NBC reported ratings for its May 6 Kentucky Derby telecast that were down slightly from 2005 figures, but were in line with the numbers it has received for its Run for the Roses coverage since 2000.
Lawyer Ron is scheduled to have a small chip removed from his right, hind ankle May 12 at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital. The surgery, to be performed by Dr. Larry Bramlage, will force the son of Langfuhr to miss the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) at Pimlico May 20.
NBC Sports said Thursday that copy included in two feature stories presented during the May 6 telecast of the Kentucky Derby was plagiarized from NBC's hit program "The West Wing" by a freelance producer.
Back in January, before Barbaro had ever run on the dirt, Michael Matz was asked if he knew where the name Barbaro came from. He called to assistant trainer Peter Brette: "Hey, Peter, what does the name Barbaro mean?" Brette didn't hesitate with his answer: "Kentucky Derby winner."
Lawyer Ron has a slight ankle injury and is unlikely to challenge Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro in the Preakness, trainer Bob Holthus announced Tuesday at Churchill Downs.
TV Games Network set a one-day handle record of $7,555,958 Kentucky Derby day, May 6. The amount was up 18% from Derby day in 2005.
Yum! Brands, the new presenting sponsor of the grade I Kentucky Derby, said it gained almost $2.7 million in "total comparable exposure value" on air during the May 6 broadcast of the event.
Youbet.com, the online wagering company with headquarters in Southern California, handled $5.6 million Kentucky Derby day, May 6, an increase of 34% from 2005 and the highest one-day amount in the history of the company.
Barbaro, winner of Saturday's Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), arrived safely at his home at the Fair Hill Training Facility in Northeast Maryland after vanning from Churchill Downs. The list of challengers for the Michael Matz trainee in the $1 million Preakness Stakes (gr. I) at Pimlico Race Course on May 20 remains a work in progress.
NBC Sports reported an 8.4 national rating and a 20 share for the race portion (5:45-6:45 p.m. EDT) of its May 6 Kentucky Derby telecast. The rating is slightly down from last year's 9.0/22 national rating for the race portion of the telecast.
For the third year in a row, the compact Mid-Atlantic region has a top 3-year-old involved in the Triple Crown races, and the local racetracks are hoping to capitalize on it.
As trainer Michael Matz savored Saturday's impressive victory by Lael Stables' Barbaro in the Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), trainers of the horses that finished behind the son of Dynaformer reflected Sunday morning on what went wrong and what lies ahead.
Wagering on Saturday's 132nd Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) at Churchill Downs shattered several records, including a North American mark for total betting on a single race, as an on-track crowd of 157,536 saw Lael Stable's unbeaten Barbaro dominate the "Run for the Roses."
Although he has two horses entered in the 132nd Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), with Barbaro considered one of the favorites and Showing Up more of an outsider in the 20 horse field, Roy Jackson remains a cool customer.
On Kentucky Oaks day, if you're lucky enough, try to get down near the winner's circle before the big race.
No horse had won the Kentucky Derby with a five-week or longer layoff since Needles 50 years ago. But Barbaro showed how special he is by remaining undefeated and winning the 132nd running of the race by a wide margin.
Leaning up against pillar on the second floor concourse is horseman Keith Asmussen. He's flanked by a pair of crutches.
There simply are too many highly regarded horses with near-identical running styles to get a good read on this race, which is one of the most puzzling in memory.
Barclay Tagg-trained Showing Up made his way around the Churchill Downs grounds Friday morning, one day after the undefeated Lexington Stakes (gr. II) winner arrived in Louisville, Ky., on a flight from New York for Saturday's Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).
For Churchill Downs Inc. president and chief executive officer Tom Meeker, being what he calls a "caretaker of the Derby" is one of his jobs. But that doesn't mean there can't be change for the world's most recognized horse race, or other aspects of the industry for that matter, he said.
Racing fans in Kentucky and Indiana who can't make it to Churchill Downs will have access to 9 1/2 hours of live coverage May 5-6 on the Horse Racing Radio Network.
Unlike earlier in the week when a possibility of showers was in the forecast for Louisville, Ky., on Saturday, the latest predictions call for partly sunny, cool and dry conditions for the 132nd Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).
One thing the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) has taught us over the years is that the winner can come from anywhere. And the same goes for the winner's sire.
Like any kind of crop, a 3-year-old crop requires time to grow before it can be determined whether it is weak or strong. In racing, people have a tendency to denounce a 3-year-old crop in its infantile stages, and then praise it when it suddenly bears fruit right before the Kentucky Derby.
It's 12:25 p.m. A pair of Derby contenders enter the paddock for some schooling.
In an attempt to dress up the post position selection program for the Kentucky Derby (gr. I), the event was taken downtown this year.
If Sharp Humor wins Saturday's Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), "it might be the largest winner's circle picture of all time at Churchill Downs," said the colt's trainer, Dale Romans.
Bob Baffert, Bob McNair, Bob and John, Bode Baffert, and Beverly Lewis, wife of the late Bob Lewis. There is a distinct theme being played in Barn 33 on the Churchill Downs backstretch, which was a "B" hive of activity Wednesday morning.
Supporters of legislation that would ban the transport of horses to slaughter for human consumption are hopeful the measure will pass Congress this year, a co-sponsor of the bill said May 3. Meanwhile, members of the Kentucky horse industry have united to form the Kentucky Equine Humane Center, a shelter and adoption service for unwanted horses of all breeds.
Three horses, including Florida Derby (gr. I) third-place finisher Sunriver, were excluded when 23 horses were entered Wednesday for Saturday's Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) that is limited to 20 starters on the basis of earnings in graded stakes.
Even with two definite contenders going into the Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), trainer Todd Pletcher remained calm and collected May 3, giving out instructions to exercise riders from his pony in the final countdown to the big day.
The last workout by a candidate for Saturday's Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) was turned in Wednesday when Tampa Bay Derby (gr. III) winner Deputy Glitters was timed in 1:03 1/5 for five furlongs.
At the racing office for the draw for the order of post position draw later today at Fourth Street Live! The atmosphere is almost party like. There are a few nervous faces, but overall most people are in a jovial mood.
The annual Kentucky Derby trainer's dinner brought out a mixture of memories and laughs from conditioners past and present.
Figures don't lie. At the eighth pole in 48 of the last 51 Kentucky Derbys, the winner was either on the lead, within a length of the lead, or running second although more than a length off the leader.
This year's contenders for the Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) come from a mixed bag of beginnings. Homebreds, sale purchases, and privately purchased runners will all be viable contenders come the first Saturday in May.
On Monday, did anybody wish Derby contender Seaside Retreat happy birthday? Someone should have, because May 1 was his foaling date. While all horses foaled in the Northern Hemisphere have the universal birth date of Jan. 1 as their official age of racing, not all of this year's contenders are actually 3-year-olds.
Just days before the Run for the Roses, Gov. Ernie Fletcher made a trip to Churchill Downs to present the first Kentucky Thoroughbred Breeders' Incentive Fund check. The recipients were Mike and Jeanne Owens, owners of Kentucky-bred Sinister Minister, winner of the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) April 15.
The Tex Sutton plane carrying Bob and John, Point Determined, and A. P. Warrior arrived at Louisville Airport at about 11:20 a.m. following an uneventful flight from California.
New York City came to Louisville, Ky.--and vice versa--the morning of May 2 when the opening bell of the NASDAQ stock exchange rang from a fourth-floor porch at Churchill Downs to celebrate Derby week.
Should you adjust your handicapping for this year's Derby to decide who you think might run best on an off track? Well...maybe.
Jockey John McKee shares a chat with Bonnie Holthus back at their barn after Lawyer Ron took a tour of the track Tuesday morning. Bonnie is the wife of trainer Bob Holthus, or "Mr. Bob" as he's called at his base at Oaklawn Park.
"I worked his daddy out of that barn," jockey Robby Albarado said the morning of April 29, pointing to barn 43 on the Churchill Downs backside.
Ask Dan Hendricks the hardest part about his Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) experience, and he doesn't hesitate with his answer.
It's becoming an adventure waiting for jockeys to arrive for morning works. Unlike Kent Desormeaux, who never showed up for Sweetnorthernsaint's work on Saturday, Alex Solis did make it to Churchill Monday morning to work Brother Derek following a flight from Los Angeles to Cincinnati.
Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) winner Brother Derek breezed a half-mile in :49 1/5 over a muddy track at Churchill Downs Monday in his final preparation for Saturday's Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).
Although neither of his horses will be among the favorites for Saturday's Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), trainer Steve Asmussen has a comfort level with how both Private Vow and Storm Treasure are coming into the race.
Late on a rainy, dreary Sunday afternoon, thoughts drift through the years, remembering Derbys of the not-so-distant past.
Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin is no stranger to Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. The 45-year-old Lexington native was a long-time assistant to five-time Derby winning trainer D. Wayne Lukas and last year sent out 71-1 Closing Argument, a surprise runner-up behind Giacomo. This year, the laid-back Kentuckian hopefully has two horses for this year's Run for the Roses in Jazil and Flashy Bull.
If Illinois Derby (gr. III) winner Sweetnorthernsaint wins this year's Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), he would join elite company of eight geldings who have previously won the spring classic.
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