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Kentucky Derby Graded Earnings Chart

Updated list of contenders for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), ranked by graded earnings and with connections' information.

Derby Trail: Where They're Going Next

We'll start by identifying a few horses that qualify for the Kentucky Derby but that may or may not compete in the race, and then we'll get into the probables and possibles for the upcoming prep races.

Will Uncle Mo Be Upset? Not Likely

If you watched the final game of the NCAA tournament, you have a feel for the makeup of the Grade I Wood Memorial field, except for one horse.

Derby Trail: Where They're Going Next

With only four weekends left before the Kentucky Derby, there are still dozens of horses in competition for a spot in the starting gate at Churchill Downs. Here's a rundown of next-start plans for 70 individual horses.

To Honor and Serve is Choice in Florida Derby

Sometimes you have to go out on a limb, and I guess today is just one of those days. But I can't help myself, I think To Honor and Serve will win the grade I Florida Derby.

Derby Contenders: Where They're Going Next

While we're well down the road to the Kentucky Derby, we still have a few little races to run--most of them grade I's at a mile and an eighth. Here's a summary of where 56 contenders are going next.

What Will Spiral Toward the Derby?

The Grade II Vinery Racing Spiral Stakes could set up with a traditional handicapping scenario: Early contested speed followed by stalkers with a chance to win. On paper anyway, this is a tough race.

Downey: Can Mucho Macho Man Be Beaten?

There's reason to believe Mucho Macho Man could be beaten in the Grade II Louisiana Derby, but there's also reason to think he'll run well.

Next-Race Plans: Where They're Going Next

It's hard to believe that when this Saturday comes and goes, only six weeks will remain to the Kentucky Derby. Time flies when you're having fun. So here we go--where will the contenders and pretenders be running next.

Downey Profile: Many Factors Sway Rebel Pick

The grade II Rebel Stakes is, frankly, a difficult race to predict. But that doesn't mean we won't try. Let's start out with some numbers. If you didn't like numbers, you wouldn't be reading this in the first place.

Dick's Picks: Jump on Board in Gotham?

It's refreshing and unusual to hear an owner flat-out say in so many words that "we are here to win this race, and I'll be disappointed if we don't," but that's pretty much what Mike Repole said about the Gotham Stakes.

Derby Trail: Where They're Going Next

It feels like halftime in the 2011 Road to the Kentucky Derby. After last weekend, we culled numerous horses from our lists at The Downey Profile. Here are next-race plans--or lack of plans--for 65 horses still on our lists.

Fountain of Youth: It's Upside vs. Experience

The field for the Grade II Fountain of Youth Stakes could be divided into two camps, with four of the entries having a fair amount of starts under their belts and four having limited experience and thus more upside potential.

The Contenders: Where They're Going Next

The first races on the Road to the Roses contest are this weekend. With that in mind, we bring you the current status and/or plans--or lack of plans--of 80 horses maintained on our lists.

Downey Profile: Parity in Risen Star Vexing

In 2010, only two horses shipped over from South Florida to compete in the grade II Risen Star Stakes, producing the winner, but this year there are five such shippers comprising half the field.

Downey Profile: Brethren to Win in the Davis

While Brethren is the morning line favorite in the Grade III Sam F. Davis Stakes, he's a 5-2 favorite, not a 6-5 favorite. Not yet, anyway.

Downey Profile: Holy Bull Has Mucho to Offer

The field for the grade III Holy Bull Stakes on Sunday is solid enough top to bottom that all nine entries are on the lists we maintain at The Downey Profile. And why not, with $400,000 on the line?

Downey Profile: Gourmet Dinner Tries to Sweep

The Florida Stallion In Reality Stakes affords us the opportunity to see a top Florida-bred juvenile in action at Calder on Saturday, Gourmet Dinner.

Downey: Dixiana A Tough Nut to Crack

This large field could produce some surprises, but then again, how surprised could we be at anything that happens when there are six horses with morning lines between 4-1 and 8-1?

New York's 3-Legged Stool Has Collapsed

It's time for well-run, publicly-listed businesses to be allowed the opportunity to buy the NYRA tracks.

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The Downey Profile: Blue Grass Gamble

Question: Which horse in the grade I Toyota Blue Grass has run best on Keeneland's Polytrack?

Downey: Illinois Derby Good Betting Race

The 2010 edition of the grade III Illinois Derby is not a very good race, but it's a good betting race.

Downey: A Play Against Wood Memorial Chalk

Any horse moving on to the Kentucky Derby from the Grade I Wood Memorial will be deprived of competing against a large field on Saturday. Aside from that, this could turn into a rider's race and odd things could happen.

Downey: Lane's End Winner in the Shadows?

Connemara is the early favorite in the grade II Lane's End Stakes, so let's try to beat him with a concise analysis. This is a tough race to handicap, so I will go with value lurking in the shadows.

Downey: At Fair Grounds, It's All Greek to Me

The early pace will definitively shape the Louisiana Derby, and so we should know after about a half-mile if the closers have a chance to win. Will there be enough early lick for that to happen?

Downey: Florida Derby An Upset in the Making?

I'd rather try my longshot and lose than take a short price. There are several quality horses that will offer decent odds.

Downey: Advantage to Lookin At Lucky in Rebel

The pace scenario in the grade II Rebel is neatly arranged. From seven entries, we have one with early speed, one that lags back, and five that can be expected to press or stalk. The stalker that finishes best should win.

Downey: Super Saver, Odysseus Face Home Team

Only seven are entered in the Tampa Bay Derby, but boy, what a tough race--unless Super Saver runs the way he did in his last race--or Odysseus.

Downey: 'Neighbor' Is Big Horse in Sham

I really hope it doesn't rain too hard at Santa Anita on Saturday because I am getting tired of these postponements.

Downey Profile: Derby Graded Earnings Chart

The first Kentucky Derby Graded Earnings list to be released this year has 47 horses listed.

Sham Runners Seek First-Time Graded Win

The grade III Sham Stakes brings together a mixture of local horses looking to break out of maiden and allowance company in a big way.

Tough Southwest Could Now Belong to Home Team

With new positions in a re-drawn Southwest Stakes, the complexion of the race has changed.

Tough Southwest Could Belong to Shipper

He isn't the most expensive horse in the Southwest Stakes, he hasn't raced at the track, and he ships in with a lack of two-turn experience. But he might just win this race.

Rule Goes to School in Uptown Sam Davis

Rule looks to be the controlling pace in Saturday's Sam F. Davis Stakes (gr. III) at Tampa Bay Downs, and his speed figures tower over the competition.

Birthday Boy Tiz Chrome Pick in Lewis

Saturday, Feb. 6, is the third anniversary of Tiz Chrome's foal date, and connections may very well have a birthday party in the winner's circle of the grade II Robert B. Lewis Stakes.

Zayat Stables Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Though he plans to remain in the Thoroughbred business, prominent horse owner Ahmed Zayat said Feb. 3 he has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for his Zayat Stables.

Look for Northern Dancer's in Shadwell Turf

As the grade I Shadwell Turf Mile approaches, we always look to the family of Northern Dancer for influence in this race.

Looking for Upset Horse in Peter Pan

With the focus squarely on three horses at low odds in the Peter Pan Stakes (gr. II), let's see if there's an upset in the making.

Kruytbosch's Memory Lives On at Churchill

On Friday, the day before the opening of Churchill Downs' Spring-Summer meet, Bobbie Jo Porter received a gift. It was a remembrance she didn't expect, but one she cherishes. And it was the simplest of gifts.

Derby Workouts, Schedules--Updated April 25

Concise, collated Kentucky Derby workouts and workout schedules, horse by horse, through April 25.

Lexington Stakes: Looking for the Upset

With Square Eddie the center of attention in the Grade II Coolmore Lexington Stakes, we look for the contenders to upset him.

Flying at the End: These Guys Can Run

One handicapping angle for the Kentucky Derby has been: Whether the horse finished the final 3/8 mile of a 1 1/8-mile prep race in under 38 seconds. Forget about that this year, and here's why.

Downey: Can Hold Me Back Repeat?

At Keeneland, it's often worthwhile to back those with Storm Cat in their pedigree, so Hold Me Back is in focus for the Grade I Toyota Blue Grass Stakes.

'Council' Seeks Revenge in Wood Memorial

The Grade I Wood Memorial looks like a two-horse race, and of course one of them has to be outside the other. On Saturday, Imperial Council gets that advantage as he and Edgar Prado will have their sights set on I Want Revenge and Joe Talamo.

Dunkirk: Divergent Points of View

The fact that we may all look at the same information and come away with different impressions is honed to a fine point with the impending start of Dunkirk in the Grade I Florida Derby.

Will Derby '09 Be Another Trend-Breaker?

They say in the markets, or used to say it anyway, that the trend is your friend. Not always so in the Kentucky Derby, however. Will this be yet another year for a Kentucky Derby barrier to fall? Let's take a look at the past, which is known, and the future, which is unknowable. As the clock tower at The Curragh says, "Time Reveals All."

Lane's End: 'The' Unique Derby Prep Race

Six weeks out from the Kentucky Derby and offering $500,000 in purse money on a synthetic track in Kentucky, the Lane's End Stakes is unique in its offering the first gathering of national stables in the Bluegrass State for a run at the first Saturday in May.

Wet Track in Rebel Could Aid Several

There's a reasonable chance of a wet track at Oaklawn Park on Saturday, and that might help out several entries in the Grade II Rebel Stakes.

La. Derby: THIS Is Why They Run Races

Will Friesan Fire, whom Larry Jones says is "getting very, very good right now," sweep the Fair Grounds sophomore stakes? Will Flying Pegasus move forward in his second start off the long layoff? Will Papa Clem step up in his first race on dirt? Will Patena reward the investment made by IEAH Stables? Now THIS is why they run races.

Downey: A Longshot for the Gotham

Saturday at Aqueduct, we're looking for a horse that might be prepared to move forward the most. Between our top two picks, there's one obvious choice, and one that's maybe not so obvious.