LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Both the likely field, and perhaps even the likely favorite, for the 139th Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs came into sharper focus Monday, when Code West, Govenor Charlie, Tiz a Minister, and Winning Cause all were officially taken out of consideration for the Derby, and Florida Derby winner Orb turned in an eye-catching workout that, combined with his improving form, may propel him to favoritism over the heretofore acknowledged favorite, the unbeaten Verrazano.
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DRF Past Performances
Officials at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., on Monday released final business figures for the 16-day spring meet that ended Friday, with the obvious high points being records for all-sources total handle ($161,990,603) and attendance (278,415).
The gross all-sources handle at a meet that began April 6 narrowly eclipsed the former record of $158,368,309 set during the 15-day spring meet in 2007. The attendance bettered the former mark of 269,292, set last spring during a 15-day meet.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - All four winners of the six-figure stakes at Hollywood Park on Saturday were homebreds.
The Stulls campaign two of the winners – Doinghardtimeagain and Curvy Cat.
William Ziering bred and owns Kate’s Event, while Donald Dizney is the owner-breeder of Surfcup, who won the $300,000 Snow Chief Stakes under Bejarano.
Surfcup is trained by Baffert. A colt by Unusual Heat, Surfcup has won 3 of 6 starts and $275,800.
ELMONT, N.Y. – The first full week of Belmont Park’s spring-summer meet gets off to a strong start Wednesday, with the $90,000 Owsley overnight stakes flanked by three allowance races.
First post switches to 1:05 p.m. for the nine-race program. The Owsley, scheduled for 1 1/4 miles on the inner turf, is carded as race 7.
Mon, 04/29/2013 - 14:00
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Tom Amoss said he was disappointed with himself far more than with Sum of the Parts when the colt was virtually eased in his 4-year-old debut this winter.
“I didn’t have him ready enough, obviously,” Amoss said. “Since then, he’s really trained well. I think he’ll give a much better account of himself this time.”
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Joel Rosario is going so good these days that even when he finishes second, he wins.
Rosario was aboard Overwhelming on Monday morning when that 3-year-old maiden served as a workmate for Orb in that colt’s final timed drill at Churchill Downs in preparation for Saturday’s $2 million Kentucky Derby.
[DERBY WATCH: Top 20 Kentucky Derby contenders with odds and video]
Believe You Can, the winner of last year’s Kentucky Oaks, will make an appearance on Friday’s Kentucky Oaks undercard in the Grade 2, $300,000 La Troienne Stakes.
On Sunday, she completed preparations for the La Troienne with a five-furlong workout in 1:00.80.
“She did well,” trainer Larry Jones said. “It wasn’t a fast work. She looks like she’s finally starting to settle down and relax.”
Joel Rosario continued his domination of the local jockey ranks by winning five races on the 11-race opening-night program at Churchill, highlighted by a sweep of the late pick four that included the Derby Trial aboard Forty Tales.
Rosario, who will ride here through Derby Day before heading to Belmont Park, set a spring-meet record at Keeneland by riding 37 winners, surpassing the old mark of 32. This is the first time Rosario has ridden regularly in Kentucky.
Perfect Officer, who came within a head of winning the Grade 3 Shakertown at Keeneland for the second time less than three weeks ago, towers over his nine rivals in Wednesday’s closing-day feature at Atlantic City Race Course, the $50,000 Tony Gatto Dream Big Stakes.
The five-furlong sprint goes as race 6 on a seven-race card that closes out the six-day, all-turf mini-meet at South Jersey’s lone remaining racetrack.