Kempton Park

Fox Hill Farm’s Old Fashioned, a near-consensus early favorite for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I) a month ago, is the morning line favorite to win a rematch with Win Willy, the horse that knocked him from the role of Derby favorite, when the two meet in Saturday’s $1 million Arkansas Derby (GII) at Oaklawn Park.

The Larry Jones-trained Old Fashioned is the 9-5 morning line choice in a field of 10 horses entered in the 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Derby prep.  The son of Unbridled’s Song will attempt to avenge the only loss of his career as he takes on Jer-Mar Stable’s Win Willy, the 56-1 upset winner over Old Fashioned in the Rebel Stakes (GIII) at Oaklawn on March 14.    The Mac Robertson-trained son of 2001 Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos is unbeaten in three races on dirt and is the 7-2 second choice in the Arkansas Derby.

Jockey Cliff Berry was aboard for the Rebel and gets the return call in the Arkansas Derby for Robertson, the 34-year-old son of veteran Chicago-based trainer Hugh Robertson. 

Old Fashioned will have a new partner in the saddle as Terry Thompson replaces New York-based Ramon Dominguez in what Jones described as a one-race deal for the Arkansas Derby.

"Terry knows the track," Jones said.  "He knows when he needs to be in, when he needs to be out. He kind of knows where the groove is. We're expecting him to find that trip to make it play for us."

Another interesting contender is Bo Hirsh’s Papa Clem, who launched his career on the synthetic tracks in California and comes into the Arkansas Derby off a solid effort in his debut on conventional dirt when he raced over a “sloppy” surface in the Louisiana Derby (GII) at Fair Grounds.  Jockey Rafael Bejarano will ride 3-year-old son of Smart Strike.

Others in the field include Lane’s End (GII) runner-up Flying Private, Captain Cherokee, Flat Out, Poltergeist, Ziegfeld, Danger to Society and Summer Bird.

The Arkansas Derby will be telecast live on ESPN from 6-7 p.m. (all times EDT).

KENTUCKY/HOLD ME BACK, UNBEATEN CHARITABLE MAN HEAD TOYOTA BLUE GRASS – Saturday’s $750,000 Toyota Blue Grass (GI) at Keeneland does not have a major marquee name in its field of 11 3-year-olds, but the race is filled with interesting horses that could thrust themselves into the Kentucky Derby picture with big efforts.

The 3-1 morning line favorite is WinStar Farm LLC’s late-developing Hold Me Back, who returned from a long layoff to score an emphatic victory in the Lane’s End Stakes over the Polytrack surface at Turfway Park.  The Bill Mott-trained son of Giant’s Causeway drew post 10 for the 85th running of the Blue Grass, which is also run over Polytrack.

“His race in the Lane’s End was extremely impressive,” said Elliott Walden, vice president of WinStar Farm.  “That had been our focal point and he ran a super race.  Our goal all along was the Lane’s End and the Blue Grass.”

Hold Me Back is unbeaten in three starts over synthetic surfaces and will be ridden again by three-time Kentucky Derby winner Kent Desormeaux.

Close behind at morning line odds of 7-2 is Theregoesjojo, third to Quality Road and Dunkirk in the recent Florida Derby (GI) and the only horse to a hold a win over the former.  Kentucky Derby winner Calvin Borel will ride the Ken McPeek trainee from post three.

Mr. and Mrs. William Warren’s Charitable Man is unbeaten in two races, but the most recent of those was a win in the Belmont Futurity (GI) in September.  Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin’s colt was sidelined by a saucer fracture in a shin last fall, but has trained well for his return to racing in the Blue Grass.  The 4-1 shot will be ridden by Alan Garcia.

While Hold Me Back, Theregoesjojo and Charitable Man are trying to prove that they belong in Kentucky Derby 135, Mafaaz is already guaranteed a spot in the starting gate on May 2 at Churchill Downs.  The British-based colt won the first Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes at Kempton Park in March, which guaranteed his starting spot in the “Run for the Roses."

Richard Hills was aboard Mafaaz at Kempton and will be aboard the colt on Saturday.

Others in the very balanced field in the Toyota Blue Grass include Lecomte (GIII) runner-up Patena; Sam F. Davis (GIII) winner General Quarters; Terrain, third in the Louisiana Derby (GII), Rushaway winner Cliffy’s Future; Tampa Bay Derby (GIII) runner-up  Join in the Dance; Loch Dubh; and Massone.

The Toyota Blue Grass will be televised via tape delay during the ESPN telecast of the Arkansas Derby.

I Want Revenge, Godolphin Horses Arrive at Churchill – Wood Memorial (GI) winner I Want Revenge has settled in at Churchill Downs following his arrival at the track early Tuesday morning following a van ride from New York.

Godolphin’s double-barrelled Derby threats Regal Ransom and Desert Party, the 1-2 finishers in the $2 million UAE Derby, arrived at the Louisville track late Thursday afternoon.  The two colts were scheduled to spent 24-48 hours in quarantine after their trip from Dubai.

EAST/QUALITY ROAD HAS QUARTER CRACK, BUT INJURY RESPONDING WELL – There was something close to a collective gasp early in the week from admirers of Florida Derby and Fountain of Youth (GII) winner Quality Road when trainer Jimmy Jerkens revealed the colt was being treated for a quarter crack.

That foot ailment plagued 2008 Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown and foot specialist Ian McKinlay, who had treated Big Brown, was called in to patch the colt’s injured foot.  Quality Road returned to the track for a gallop on Wednesday and Jerkens liked what he saw.

“You always have to be guarded, but the patch went on there good, he galloped great and came back good,” said Jerkens.  “These things can be a little tricky, but Ian is really confident about it, which is good.”

Quality Road was scheduled to work on Friday or Saturday, depending on weather.

The John Gosden-trained Mafaaz-GB ran down pacesetter Sochcahtoa-IRE in deep stretch and held off a late charge by Spring of Fame to win Wednesday’s inaugural running of the $115,000 Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes by a neck at Kempton Park near London.

In addition to the winner’s share of the purse, the 3-year-old colt earned an automatic spot in the starting gate for the 135th running of the $2 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I) on Saturday, May 2 and a $100,000 bonus should the horse compete in America’s greatest race.

Mafaaz-GB, the 11-2 favorite ridden by Richard Hills, ran 1 1/8 miles over the clockwise Polytrack surface in 1:55.13 in the maximum field of 14 three-year-olds.

The Great Britain-bred son of Medicean-GB out of the Danehill mare Complimentary Pass is owned by Shadwell Farm’s Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum.

Sheikh Hamdan, who campaigned eventual Belmont Stakes winner Jazil to a fourth-place finish in the 2006 Kentucky Derby, won the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs with Horse of the Year Invasor-ARG.

It was Mafaaz-GB’s second victory in three career starts. He won his debut at Kempton Park in September and was fifth in the Oct. 4 Tattersalls Millions at Newmarket, a race won by Gosden’s eventual Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf champ Donativum-GB with Group 1 Racing Post Trophy winner Crowded House-GB in second.

“He’s run a solid race and he’s got good form through Donativum and Crowded House,” Gosden said. “I like the way he finished it out. They were coming at him late but he’s done his job the hard way.”

Mafaaz-GB, one of the 401 three-year-olds nominated to this year’s Triple Crown, is likely to make his next start in the Grade I, $750,000 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 11, three weeks in advance of the Kentucky Derby.

“I would probably think of going to the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland first,” said Gosden, who saddled Zabaleta to a 12th place finish in the 1986 Kentucky Derby. “We’ve got to get into that race, you know, but he is nominated to it. I’d be in favor of doing that and then vanning down the road. If we don’t get into that race, we go straight to Churchill.”

The Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes was an enhancement of a conditions race that was run on the same day last year, and was won by Campanologist who went on to win the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot. The new creation – a partnership between Churchill Downs Incorporated, Kempton Park and Britain’s Jockey Club Racecourses – was announced last September and is designed to encourage international participation in the Kentucky Derby.

The race provides an additional incentive to owners and trainers who in the past may have been hesitant to point toward the Kentucky Derby because of uncertainty over whether their horse would have sufficient graded stakes earnings to qualify for the field.  European contenders, in particular, have been at a disadvantage because their racing season generally gets underway later than the North American schedule and offers few graded stakes opportunities early in the year.

There has not been an international competitor in the Kentucky Derby since 2002, when there were three.  Those horses included the Aidan O’Brien-trained Johannesburg (8th) and Castle Gandolfo (12th), and Essence of Dubai (9th), who competed for Dubai-based Godolphin. Canonero II, based in Venezuela, shipped to Churchill Downs to score an upset win in the Kentucky Derby in 1971 and remains the only horse based outside of North America to win the race.

The $100,000 bonus, if awarded, will be provided by Churchill Downs. The owner of the Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes winner will still be responsible for all fees associated with the race, along with shipping costs. 

POST-RACE QUOTES – THE KENTUCKY DERBY CHALLENGE STAKES

John Gosden, trainer, Mafaaz-GB, winner: “That was great. It was a bold initiative by Churchill Downs. I thought they made it tough on us with a mile and one [furlong] route straight on one bend . . . it was a little rough early on. But we had it in our minds to make a bit of a move on the back straight because the straight is so short. . . . He’s run a solid race and he’s got good form through Donativum-GB and Crowded House-GB. I like the way he finished it out. They were coming at him late but he’s done his job the hard way.

Q: Do you think this was a good test for him with the Kentucky Derby in mind? “Yes I do. You get a bit longer run at Churchill Downs. Probably in my mind I see nothing wrong with making the [Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes] a mile-and-a-quarter and I would bring it back another furlong and have a true trial over the distance. And I’d probably push the race back a few days.”

Q: Is this a little too close to the race? “It’s a little early. If I did anything, I’d probably make it 10 days later and a furlong longer. That’s the way I’d play it.”

Q: Why the addition of blinkers? “Because he’s always lacked a little focus. I thought in the big sales race (the Oct. 4 Tattersalls Timeform Million) with Donativum-GB and Crowded House-GB he was the last horse off the bridle. He played about. He goofed about. At home, he’s done the same quite a bit. He’s a bit of a playboy. I’m a great believer in blinkers for that type of horse. There’s a prejudice about blinkers in this country (England), which is wrong. In America, I can tell you horses like Northern Dancer and Secretariat raced in blinkers. They don’t have a prejudice against it there.”

Q: So what is the intention with him now? Do you go Stateside? “Yes, that would be the intention. I spoke to the manager, who is about to get on an airplane and he’ll talk to his boss (Sheikh Hamdan). [Jockey] Richard [Hills] is flying back tonight and I’ll have a chat with him. But I wouldn’t be at all opposed. I would probably think of going to the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland first. We’ve got to get into that race, you know, but he is nominated to it. I’d be in favor of doing that and then vanning down the road. If we don’t get into that race, we go straight to Churchill.”

Q: The Blue Grass is on Polytrack, which we know he handles. What about the dirt surface in the big one? “Yeah, I agree with you entirely. The thing about the dirt it’s not really the surface they’re going on, it’s the kickback. And that is something you can rehearse to a degree but it’s not the easiest. But he’s got enough tactical speed; he might be able to avoid a fair bit of it. But it’s my experience down the years is that horses can work very well on the dirt but not necessarily race on it because they’re not used to that kickback. You know, you can rehearse it a bit when you’re there. Also, Churchill is a unique track. It’s also been my experience from taking horses there back in the old days that you know very quickly whether or not they’re going to handle that track.”

Q: In terms of his temperament, is he the type of horse that can take all this traveling? “He’s tough. He’s arrogant. He’s not a pussycat. He’s got the right attitude from that point of view. He’s always tried to be in control of us. So, he’s a positive.”

Q: Richard Hills made an important move down the back straight because they slowed it right up? “It was obvious to us from our draw (post 7) why we chopped going into the bend. We weren’t going to be in a great position.  . . . If we could improve our position on the backstraight, although it’s not normal to use a horse at that stage, it was the only way we were going to get back into the race. And that’s the way it turned out.”

- END -

Trainer Larry Jones will be a busy man on Saturday as he send his pair of major contenders for the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I) into important prep races in two states.

Jones’ representative in the 96th running of the $600,000 Louisiana Derby (GII) at Fair Grounds is Friesan Fire, a chestnut son of A.P. Indy who is going for a sweep of the New Orleans’ track’s three major races for 3-year-olds.  Friesan Fire notched earlier wins in the Lecomte (GIII) and the Risen Star (GIII) and is the 5-2 morning line favorite to add the Louisiana Derby to his collection of Fair Grounds triumphs.

Gabriel Saez, who rode the ill-fated runner-up Eight Belles for Jones in last year’s Kentucky Derby, will be aboard Friesan Fire as the colt breaks from the outside post in a field of nine 3-year-olds.  Nowhere to Hide, who was entered in the race and drew the outside post, was also entered in Saturday’s Tampa Bay Derby (GIII) and will scratch from the Louisiana Derby to run in the race at Tampa Bay Downs.

The strong group of opponents for Jones’ star includes Lecomte runner-up Patena, the second choice at 7-2; Giant Oak (4-1), runner-up in the Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) at Churchill Downs but a troubled fifth in the Risen Star; Flying Pegasus (8-1), runner-up in the Risen Star; and California invader Papa Clem (8-1), runner-up to leading West Coast Derby contender Pioneerof the Nile in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (GII) at Santa Anita.

“This is a good field of horses,” said Jones, a native of Hopkinsville, Ky. who also trained 2007 Kentucky Derby runner-up Hard Spun.  “I think who ever wins it definitely is going to come out of here and be a major player in the (Kentucky) Derby.”

Patena raced over synthetic racing surfaces last year in Canada, but rallied impressively to finish second to Friesan Fire in his debut on conventional dirt in the one-mile Lecomte.  He was purchased after that race by a partnership headed by IEAH Stables, the owner of 2008 Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown, and transferred to the care of trainer Rick Dutrow, who guided Big Brown to last year’s win at Churchill Downs.

Robby Albarado, a six-time leading rider at Fair Grounds and winner of the Louisiana Derby in 1998, will be in the saddle aboard Patena.

The field for the 1 1/16-mile Louisiana Derby from the rail out (with jockey) includes Free Country (Kent Desormeaux), Soul Warrior (Shaun Bridgmohan), Patena (Albarado), Terrain (Julien Leparoux), Flying Pegasus (John Velazquez), Giant Oak (James Graham), Uno Mas (Brian Hernandez, Jr.), Papa Clem (Rafael Bejarano), and Friesan Fire (Saez).

The Louisiana Derby is scheduled as the ninth of 12 races on Saturday’s card.

UNBEATEN OLD FASHIONED HEADS REBEL – Fox Hill Farm’s Old Fashioned, the narrow favorite after the opening day of betting in Pool 2 of Churchill Downs’ 2009 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, looms as a heavy favorite to keep his perfect record intact as he faces eight rivals in Saturday’s $300,000 Rebel Stakes (GIII) at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark.

The Larry Jones-trained son of Unbridled’s Song will have regular rider Ramon Dominguez in the saddle as he breaks from the rail post in a nine-horse field in the 1 1/16-mile prep for the Arkansas Derby (GII), the track’s major prep for the Kentucky Derby.

Old Fashioned notched a 3 ¾-length victory over Rebel rival Silver City in Oaklawn’s Southwest (GIII), which was the first start for Jones’ colt since a romp in the Remsen (GII) in November at New York’s Aqueduct.

Silver City’s runner-up finish in the Southwest came in his stakes debut and his first race at a two-turn distance.  He is back for another try and will have Jon Court in the saddle.

Other notables in Saturday’s field include Wise Kid, a rapidly improving colt who is coming off an impressive victory in a 1 1/16-mile allowance race at Oaklawn, and Captain Cherokee, a half-brother to sprint champion Midnight Lute trained by Steve Asmussen.

WEST/PIONEEROF THE NILE FAVORED IN SAN FELIPE – Zayat Stables’ Pioneerof the Nile, the leader of the California-based Kentucky Derby contenders, goes for his third consecutive stakes victory when he faces six rivals in Saturday’s 72nd running of the $200,000 San Felipe (GII) over the synthetic Cushion Track at Santa Anita.

The son of 2003 Kentucky Derby runner-up Empire Maker has scored late-running wins in the CashCall Futurity (GI) at Hollywood Park and the Robert B. Lewis (GII) at Santa Anita in his last two starts.  The 1 1/16-mile San Felipe is Pioneerof the Nile’s final prep for the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby (GI) on April 4.

Trainer Bob Baffert is seeking his fourth Kentucky Derby victory with Pioneerof the Nile.  Baffert’s last win in the “Run for the Roses” came in 2002 with War Emblem.  A fourth Derby win would tie him with D. Wayne Lukas for second on the all-time win list for the classic at Churchill Downs.  Jockey Garrett Gomez is seeking his first Kentucky Derby victory.

The opposition on Saturday includes Shafted, who seeks redemption after finishing a disappointing eighth in the Robert B. Lewis for trainer Mark Casse.  Shafted, a son of 2003 “Horse of the Year” Mineshaft, had scored an impressive allowance win prior to that outing.

Among the horses Pioneerof the Nile defeated in the Robert B. Lewis was I Want Revenge, who finished third and then traveled to New York to notch an 8 ½-length victory in last week’s Gotham (GIII) at Aqueduct in his first race on conventional dirt.

SOUTHEAST/GENERAL QUARTERS MEETS HELLO BROADWAY IN TAMPA BAY DERBY – Former claiming horse General Quarters will attempt to prove that an impressive win in last month’s Sam F. Davis Stakes (GIII) was not a fluke when he faces the highly-regarded Hello Broadway and nine other rivals in Saturday’s $300,000 Tampa Bay Derby (GIII) at Tampa Bay Downs.

General Quarters was claimed out of his career debut at Churchill Downs for $20,000 by owner-trainer Tom McCarthy, a retired high school principal from Louisville, Ky.  The son of Sky Mesa gave McCarthy his first Kentucky Derby hopeful when he romped to his 3 ½-length win in the Sam F. Davis.

“I envision he’ll run a good race,” said McCarthy, who has turned the duty of training General Quarters over to Mark Miller at Tampa Bay.  “Whether or not he wins I don’t know, but he looks like he’s as good as anything in here and he has (three) good races over the track.”

James Lopez will ride General Quarters, who will break from post eight.

The favorite in the race could turn out to be Elizabeth Valando’s Hello Broadway, the runner-up in the Hutcheson (GII) at Gulfstream Park for trainer Barclay Tagg, who saddled Sackatoga Stable’s Funny Cide to win the 2003 Kentucky Derby.  Other contenders include Holy Bull (GIII) runner-up Bear’s Rocket; Warrior’s Reward, runner-up to the unbeaten Dunkirk in a Gulfstream Park allowance; Sumo and Nowhere to Hide.

EUROPE/OVERFLOW FIELD ENTERED IN FIRST KENTUCKY DERBY CHALLENGE AT KEMPTON, WINNER GETS GUARANTEED SPOT AT CHURCHILL DOWNS  – A “who’s who” roster of the top trainers in Britain and Ireland is represented by 23 horses under consideration for Wednesday’s inaugural $115,000 Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes at Kempton Park near London.

Trainers Jim Bolger, John Gosden, Richard Hannon, Mark Johnston, Aidan O’Brien and Dermot Weld each have 3-year-olds aimed at Europe’s 1 1/8-mile clockwise race over Polytrack.

In an unprecedented reward, the winner will earn an automatic starting spot in the Kentucky Derby 135 field and a $100,000 bonus if the horse runs in America’s greatest race.

Triple Crown nominees under consideration (with trainers) for the race are Born to Be King (O’Brien); Close Alliance (Gosden); Duc de Savoie (Weld); Gitano Hernando-GB (Marco Botti); Grand Admiral (O’Brien); Mafaaz-GB (Gosden); and Spring of Fame (Michael Magnusson).

The others are Agente Parmigiano-IRE (Gerald Butler); Akhenaten-GB (Mick Channon); Crackdown-IRE (Johnston); Deposer-IRE (John Best); Haashed (Johnston); Keeptheboatafloat (Karl Burke); Markyg (Burke); Mastery-GB (Johnston); Nashmiah-IRE (Clive Brittain); Redwood-GB (Barry Hills); Saint Arch (Johnston); Shampagne-GB (Paul Cole); Sohcahtoa-IRE (Richard Hannon); Talking Hands-GB (Sylvester Kirk); Vocalised (Bolger); and Weald Park (Hannon).

A maximum of 14 horses will be permitted to start. Final entries and post positions will be determined Monday.  All but Akhenaten, Keeptheboatafloat, Markyg and Spring of Fame would be making their first start of the year.

Eleven of the 23 under consideration have already recorded a victory over a synthetic racing surface (Akhenaten, Close Alliance, Gitano Hernando, Grand Admiral, Haashed, Mafaaz, Markyg, Saint Arch, Shampagne; Spring of Fame; and Talking Hands) and Deposer-IRE was fourth over Keeneland’s Polytrack in the Grade I Lane’s End Breeders’ Futurity last fall behind runaway winner and stablemate Square Eddie.

Wednesday’s Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes will be scheduled as Kempton’s third race at approximately 3:50 p.m. EDT. Mark Johnson, the colorful Englishman who was named Churchill Downs’ new track commentator in mid-January, will describe the action.

The entire six-race card from Kempton Park will be simulcast at select wagering outlets nationwide, including Trackside at Churchill Downs. First post is 2:50 p.m. EDT. Saftote (Phumelela) in South Africa serves as the international tote hub for British racing, commingling wagers back into the host track pools of the UK Tote.

Churchill Downs and Great Britain’s Kempton Park Racecourse have announced a partnership to create a race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds that will provide a clear path for the winner to a starting spot in the field for the 2009 running of the $2 million guaranteed Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I).

The $150,000 Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes (“KDCS”) is a 1 1/8-mile race that will be run clockwise over Kempton’s Polytrack course on March 18, 2009.  In addition to earning a guaranteed spot in the starting gate for the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 2, the KDCS winner will also receive a $100,000 bonus if the horse competes in the Kentucky Derby.

The Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes is designed to encourage international participation in America’s greatest race.  There has not been an international competitor in the race since 2002, when there were three.  Those horses included the Aidan O’Brien-trained Johannesburg (8th) and Castle Gandolfo (12th), and Essence of Dubai (9th), who competed for Dubai-based Godolphin. Canonero II, based in Venezuela, shipped to Churchill Downs to score an upset win in the Kentucky Derby in 1971 and remains the only horse based outside of North America to win the race.

“The Kentucky Derby is naturally a compelling and exciting event, but the presence of international contenders always adds to the anticipation and intrigue surrounding America’s greatest race,” said Steve Sexton, president of Churchill Downs and executive vice president of Churchill Downs Incorporated.  “It has been wonderful to work with Kempton Park and officials of its owning body, Britain’s Jockey Club Racecourses, in this innovative effort to encourage the presence of an international competitor in the starting gate at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May.  A consistent international presence in the Derby will strengthen worldwide interest in our race and, in the long term, boost demand for the event as we work to expand distribution of Kentucky Derby wagering opportunities into new international markets.”

Churchill Downs will provide $90,000 of the purse while Kempton will contribute $60,000.  The $100,000 bonus, if awarded, will be provided by Churchill Downs.  The owner of the KDCS winner will still be responsible for all fees associated with the race, along with shipping costs.  The Triple Crown nomination fee makes the horse eligible for all of the American classics: the Kentucky Derby, the $1 million Preakness (GI) at Pimlico Race Course and the $1 million Belmont Stakes (GI) at Belmont Park.

The race will provide an additional incentive to owners and trainers who in the past may have been hesitant to point toward the Kentucky Derby because of uncertainty over whether their horse would have sufficient graded stakes earnings to qualify for the field.  European contenders, in particular, have been at a disadvantage because their racing season generally gets underway later than the North American schedule and offers few graded stakes opportunities early in the year.

“The Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes at Kempton is a great initiative created by both Churchill Downs and Kempton Park,” said Dermot Weld, who saddled Irish-based Go and Go to win Belmont Stakes in 1990. “If I were to have the right horse for the job I would most definitely target the Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes at Kempton as a qualifying race ahead of the ‘Run for the Roses’.”

“I think the Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes is a great idea and hopefully we will have runners in it,” said Aidan O’Brien, the Irish-based trainer who has saddled 20 Group One stakes winners in Europe thus far in 2008.  O’Brien’s success in travels to the United States includes three victories in the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

“There has long been significant international interest in participating in the Kentucky Derby, but the current system that successfully uses earnings in graded stakes races to determine eligibility to compete has discouraged some international stables from pointing toward our race,” said Sexton.  “The unique structure of the Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes purse will provide the winning owner and trainer with an opportunity to focus on a Derby bid well in advance of the race.  We’ve been gratified by the positive response to the concept from major trainers overseas, and hope the interest generated by a regular international presence in the Kentucky Derby will encourage other owners and trainers to look more seriously at a trip to Churchill Downs for horses displaying the potential to be serious candidates for the Derby and the Triple Crown races.”

The Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes will be run under lights at Kempton Park.  The race is an enhancement of a Conditions race that was won this year by Campanologist, who has since won the Group Two King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot and finished second in the recent Group Two Sky Bet York Stakes at York.

Churchill Downs, the world’s most legendary racetrack, has conducted Thoroughbred racing and presented America’s greatest race, the Kentucky Derby, continuously since 1875. Located in Louisville, the flagship racetrack of Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN) also operates Trackside at Churchill Downs, which offers year-round simulcast wagering at the historic track. Churchill Downs will conduct the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 2, 2009. The track’s 2008 Fall Meet is scheduled for Oct. 26-Nov. 29. Churchill Downs has hosted the Breeders’ Cup World Championships a record six times. Information about Churchill Downs can be found on the Internet at www.churchilldowns.com.