Sprinter Sacre out to steal Sandown "While the Gold Cup – over three miles and four furlongs, involving 24 fences – would normally be the highlight of the afternoon, it’s likely most attention will be on the preceding race, the Celebration Chase. "
Nicky Henderson: Sprinter Sacre looks too good not to run at Sandown.The black aeroplane will take on Willie Mullins’s Un De Sceaux in Celebration Chase. Read more at source
According to TimeForm: A fascinating rematch between UN DE SCEAUX and Queen Mother Champion Chase hero SPRINTER SACRE. The latter won that race fairly and squarely, but the prospect of a softer lead will surely help the former no end, and with Sprinter Sacre likely best fresh nowadays, the scales are tilted slightly in Un de Sceaux's favour.
U.S.
4:38 ET Woodhaven S, Aqu, $100,000, 3yo, 1 1/16mT R7 CARD
4:48 ET New Providence S (r), WOO, $125,000, 3+, 6f R8 CARD
4:50 ET Robert Hilton Memorial, CT, $100,000, 3yo, 7f R10 CARD
5:11 ET NY Stallion S (r), Aqu, $100,000, 3yo, f, 6 1/2f R8 CARD
5:20 ET Sugar Maple S, CT, $150,000, 4+, f&m, 7f R11 CARD
5:30 ET ELKHORN S G2, KEE, $250,000, 4+, 1 1/2mT R9 CARD
6:05 ET CHARLES TOWN CLASSIC G2, CT, $1,250,000, 4+, 1 1/8m R12 CARD
8:28 ET GREAT LADY M G2, LA, $200,000, 3+, f&m, 6 1/2f R8 CARD
Note: TDN Rising Star Behrnik's Bank slightly favored in the NY Stallion Stakes in her 3 year old debut. She's the one that won her debut by 18 links and her second race, a listed stakes, by 13, then lost by a nose her third time out. Just couldn't mature enough to get on the Oaks Trail, I suppose, and don't know much more about her, but she sure is fun to watch! Video replays of Behrnik's Bank prior starts, when she was a 2 year old: Debut Nov 4 - Penn NationalStakes debut Nov 25 - Penn NationalNY Stallion Stakes Dec 20
SUNDAY International - Hong Kong
Some familiar faces will contest the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup.
Sha Tin, Hong Kong, post time: 4:35 a.m. EDT (4:35 p.m. HK) 4:35 a.m. EDT Q E II CUP G1, HK Sha Tin US$2,578,324), 3yo/up, 2000mT R8 CARD
If you are up late, or early, try this link to watch the races at Sha Tin: Hong Kong Jockey Club Live Cast
*************************************************** Kentucky Derby TV Schedule
May 4 5:30-6 pm ET Post Position Draw NBC Sports
May 6 12:30-6 pm ET Kentucky Oaks 142 NBC Sports
May 7 12-4 pm ET Derby Undercard NBC Sports
4-7:30 pm ET Kentucky Derby NBC
6:34 pm ET Kentucky Derby 142 Post Time
I have to admit, I am looking forward to buying and reading this book, even though I think, like many of us, I could probably write it myself having lived through every thrill-packed moment. My only regret is not having been able to see him race in person, especially the Belmont, which quite literally took my breath away. I had no idea that Drape was such a wordsmith, given to phrases that conjure up music rather than mere words. Examples:
"It can be difficult to capture the poetic motion of a horse in full flight with written words, but Drape does so admirably. As a young foal, Pharoah is described as 'exuding joy,' with his 'head high, folding and unfolding himself with exquisite balance.' His first open gallop is recounted by his rider as 'at once breathtaking and terrifying.'
"Of his pre-Derby workout, a clocker says, 'he stays in the air longer than any horse, and you get the feeling that there’s not one gear left, but he may have two, three or four gears.' "
"In the Preakness he 'rolled down the lane with the force of a waterfall.'
"The Belmont? Pharoah 'glided into the first turn like a marble circling a roulette wheel' and hit the finish wire 'as if he were walking on clouds.' "
UNDERCARDS - What, When, Where, Who
If you plan to watch all of the racing action on Friday and Saturday, the link below will provide you with a link to the entries for each race. NBC Sports and NBC will cover 90% of the races that take place over the two days, so you can gain some knowledge about these undercard races and hopefully enjoy the TV coverage even more. NBC Sports group sets Derby week TV coverage
Racing schedule - BloodHorse Race Index
This index has a link for entries for each race (Derby Day at Churchill Downs will be posted tonight after draw) over the next several days.
Tapits can be hard to handle, and with the addition of Sunday Silence as the Broodmare Sire, Lani has brought drama to CD. He pulled a similar unconventional workout last week. His jockey this week was quoted as saying he never knows what to expect until the gates open! I have to say, I would be secretly tickled pink if he should upset in the Derby. Can never resist the opportunity for Sunday Silence to show US breeders what they missed by snubbing him. (Note: For any newbies out there, Sunday Silence progeny are close to $1 Billion in earnings! The most successful sire in history.)
The Kentucky Oaks
The ladies deserve a separate post, but barring that, here are a few links to get up to speed. The star attraction, Songbird, was withdrawn for a minor setback, so the Oaks is considered to be "wide open". NOTE: Scroll down past the Horses section for Fillies running in the Oaks and past performances
Industry News DeFrancis emerges as powerful voice for reform
“Barbaro’s injury was not the result of medication use,” he said. “It was just tragic bad luck. But had it been traceable to some form of medication abuse, you can forget about it. Millennials and people of all generations will abandon horse racing so fast it will make everyone’s head spin. That’s why this is so critical and so critical it be done right now. We are in a state of crisis. We are one catastrophic accident away from what would be irreparable damage to sport.”
DeFrancis added that the reputation of American racing elsewhere in the world could not be worse.
“Internationally, we are literally a joke,” he said.
He recounted a conversation he had recently with foreign horsemen.
“Someone said, ‘Don’t you have bleeders in Australia?’ and they all laughed and said, ‘Yeah, we just send them all to the United States,” DeFrancis said. “We’ve become a dumping ground for horses with infirmities. We are fiddling while Rome is burning when we talk about the ability to do this by states all coming together. We’re talking about the states doing something they haven’t been able to do for 50 years.”
Note: It should be pointed out that the only involvement by the Federal government is the establishment or authorization of the Agency, to be an "arm" of the US Anti-Doping Agency (which cleaned up Olympic and Cycling sports) for the Thoroughbred industry. It will be funded by the industry itself, and will not be funded by taxpayer dollars.
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HORSES
Saturday,
Churchill Downs, post time: 6:34 p.m. EDT
KENTUCKY DERBY-GI, $2,000,000, 3yo, 1 1/4m
Post
Horse
Jockey
Trainer
Odds
1
Trojan Nation
Aaron Gryder
Patrick Gallagher
50-1
2
Suddenbreakingnews
Luis Quinonez
Donnie Von Hemel
20-1
3
Creator
Ricardo Santana Jr. Steven Asmussen
10-1
4
Mo Tom
Corey Lanerie
Tom Amoss
20-1
5
Gun Runner
Florent Geroux
Steven Asmussen
10-1
6
My Man Sam
Irad Ortiz Jr.
Chad Brown
20-1
7
Oscar Nominated
Julien Leparoux
Michael Maker
50-1
8
Lani
Yutaka Take
Mikio Matsunaga
30-1
9
Destin
Javier Castellano
Todd Pletcher
15-1
10
Whitmore
Victor Espinoza
Ron Moquett
20-1
11
Exaggerator
Kent Desormeaux
Keith Desormeaux
8-1
12
Tom's Ready
Brian Hernandez Jr.
Dallas Stewart
30-1
13
Nyquist
Mario Gutierrez
Doug O'Neill
3-1
14
Mohaymen
Junior Alvarado
Kiaran McLaughlin
10-1
15
Outwork
Johnny Velazquez
Todd Pletcher
15-1
16
Shagaf
Joel Rosario
Chad Brown
20-1
17
Mor Spirit
Gary Stevens
Bob Baffert
12-1
18
Majesto
Emisael Jaramillo
Gustavo Delgado
30-1
19
Brody's Cause
Luis Saez
Dale Romans
12-1
20
Danzing Candy
Mike Smith
Clifford Sise, Jr.
15-1
AE
Laoban
Cornelio Velasquez
Eric Guillot
AE
Cherry Wine
Robby Albarado
Dale Romans
Following are listed in the order ranked by Steve Haskin's 4-19-16 Derby Dozen blog post. Other prominent sports writers have also weighed in, and links for some of these are posted above. Steve updated his "Dozen", and changes this week to the top Twelve are noted in parentheses in the list below.
Note: Watch the race replay for the Santa Anita Derby and then watch the analysis below.
Visually, Exaggerator looks awesome, and he was, however, in truth the other runners were backing up, making Exaggerator's finish more impressive than it was. The above video analysis demonstrates how your eyes can deceive you in to thinking a horse is better than he actually may be. Also important to remember, he finished behind Nyquist 3 times. 3. MOR SPIRIT Trainer: Bob Baffert Jockey: Gary Stevens
List of all races, some replays https://www.kentuckyderby.com/horses/mor-spirit
POST POSITIONS were drawn today, Tuesday, May 3. Click on each filly for performances, pedigree, and connections
The Oaks, worth $1 million, will be run at 1 1/8 miles, and goes as race 11 on the program. The post time is 5:49 p.m. EDT, and the race will be televised on NBCSN.
