounds during his Triple Crown campaign and standing 16.3 hands (5 ‘7”). Smarty Jones, on the other hand, stood 4’11” and hovered around 1,000 pounds. He was foaled on Feb, 2, 2001.
Long answer, but bottom line is, as long as the race is run before New Year’s Eve, everybody is considered a three year old.

 

Well pony lovers, the last Derby preps have finally been run. For the record, it was the Pegasus at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, NJ. Pneumatic won the 20 available Derby points in that one, putting him at 11th in the final Derby rankings. New York bred Tiz The Law is the prohibitive favorite, and rightfully so, after big wins in the Belmont Stakes and the August 8th Travers Stakes at Saratoga. My horse, Major Fed, finished 2nd in the Indiana Derby on July 8th to get 8 points and solidify his position in the 20 horse field at #15. There will be changes between now and Sept. 5th, but not many, as most starters have finished all of their preps. But, they do continue to train, and with such fragile legs, ankles and hooves, it doesn't take much to knock a horse out of the starting gate. The entire team of connections that were behind 2003 champ Funny Cide are back with Tiz The Law: Sackatoga Stable, on Lake Ontario in North Central New York, and their trainer, Barclay Tagg. They passed on last fall's Breeders' Cup in California at Santa Anita to prepare for a Triple Crown run. Looks like a good strategy at this point. There's another local horse with local connections that's generated a buzz in recent weeks.
Art Collector has won two races in Kentucky since the Derby was moved from May to September, including the Bluegrass Stakes at Keeneland in Lexington and the Ellis Park Derby, the track I grew up near in Henderson. His owner is Northern Kentucky attorney and entrepreneur Bruce Lunsford, and his trainer, Tommy Drury, runs the Skylight Training Center, about five miles northeast of my dwelling. He's got a better chance than Major Fed, but I don't know either gentlemen like I know Greg Foley and his son. So I'm sticking with the Major. He'll be an extreme long shot, but that's what makes it fun, right? Lawd, if that horse comes in....the pah-tay will be LEGENDARY!
The most recent news from the track is that only 25% of the facility's seating capacity will now be utilized. No general admission, no standing room, no infield crowd, so, it will look might different on the TV. The other thing to watch for is the brand new, 20 stall starting gate the Downs ordered from Steriline Racing just outside of Melbourne, Australia, exclusively for this race only. The current main gate dates to 1941, the auxiliary gate to '42, so it's really a big deal. It could make for an even more congested start than normal when twenty 3 year olds (early teenagers in people years), come busting out on even terms for the first time ever for the mile and a quarter jaunt around the dirt. 6:50 p.m., Eastern (approximate, always in horse racing) post time on Saturday, September 5th on NBC. Be there or be trapezoidal. I'll be there again, too, my first occurring in 1982. I think I've only missed one. Although I'm not the biggest horse racing fan by any means, I try not to take it for granted that I get to be at the biggest one on the planet...and I'm getting paid for it!
Not too shabby....

 

For those of you who might be interested, the Friday before Derby Saturday is almost as big a day in Louisville as Derby Day. This is due to the running of the Kentucky Oaks, the Derby equivalent for three year old fillies. Although fillies are eligible for the Derby, most owners and trainers prefer to run in the Kentucky Oaks, which has also been contested since 1875. 40 fillies have run in the Derby. Three have won: Regret in 1915, Genuine Risk in 1980 and Winning Colors in 1988. The current Derby points system makes it difficult for fillies to get in now. The Derby and the Oaks are the oldest continually contested sporting events in U.S. history. The Oaks is an eighth of a mile shorter than the mile and a quarter Derby, which means it starts further up the home stretch of the track, next to the grandstand and closer to the clubhouse and finish line.
There is a full field of 14 horses currently scheduled to run in the 146th Kentucky Oaks. Swiss Skydiver is the favorite at 5-1, which means there should be some good betting value for the other contenders. Two fillies are at 10-1: Speech, winner of the Grade I Ashland Stakes at Keeneland on July 11th, and Crystal Ball, who's only 13th in points, but happens to be trained by some fella named Bob Baffert. Baffert has won 3 Oaks, in addition to his 5 Derbies.
Post time for the Longines Kentucky Oaks is 5:45 p.m., Eastern on Friday, September 4th. TV is NBCSN. Might as well sign up for it early since NBC has the Premier League US coverage contract through the 2021-22 season. Since Fulham will be in it at least through next season, pull the trigger baby!

 

I had to post this today. The young man on the left played middle school basketball with my son Nathan. They’re displaying the saddle cloth for their stable’s first ever Kentucky Derby starter that they received from Churchill Down’s racing Secretary this morning. I’ve got goose bumps.

 

Real breaking news:
https://www.wave3.com/

https://www.kentuckyderby.com/

 

It’s Derby Week!
And there’s already been an early scratch.
Carcaro was pulled up during a gallop out by his exercise rider after a work late last week at Saratoga. They determined the colt had an issue somewhere in his right front leg, possibly a ligament strain. The rules allow his spot to be filled at this point by another “on the bubble” horse. That will most likely be the Todd Pletcher trained Dr. Post, who has an impressive 80 qualifying points.
Post position draw is 11 a.m., Eastern, tomorrow, Tuesday, September 1st. It will be streamed live on the Kentucky Derby YouTube channel, as will the PP draw for Friday’s 146th Kentucky Oaks in about, oh, 15 minutes.

 

Local entry and 3rd favorite Art Collector out of Derby 146.

 

Just a reminder of how fragile these horses truly are.

 

All righty ladies and germs... In case you missed it (and shame on ya' if ya' did), here are the post positions for the now 18 three year old colts that will run for the roses Saturday evening....AND everything you need to know about what the results mean.

https://www.kentuckyderby.com/horse...-about-the-2020-kentucky-derby-post-positions