Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands

The roster of 3-year-old Thoroughbreds nominated to compete in the classic races of the American Triple Crown has grown by one with the addition of Charles J Cella’s Cyber Secret, who was omitted from the initial roster of 397 early nominations because of a clerical error.

This year’s 398^th nominee is a Kentucky-bred son of Broken Vow trained by Lynn Whiting, who scored his only victory in a Triple Crown race with W.C. Partee’s Lil E. Tee in the 1992 Kentucky Derby (Grade I).  Cyber Secret collected his second win in four career starts in a 5 ¼-length victory in a 1 1/16-mile allowance race at Oaklawn Park on Feb. 4.  He started his career with trainer Chad Brown, but was transferred to Whiting when the colt was purchased privately by Cella after a seventh-place run behind WinStar Farm’s unbeaten Triple Crown nominee Gemologist in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (GII) on Nov. 28 at Churchill Downs.

Officials at Churchill Downs said information on Cyber Secret was not added to the list of early nominees after a Triple Crown representative took the nomination at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. prior to the close of the early nominations for the three-race series.  Stewards at the Louisville track approved the addition of the colt’s name to the list of early nominees, which was released to the public on Saturday, Feb. 4.

This year’s early nomination period, during which each nomination was accompanied by a $600 fee, closed on Saturday, Jan. 21. A late period for nominations – which requires each nomination to be accompanied by a $6,000 fee – will conclude on Saturday, March 24.

The 2012 Triple Crown series begins on Saturday, May 5 with the $2 million-guaranteed 138^th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.  The second jewel of the Triple Crown is the 137^th running of the $1 million Preakness Stakes (GI), which will be run on Saturday, May 19, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.  The American classic series concludes with the 144^th running of the Belmont Stakes (GI) on Saturday, June 9 at New York’s Belmont Park.

All three Triple Crown races will be televised by NBC Sports and are scheduled to be broadcast on radio by the Horse Racing Radio Network (HRRN).

The new early nomination total for the 2012 Triple Crown races is a 9.3 percent increase over the 364 early nominees for the three-race classic series a year ago.  The roster of 2012 early Triple Crown nominees is the largest since 2009, when 412 3-year-olds were made eligible during the early period.

Brisnet is providing free online past performances of all the 2012 Triple Crown nominees in PDF format at http://www.brisnet.com/brisnet_promos/TC12noms.pdf.                                 

Champion 2-year-old Hansen and Union Rags, separated by a head in a thrilling 1-2 finish in the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (Grade I), and unbeaten Algorithms, who stepped into the spotlight with a five-length win over the champion in the Holy Bull (GIII) at Gulfstream Park, top a large roster of 397 horses made eligible during the early nomination phase to compete in the three classic races that make up American horse racing’s elusive Triple Crown.

The first race in the series of classic races for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds – the $2 million-guaranteed 138^th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) – is set for Saturday, May 5, at world-famous Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.   The second jewel of the Triple Crown is the 137^th running of the $1 million Preakness Stakes (GI), which will be run on Saturday, May 19, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.  The American classic series concludes with the 144^th running of the Belmont Stakes (GI) on Saturday, June 11 at New York’s Belmont Park.

All three Triple Crown races will be televised by NBC Sports and are scheduled to be broadcast on radio by the Horse Racing Radio Network (HRRN).

The nomination total for the 2012 Triple Crown races is a 9.1 percent increase over the 364 early nominees for the three-race classic series a year ago.  The roster of 2012 early Triple Crown nominees is the largest since 2009, when 412 3-year-olds were made eligible during the early period.  This year’s early nomination period, during which each nomination was accompanied by a $600 fee, closed on Saturday, Jan. 21. A late period for nominations – during which each nomination must be accompanied by a $6,000 fee – will conclude on Saturday, March 24.

Hansen, owned by Dr. Kendall Hansen and the Sky Chai Racing partnership, completed a perfect three-race campaign with his narrow front-running victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs.  Along with a 13 ¼-length victory in the Kentucky Cup Juvenile over synthetic Polytrack at Turfway Park, that victory earned Hansen the Eclipse Award for champion 2-year-old of 2011.  Maker’s colt suffered the first setback of his young career in his runner-up finish in the one-mile Holy Bull on Jan. 29, his first start of his 3-year-old season.

Union Rags, a son of Dixie Union owned by Chadds Ford Stable, suffered his only setback in four races in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.  The bay son of Dixie Union is trained by Michael Matz, who saddled Barbaro to win the 2006 Kentucky Derby, and scored stakes wins in the Champagne (GI) and the Saratoga Special (GII).

Algorithms, owned the Starlight Racing partnership headed by managing partner Jack Wolf, burst onto the road to the Triple Crown with an impressive five-length victory over Hansen in the Holy Bull.  That race was the debut in stakes competition for the Todd Pletcher-trained son of 2006 Preakness winner Bernardini and his third in as many starts.  He has won his three races, including a maiden victory last June at Belmont Park and a pair of wins this year at Gulfstream Park.

Other winners of major stakes races on the list of early Triple Crown nominees include CashCall Futurity (GI) winner Liaison; Creative Cause, third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and winner of the Norfolk (GI) and Best Pal (GII); Hopeful (GI) winner Currency Swap; Dixiana Breeders’ Futurity (GI) winner Dullahan; unbeaten Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) winner Gemologist; and Delta Jackpot (GIII) winner Sabercat.

Brisnet is providing free online past performances of all the 2012 Triple Crown nominees in PDF format at http://www.brisnet.com/brisnet_promos/TC12noms.pdf.

Of this year’s 397 nominations, 344 are colts and there are 37 geldings.  The list also includes 10 ridglings.

Horses bred in Kentucky again dominated the roster of Triple Crown nominees.  Of the 297 nominees, 303 were born in Kentucky.  Florida was next with 27 horses, followed by New York with 13 and California with 12.  Fourteen of the nominees were produced outside of the United States, a number that includes six horses bred in Ireland.

The list of nominees includes six fillies, and that group is headed by Anita Cauley’s On Fire Baby, winner of the Golden Rod (GII).  She ran third to Triple Crown nominee Junebugred when she faced males in Oaklawn Park’s Smarty Jones on Jan. 16.

Ahmed Zayat’s Zayat Stables LLC leads all owners with 13 nominees to the 2012 Triple Crown.  Robert LaPenta is next with 10 and Klaravich Stables Inc. has nine nominees, either on its own or in partnerships.

Five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Todd Pletcher, who scored his first Kentucky Derby victory with Super Saver in 2010, led trainers for the third consecutive year with 32 Triple Crown nominees.  Pletcher was tied at 20 atop last year’s list with Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who ranks second 21 nominated horses.  Steve Asmussen and Nick Zito are next with 15 nominees, and Dale Romans nominated 14.

There is a tie atop the roster of leading Triple Crown sires between two-time Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI) winner Tiznow and Unbridled’s Song, each with 12 Triple Crown nominees.  Malibu Moon and Street Sense, the winner of the 2007 Kentucky Derby whose first crop of foals are 3-year-olds, share the next spot with 11 nominees.   War Front sired 10, with Hard Spun and Smart Strike next with nine.

The Kentucky Derby field has been limited to 20 starters since 1975, and accumulated earnings in prestigious graded stakes races along the “Road to the Triple Crown” have determined the field for the 1 ¼-mile classic since 1986.  The field for the Preakness, the 1 3/16-mile second jewel of the Triple Crown, is limited to 14 starters, while Belmont Stakes, the “Test of the Champion” and finale of the series at 1 ½ miles, permits a maximum field of 16 horses.

A Triple Crown sweep – one of the most difficult feats in all of sports – has been accomplished on just 11 occasions: Sir Barton (1919), Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1942), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977) and Affirmed (1978). Fifty other horses have finished one win shy of the honor.

The 2011 Triple Crown races yielded three different winning horses and the connections of each of the winners experienced their first victories in the coveted series.

Animal Kingdom, owned and bred by the Team Valor partnership headed by Barry Irwin, scored an emphatic victory in the Kentucky Derby to kick-off the 2011 Triple Crown.  The winner was trained by H. Graham Motion and was ridden by jockey John Velazquez, who picked up his winning mount the day before the race. Mike Lauffer and W.D. Cubbedge’s Shackleford, fourth in the Kentucky Derby for trainer Dale Romans, held off the surging Animal Kingdom by a half-length at Pimlico to win the Preakness under jockey Jesus Castanon. The Belmont Stakes went to George and Lori Hall’s Ruler On Ice, a late nominee to the Triple Crown who had been excluded from the Kentucky Derby field because of insufficient earnings in graded stakes races.   The son of Roman Ruler won by a half-length under jockey Jose Valdivia Jr. and provided trainer Kelly Breen with his first success in a Triple Crown race.

The current 33-year streak without a Triple Crown winner is the longest in the history of the series.  The previous record was a 25-year gap between the Triple Crown earned by Citation in 1948 and Secretariat’s stunning sweep in 1973.

For a complete list of horses nominated to the Kentucky Derby and 2012 Triple Crown, click here.

For a look at leading trainers,  owners and breeders of 2012 Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown nominees and other statistical categories, click here.

Headed by the 138^th runnings of the $2 million-guaranteed Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I) and the $1 million-guaranteed Kentucky Oaks (GI), Churchill Downs’ schedule of stakes races for its April 28-July 1 Spring Meet will feature 24 events, total stakes purses of $7.275 million and an emphasis on ‘big event’ programs that include the first nighttime running of the multi-stakes event headed by the Stephen Foster Handicap, one of America’s top races for older horses.

All but one of the 24 Spring Meet stakes events has achieved graded stakes status, and five are Grade I contests topped by the Kentucky Derby, America’s greatest race, and its companion Kentucky Oaks.  The Grade I roster is rounded out by the $500,000-added Woodford Reserve Turf Classic and $300,000-added Humana Distaff, both set for their 26^th runnings on the Kentucky Derby Day program, and the Stephen Foster Handicap, which will carry a purse of $400,000-added when it makes its first appearance beneath Churchill Downs’ permanent lights when the 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds and up is run for the 31^st time on Saturday, June 16.

The spring schedule of stakes races at Churchill Downs features four multi-stakes race programs.  Total stakes purses for the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks programs, each featuring six stakes events, will be the largest in the history of those great American races.  Six stakes contests on the Derby Day program on Saturday, May 5, offer total purses $3.525 million, up from last year’s then-record of $3.4 million. Overall stakes purses for Kentucky Oaks Day, Friday, May 4, will surpass $2 million for the first time as its half-dozen stakes races are now worth a collective $2.05 million.  Oaks Day stakes purses hit the $2 million mark for the first time in 2011, when the value of the Kentucky Oaks, America’s top race for 3-year-old fillies, doubled to $1 million.

The value of stakes purses for the 2012 Spring Meet is down slightly from last year’s of total of $7.325 million for 25 races.  Purses for three 2012 races on the popular Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks Day programs have been increased, headed by a $100,000 boost for the Grade II Churchill Downs Stakes, a race for 4-year-olds and up at seven furlongs that is now worth $400,000-added.  Purses for five Spring Meet stakes races were adjusted downward, including a $100,000 reduction for the Stephen Foster Handicap and a $50,000 decrease for the Fleur de Lis Handicap (GII), a 1 1/8-mile race for fillies and mares ages three and up that is set to return from a one-year hiatus with a $150,000-added purse as one of four stakes races on the Stephen Foster Night program.

Nine of the 12 Spring Meet stakes races outside of its blockbuster Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks programs are scheduled to be run in prime time on a Saturday night.

"Our 2012 Spring Meet Stakes schedule at Churchill Downs is exciting in terms of the high quality events and wonderful possibilities offered to the fans who enjoy those races and the owners, trainers and jockeys who compete in them,” said Kevin Flanery, president of Churchill Downs Racetrack. “Our fans who support Churchill Downs racing at our track, through TwinSpires.com and other advance deposit wagering platforms, and at simulcast centers have shown us that they love big-event programs, so we’ve added a fourth multi-race stakes card to the schedule.  We’re eager to see how stakes races on each of our four ‘Downs After Dark’ night racing programs enhance those Saturdays of racing under the lights.

“But our stakes purses are basically flat to last year’s total, and we’ve had to do some adjusting within our available purse funds to make the overall schedule of our top races as attractive as possible to both horsemen and racing fans. The schedule continues to offer strong events in every division of horses, but the lack of growth in those purses continues to reflect the challenges Churchill Downs and Kentucky’s horse industry face in the continued growth of direct gaming competition from neighboring and other racing markets that benefit from gaming revenues.”

The 2012 Spring Meet will kick off on Saturday, April 28 with the “Opening Night” celebration under the lights that launches both the spring racing session and Kentucky Derby Week.  The evening’s racing highlight is the 88^th running of the $200,000-added The Cliff’s Edge Derby Trial (Grade III), the one-mile race for 3-year-olds that is the final major prep for the Kentucky Derby.  Last year’s debut of “Opening Night” attracted 38,142 fans, which was the largest crowd in the short history of night racing beneath the Twin Spires and a record for a non-Derby/Oaks/Breeders’ Cup program.

All four night racing programs during the Spring Meet are scheduled on Saturdays and will, for the first time, feature graded stakes races along their array of “Downs After Dark” dining and entertainment options.

A quartet of stakes races with total purses of $750,000 is set for the Stephen Foster Handicap “Downs After Dark’ night racing program on Saturday, June 16.  Along with its main event and the return of the Fleur de Lis, Stephen Foster Night will offer a pair of Grade III contests in $100,000-added Matt Winn, a 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds, and the $100,000-added Regret for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles on grass.  A trio of $100,000-added stakes races is set for the “Downs After Dark” celebration on Saturday, June 2. And the “Downs After Dark” finale on Saturday, June 30 will feature the historic 111^th running of the $100,000-added Bashford Manor (GIII) for 2-year-olds at six furlongs.

Other changes in the purse or status of races on the 2012 Spring Meet stakes schedule include:

• Purse hikes for two Kentucky Derby Day stakes races: a $100,000 boost to the Churchill Downs Stakes (GII) making it worth $400,000-added, and a $25,000 increase for Twin Spires Turf Sprint Presented by GE - Appliances & Lighting (GIII), which now has a purse of $125,000;

• The $300,000-added Alysheba Presented by Besilu Stables on Kentucky Oaks Day has been elevated to Grade II status, and the purse for the ungraded Edgewood Presented by Kentucky Naational Insurance on the same day has jumped to $150,000-added, an increase of $50,000;
• The purse for the Firecracker Handicap (GII), the featured event on the meet’s closing day program on Sunday, July 1, has been reduced by $25,000 to $150,000-added;
• Purses for the $100,000-added Regret and $100,000-added Matt Winn on Stephen Foster Night were reduced by $25,000 each;
• Two stakes run in 2011 – the $100,000-added Dogwood (GIII) for 3-year-old fillies and the $100,000-added Jefferson Cup (GIII) for 3-year-olds on turf – are on hiatus for at least a year.

Click here for the complete 2012 Spring Meet Stakes Schedule

Churchill Downs will permit four also-eligible entrants to the $2 million guaranteed Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I), America’s greatest race, and the $1 million guaranteed Kentucky Oaks (GI), the nation’s premier race for 3-year-old fillies, beginning with the respective 138^th runnings of those races in 2012.

For the first time in the recent history of those races, the new system allows as many as four horses to remain eligible to compete in each race beyond the official time of entry and one or more of the “also eligible” horses could be allowed to run in their respective race if members of the original fields for their races scratch from the race within a specified period of time.  A maximum of 20 horses is allowed to compete in the Kentucky Derby, the 1 ¼-mile race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds conducted each year on the first Saturday in May, while the Kentucky Oaks, the Derby’s 1 1/8-mile counterpart for fillies run on the eve of the Derby, is limited to 14 starters.

Entries for the Kentucky Derby are due the Wednesday before the race, while Oaks entries are taken on the Tuesday before its annual Friday renewal.  Also-eligible horses would be permitted to compete in the Kentucky Derby or the Kentucky Oaks if there are scratches from either race prior to their shared official “scratch time” of 9 a.m. (Eastern) on Friday, Kentucky Oaks Day.  That time is the opening of wagering on the Kentucky Oaks Day racing program and the beginning of preliminary betting on the Kentucky Derby.

In the event of a scratch or scratches from either race, preference among also-eligible entrants would be determined under the current eligibility system for the Derby and Oaks.  Horses with the highest total earnings in graded stakes races would “draw-in” to the field for their respective race.  If the total entrants for either of those races should exceed the maximum field size plus four, the four horses listed as also-eligible entrants would be determined by the same system.

“There has been significant discussion in recent years regarding also-eligible entrants for the Kentucky Derby and Oaks, especially in light of the late scratches of Derby favorites I Want Revenge in 2009 and Uncle Mo from this year’s running,” said Kevin Flanery, president of Churchill Downs Racetrack.  “Our concerns have always focused on preliminary wagering on the Kentucky Derby permitted during our Kentucky Oaks Day racing program, including refunds of wagers on scratched Derby horses and potential confusion during those two special days among our massive crowds of bettors.

“Also-eligible horses for Oaks will have nearly three days of opportunity to get into their race, while the Derby’s window for also-eligible entrants to participate is just under 48 hours. We feel strongly that the deadline for also-eligible horses to join the Derby field must be set before preliminary wagering on the race begins.  Despite the more limited window for also-eligible horses for the Derby, this system provides owners and trainers an opportunity to keep their Derby dreams alive that has never existed before.”

Equibase past performances for also-eligible horses for the Kentucky Derby and Oaks will appear in racing programs along with the original fields for the two races.  As many as four also-eligible horses outside of the Kentucky Derby’s 20-horse field would be listed, in order of preference, with program numbers 21, 22, 23 and 24.  Kentucky Oaks also-eligible fillies would be numbered between 15 and 18, also in order of preference.

In the event of a scratch from either the Kentucky Derby or Kentucky Oaks fields, horses in post positions outside of the scratched horses would move in a spot and the also-eligible horse would then occupy the outermost position in the starting gate.  Also-eligible entrants are not required to compete in either race in the event of a scratch.

The decision to permit also-eligible entrants to the Kentucky Derby will allow that possibility for the first time since a two-year period in the early 1980’s.  Churchill Downs adjusted its Kentucky Derby rules in 1982 to allow up to eight also-eligible entrants, but reversed that policy following the 1983 “Run for the Roses.”  Twenty horse fields were entered in the Derby in each of those years, so the also-eligible rule never came into play.

The historic track first imposed its 20-horse Derby field limit in 1975 after a record 23 Thoroughbreds competed in 1974’s Centennial Derby won by Cannonade.  The field was limited to the 20 3-year-olds with the highest career earnings,but following a 1981 legal challenge that enabled 21 horses to run in the Derby won by Pleasant Colony, Churchill Downs established its current policy to restrict the field to the 20 horses with the highest career earnings in graded, non-restricted stakes. 

FLINT HAS KENTUCKY DERBY DREAMS FOR BASHFORD MANOR WINNER EXFACTOR – Exfactor, an impressive 2 ¾-length winner of the Bashford Manor (Grade III) beneath the Twin Spires in July, is back in serious training after taking the summer off and the colt’s autumn activity has veteran trainer Bernie Flint dreaming about a special day at Churchill Downs in the spring.

The gray colt son of Exchange Rate breezed four furlongs on the fast main track at Churchill Downs on Saturday morning in :48.40.  The move pleased Flint, who hopes Exfactor has what it takes to become his first career starter in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI).

“What we’re trying to do is get him to the Kentucky Derby,” Flint said. “That’s what everyone is trying to do. Whether we get there or not is another question.”

Exfactor recorded fractions of :11.80 and :23.40 in a work that was the third fastest of 40 at the distance.

Stoneway Farm LLC’s Exfactor raced three times at Churchill Downs during the 38-day Spring Meet. He finished second behind Sum of the Parts in his career debut and then broke his maiden by 4 ½ lengths in his second start. The Bashford Manor win was the third start for Exfactor and then he was turned out. He recorded his first work in nearly four months at Churchill Downs on Oct. 30.

“He was tired so we turned him out at the farm for a few months,” Flint said. “Nothing was wrong with him; he just needed a break. I want a fresh horse for next spring, not a burnt-out horse for the winter.

“All the 2-year-olds that ran all summer and in the Breeders’ Cup are tired,” Flint said. “You have to stop on them sometime and give them a break, but when are you going to stop on them now? You can’t.”

Flint, who is fourth all-time in training wins at Churchill Downs with 433, strongly believes that young horses should be given plenty of time to develop and was reminded of this the last time he went against his own philosophy with a precocious 2-year-old.

“I learned my lesson with Unbridled Express. We beat (eventual Kentucky Derby winner) Street Sense in a maiden race (at Churchill Downs). I thought we’d run him seven-eighths and then run him long, so we brought him (Unbridled Express) back in the Hopeful (GI). He ran third behind Circular Quay and Scat Daddy and came out of the race with a cracked pastern.

"The writing is on the wall,” Flint said. “You’ve got to give those (young) horses a break.”

Unbridled Express would return to the track six months after the Hopeful to run second in an allowance at Oaklawn Park prior to an eighth-place finish in an allowance at Churchill Downs. The latter was the final start of his career.

Flint has since not steered away from his philosophy and now that Exfactor has had his rest and relaxation it is time to start looking for a spot for him to return to the races.

“He worked really well today and we’ll bring him to Fair Grounds with us and put him in a stake somewhere,” Flint said. “I’m not exactly sure where he’ll run though.”

Bred in Kentucky by Bo Hirsch LLC, Exfactor was purchased at the 2010 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearlings Sale for $27,000. His lifetime earnings currently stand at $109,348.

MISSION IMPAZIBLE WORKS TOWARD CLARK HANDICAP – Twin Creeks Racing Stables LLC’s Mission Impazible, a narrowly-beaten runner-up earlier this year in the Stephen Foster Handicap (GI) Presented by Abu Dhabi (GI), breezed five furlongs Saturday in preparation for a run in the $500,000-added Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (Grade I) to be run beneath the Twin Spires on Nov. 25.

The Todd Pletcher-trained son of Unbridled’s Song covered the distance on the fast main track prior to the renovation break in 1:00.80.

Working on his own, Mission Impazible recorded fractions of :12.40, :24.40, :36.60, :48.40 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:14 and seven furlongs in 1:28.40. The five-furlong work was the sixth fastest of 47 at the distance.

“I’m happy with the work,” assistant trainer Michael McCarthy said. “He’s always been a decent work horse, but I thought today was a nice move for him. The track seemed to be playing a little slow today, but he still went well. He likes this track.”

Mission Impazible, who finished a neck behind Pool Play in the Stephen Foster Handicap, will enter the Clark off a ninth-place finish as the 2-1 favorite in the Fayette (GII) on the synthetic Polytrack at Keeneland.

"I think the only excuse is that he didn’t handle the Polytrack,” McCarthy said. “I would draw a line through that race.”

Mission Impazible could face a very tough group of horses in the Clark as the list of nominations for the 137^th running of the 1 1/8-mile race includes several Grade I stakes winners, led by Jockey Club Gold Cup (GI) winner Flat Out, Belmont Stakes (GI) winner Ruler On Ice and defending Clark winner Giant Oak.

The race is always a pretty decent heat, but this year’s race could be very good,” McCarthy said.

Mission Impazible, whose career is highlighted by wins in the Louisiana Derby (GII) and New Orleans Handicap (GII), has a record of 3-4-2 in 14 lifetime starts and earnings of $948,563.

SCOTUS RETURNS TO CHURCHILL DOWNS IN SUNDAY ALLOWANCE – Scotus, winner of the Matt Winn Presented by Emirates Equestrian Federation (Grade III) at Churchill Downs in June, returns to the site of his most prestigious victory in Sunday’s featured ninth race, an allowance/optional claiming event for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles on the main track.

Peter Callahan’s Scotus has raced three times since his Matt Winn triumph, finishing seventh in the Jim Dandy (GII) at Saratoga, fifth in the Smarty Jones at Parx and most recently third in an allowance race over at Keeneland’s Polytrack.

“He’s doing really well and he likes it here (at Churchill Downs),” trainer Ken McPeek said. “This should be a good spot for him.”

Scotus, a 3-year-old son of Successful Appeal, was hindered by a wide trip after breaking from post 12 in his most recent start at Keeneland.

“He ran well, but got hung extremely wide around both turns,” McPeek said. “He probably would have won that race with a better post.”

Scotus appears to have drawn a “better post” for Sunday’s race at Churchill Downs and will break from post six under Manny Cruz in the field of nine.

WHO’S HOT – The hottest jockey over the last five racing days (Nov. 5-11) is Julien Leparoux (11-for-36). Mike Maker (6-for-18) is the hottest trainer over the same period. Ken and Sarah Ramsey (4-for-13) is the hottest owner.

WORKTAB – John Oxley’s Spirited Miss breezed five furlongs on a fast main track at Churchill Downs on Saturday morning in 1:02.40 for trainer Mark Casse. Spirited Miss, who was second by a head in the Mazarine at Woodbine in her most recent start, is nominated to the $150,000-added Golden Rod (Grade II), which is to be run at 1 1/16 miles on the main track beneath the Twin Spires on Nov. 26.

CHURCHILL TRAINERS LIKE 1-2 DERBY RUNNERS IN THE BELMONT – Trainers based at historic Churchill Downs have had the opportunity to see many of the contenders for the 143^rd running of the $1 million Belmont Stakes (GI) up close and personal.

The top seven finishers in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) will run in Saturday’s Belmont; three of which are based at Churchill Downs: Zayat Stables LLC’s Nehro (second), Michael Lauffer and Bill Cubbedge’s Shackleford (fourth) and Tom Walters’ Santiva (sixth).  Also based at Churchill Downs is Donald Adam’s Prime Cut, third in the recent Peter Pan (GII) at Belmont Park.

After following the Triple Crown races and observing many of the Belmont contenders condition beneath the Twin Spires, many trainers on the Louisville track’s backstretch have made up their minds as to who will win the third jewel of the Triple Crown and the majority are thinking Animal Kingdom or Nehro.

“Animal Kingdom will win the Belmont,” trainer Paul McGee said. “I picked him in the Derby and the Preakness (GI) and I’m going to stick with him.”

Trainer Steve Margolis, who collected his 100^th win beneath the Twin Spires earlier in the meet, likes Animal Kingdom as well. “I’ll be rooting for Graham (Motion) and Animal Kingdom and I think he’ll win,” Margolis said. “But I also like Master of Hounds as a longshot possibility.”

“It’ll be a good race, but I don’t think anyone will beat Animal Kingdom,” trainer Scooter Dickey said.

Trainer Jimmy Baker, who has won with four of his 14 starters this meet, believes one of the favorites will cross the line first in the Belmont. “I like the favorites in the race,” Baker said. “Nehro will be fresh, Shackleford will be the pace and may hold on, and Animal Kingdom will be running at the end. One of those will win it.”

"How can you not like Animal Kingdom?,” said trainer Tom Amoss, who is currently tied with Dale Romans for second in the trainer standings with nine wins at the meet.

Trainer David Carroll is also in Animal Kingdom’s corner. “Animal Kingdom will win tomorrow (Saturday),” Carroll said.                                   

The other Belmont contender who has a lot of support on the Churchill Downs backstretch is Nehro.

“I like Shackleford and Animal Kingdom, but Nehro will be fresh and I think he’ll win,” trainer Bret Calhoun said.

Garry Simms, who has won with three of his ten starters this meet, also picked Nehro. “I hope Shackleford wins, but I’m going with (Steve) Asmussen’s horse (Nehro),” Simms said.

"I like Nehro and I think he’ll like the distance (1 ½-miles),” trainer Helen Pitts-Blasi said.

Trainer Dallas Stewart was one of the few trainers to not select Animal Kingdom, Shackleford, or Nehro. “I think a longshot is going to win,” Stewart said. “I just don’t know which one.”

Tom McCarthy, who will saddle General Quarters in Friday’s featured ninth race, was unsure of who will win Saturday.

“Anyone’s guess is as good as mine,” McCarthy said. “It’ll be a good race and we’ll just have to wait and see.”

CAPT. CANDYMAN CAN INJURED, PROBABLY OUT FOR THE YEAR – Rosemary A. Rauch and David Zell’s Capt. Candyman Can is expected to miss most or all of the remainder of the 2011 racing season after apparently suffering an injury during his third-place run behind Noble’s Promise in last week’s $100,000-added Aristides (GIII) at Churchill Downs.

Trainer Ian Wilkes said he’s not “100 percent” sure of the exact nature of the problem that has sent the 5-year-old gelded son of Candy Ride to the sidelines.  But Wilkes suspects that Capt. Candyman Can fractured his humerus bone in his left shoulder.  Capt. Candyman Can is due for a bone scan in a few days that should identify the exact injury.

Wilkes said the injury would knock Capt. Candyman Can out of training for “at least 90 days.”

The winner of the Grade I King’s Bishop at three, Capt. Candyman Can missed all of 2010 with a knee issue.  The Aristides was the fourth start of a 2011 campaign for Capt. Candyman Can that Wilkes had hoped would reach its climax in November in the $2 million Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Sprint (GI) at Churchill Downs.  He won his first two starts of the year and finished a close fourth to Aikenite in the Churchill Downs (GII) on Kentucky Derby Day prior to his run in the Aristides.

Wilkes believes the injury could have occurred at the start of the Aristides.  Capt. Candyman Can got away from the starting gate slowly after a slow loading process for the field of eight when one of its members was reluctant to enter the gate.

“It’s possible it happened at the start – he did stumble there, too,” Wilkes said.  “He didn’t finish the way he should – the way he normally does.  I have no doubt that he would have won the race if he was right.”

Capt. Candyman Can is stabled at Skylight Training Center, which is located about 30 minutes from Churchill Downs.  He is scheduled for rest on a farm after the bone scan is completed on Wilkes’ stable star.

Capt. Candyman Can has a career record of 8-2-2 in 16 races with earnings of $760,147.

STEPHEN FOSTER HANDICAP PROBABLES NEAR FINAL WORKS AT CHURCHILL DOWNS – A pair of probable starters for the $500,000-added Stephen Foster Handicap Presented by Abu Dhabi (GI) on June 18 at Churchill Downs will soon be putting in their final pre-race workouts at the historic track.

The Virginia H. Tarra Trust’s Clark Handicap (GI) winner Giant Oak is scheduled to tune-up for his Stephen Foster run on Sunday at Churchill Downs with a 6:30 a.m. (all times Eastern) workout for Chris Block. The 5-year-old son of Giant’s Causeway captured the Donn Handicap (GI) at Gulfstream Park earlier this year prior to a fifth-place finish in the Alysheba Presented by Besilu Stables (GIII) on Kentucky Oaks Day.

Twin Creeks Racing Stable, LLC’s Mission Impazible, who won the New Orleans Handicap (GII) at Fair Grounds prior to a seventh-place finish in the Alysheba (GIII), will have his final workout prior to the Stephen Foster on Sunday at Churchill Downs, according to Todd Pletcher’s assistant trainer, Mike McCarthy.  Mission Impazilbe finished tenth behind Super Saver in the 2010 Kentucky Derby.

Other horses known to be under consideration for the Stephen Foster (with trainers) include Apart (Al Stall Jr.), Crown of Thorns (Richard Mandella), Duke of Mischief (David Fawkes), First Dude (Bob Baffert) and Regal Ransom (Saeed bin Suroor).

Weights for the 30^th running of the Stephen Foster Handicap (GI) will be released Saturday.

KATHMANBLU WILL LEAD MCPEEK DUO IN REGRET – Five D Thoroughbreds and Wind River Stables’ multiple graded stakes winning filly Kathmanblu will return from a disappointing sixth-place finish in the Kentucky Oaks (GI) to run in the 42^nd running of the $125,000-added Regret Presented by ETIHAD Airways (GIII) at 1 1/8-miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course on June 18.

Kathmanblu’s stablemate in the Ken McPeek barn, Catesby Clay’s Bizzy Caroline, a 3-year-old daughter of Afleet Alex who sprinted away to a seven-length victory in an allowance race at Churchill Downs on May 27, is also being pointed toward a start in the Regret.

Kathmanblu will be making her fifth start of the year in the Regret, but it will be her first on the turf since a victory in the Sweetest Chant at Gulfstream Park in January. McPeek’s assistant trainer, Philip Bauer, said he hopes Kathmanblu will appreciate a return to the turf and get back on the winning track.

“She’s been doing really well since the (Kentucky) Oaks and I think that turf is her best surface,” Bauer said. “On paper it looks like she will be tough to beat.”

The 3-year-old daughter of Bluegrass Cat has a record of 3-1-1 from five starts over the turf, including two stakes wins and a third behind More Than Real and Winter Memories in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (GII) at Churchill Downs last November.

Other horses under consideration to compete in the Regret (with trainers) include Bouquet Booth (Steve Margolis), Diva Ash (Dale Romans) and Excited (Todd Pletcher).

NEHRO WORKMATE PROBABLE FOR MATT WINN – George Bolton, Stonestreet Stables, LLC and Spendthrift Farm, LLC’s Dominus, who finished second behind Machen in The Cliff’s Edge Derby Trial (GIII) in his most recent start, is being pointed towards a start in the 14^th running of the $125,000-added Matt Winn on June 18 for trainer Steve Asmussen.

  Dominus, a 3-year-old ridgling by Smart Strike out of the Lord At War-ARG mare Cuando, worked in company with Belmont Stakes (GI) starter Nehro on May 30 at Churchill Downs. The stablemates completed the six furlong work together in 1:12.20, which was the fastest of four, six furlong workers that morning.

Other horses known to be under consideration for the Matt Winn and their trainers include Alstom (Wayne Lukas), Bind (Al Stall Jr.), Infrattini (Paul McGee), and Uncle Brent (Lynn Whiting).

RUNNER-UP IN AMERICAN TURF POSSIBLE FOR JEFFERSON CUP RUN - William S. Farish and Skara Glen Stables’ Close Ally, runner-up to Banned in the American Turf Presented by Ram (GII)  on Kentucky Oaks Day and the  Lone Star Derby (GIII) on Memorial Day, worked three furlongs in :37.60 on a fast main track at Churchill Downs on Friday morning for trainer Neil Howard.

The 3-year-old son of Giant’s Causeway is a possible starter for the 36^th running of the $100,000-added Jefferson Cup (GIII) at 1 1/16-miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course on June 18 Stephen Foster Day undercard.

Howard is also considering running Courtlandt Farms’ Perregaux in the Jefferson Cup. The 3-year-old son of Distorted Humor finished second beaten a half-length to Ronin Dax on May 27 in a one-mile allowance over the Matt Winn Turf Course in his most recent start, which served as his 2011 debut.

"I’m considering both of them (Close Ally and Perregaux) for the Jefferson Cup,” Howard said. “Only one is likely to start; however, I’m not sure which one that will be just yet. Robby Albarado will have the mount regardless of which one runs.”

Other horses known to be under consideration for the Jefferson Cup and their trainers include Banned (Tom Proctor), Derby Kitten (Mike Maker), Redboard (Garry Simms) and Swagger Jack (Darrin Miller).

BARN TALK – Stoneway Farm’s Exfactor gave trainer Bernie Flint his fourth 2-year-old win of the meet in the fifth race at Churchill Downs on Thursday. Cathy and Bob Zollars’ Daddy Nose Best was second and Donegal Racing’s Dullahan, a half-brother to 2009 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) winner Mine That Bird, finished third.

Right Time Racing LLC’s Street Storm, who finished eighth in the Kentucky Oaks (GI) in her most recent start, is being pointed to the Iowa Oaks (GIII) at Prairie Meadows on June 25, according to trainer Steve Margolis.

Nominations for the 111^th running of the $100,000-added Debutante (GIII) for 2-year-old fillies at six furlongs close Saturday. The Debutante, which is scheduled to be run on the main track at Churchill Downs on Saturday, June 25, was won last year by Eldon Farm Equine, LLC’s Just Louise under Robby Albarado for trainer Dale Romans. …

Churchill Downs will offer advance wagering all day Friday beginning at 11:20 a.m. for the 143^rd running of the $1 million Belmont Stakes to be run Saturday. A unique wager offered Friday by the New York Racing Association is the Brooklyn/Belmont double that links Belmont Park's two 1 1/2-mile marathon stakes events: Friday's Grade II, $150,000 Brooklyn Handicap for older horses and Saturday’s Belmont Stakes. …

Belmont Park's 13-race Belmont Stakes program will begin at 11:35 a.m. EDT, and will feature $1 million guaranteed pools for an all graded stakes Pick 6 (Races 6-11 starting at 2:34 p.m.) and Pick 4 (Races 8-11 starting at 3:59 p.m.). The 1 1/2-mile Belmont -- the third and final leg of the Triple Crown -- is scheduled as Belmont Park's Race 11 at approximately 6:36 p.m. The on-track simulcast of the Belmont will follow Race 11 and the racing will be prominently shown on television monitors throughout the facility, including the infield and paddock JumboTrons. ...

There will be a drawing ton win three Early Times prints by Marita Walizer on Saturday. Patrons may register for the drawing prior to 2 p.m. near Gate 17. Also, there will be an Early Times mascot race on the Matt Winn Turf Course following Saturday’s fourth race. …

The official drink of the Belmont Stakes, the Belmont Jewel (1.5 oz Woodford Reserve, 2 oz lemonade, 1 oz pomegranate juice), will be sold throughout the facility on Saturday.

Saturday’s Junior Jockey Club events for the kiddos include foam fun and a puppet show at 2:15 p.m.

WORKTAB – Courtlandt Farms’ Machen, winner of The Cliff’s Edge Derby Trial (GIII) at Churchill Downs in his most recent start, also worked for Howard beneath the Twin Spires on Friday morning. The 3-year-old son of Distorted Humor completed the four furlong breeze in :51.40. …

Briland Farm’s Absinthe Minded, who finished second by a head to Awesome Maria in the Shuvee Handicap (GII) at Belmont Park in her most recent start, worked four furlongs in :48.00 Friday morning for trainer Wayne Lukas.  …

WHO’S HOT – The hottest jockeys over the last five racing days (May 30- June 9) are Corey Lanerie (8-for-29), Julien Leparoux (7-for-26) and Calvin Borel (6-for-26). Bernie Flint (3-for-5), Ian Wilkes (3-for-10), Steve Asmussen (3-for-12) and Ken McPeek (3-for-13) are the hottest trainers over the same period. The hottest owners are Stoneway Farm (3-for-3), Lothenbach Stables, Inc. (2-for-2), and Charles E. Fipke (2-for-5).

WEATHER – Friday: mostly sunny with a 20% chance of isolated thunderstorms, 93. Saturday: partly sunny with a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms, 90. Sunday: mostly sunny, 82. Monday: partly sunny, 83. Tuesday: mostly sunny with a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms, 85. Wednesday: partly sunny with a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms, 89. Thursday: partly sunny with a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms, 88.

ASTROLOGY/NEHRO – The two possible Preakness contenders in the Churchill Downs barn of trainer Steve Asmussen turned in easy half-mile works over a sloppy and sealed track on Monday morning.

            Stonestreet Stable and George Bolton’s Iroquois (GIII) winner Astrology covered the distance in :51.60 just after the track opened for training at 6 a.m. (EDT).  Zayat Stable’s Nehro, the runner-up to Animal Kingdom in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI), breezed a short time later and was timed in :50.80 for his half-mile.  Carlos Rosas was in the saddle for both works.

            Astrology, considered a definite starter in the second jewel of the Triple Crown, completed his work in fractional times of :14.40, :27.40 and :39.40 and galloped out five furlongs in 1:06.20.

            “He went over the track very well, very handy,” Asmussen said.  “There were concerns about an awfully wet race track this morning, but he handled it well and went over it well.”

            Nehro, who continues to be listed as “possible” for the Preakness, was timed in :12.80, :25.40 and :37.80, and galloped out five furlongs in 1:05.20.

            Owner Ahmed Zayat was at Churchill Downs to view the work.

            “We’ll just evaluate how he’s doing, how he comes out of the race and how he’s acting,” Asmussen said of Nehro’s possible Preakness bid.  “I thought he went over the race track well (this morning) and traveled good.”

            Nehro’s runner-up finish in the Kentucky Derby was his third race in six weeks, with second-place runs in the Louisiana Derby (GII) and Arkansas Derby (GI) prior to his run at Churchill Downs.

            Asmussen said a decision on a Preakness run would be made on Tuesday.  The flights that will carry horses from Churchill Downs to Baltimore for Saturday’s race at Pimlico leave Wednesday. 

            “He’s done a lot over a short period of time,” Asmussen said.  “I think you’re trying to evaluate the runs, the races themselves and how he’s doing, while also trying to weigh the opportunity that is ahead of you.”

            Mike Smith will ride Astrology in the Preakness.  Corey Nakatani was aboard Nehro in his runner-up efforts in the Kentucky Derby and Arkansas Derby.

MIDNIGHT INTERLUDE – Arnold Zetcher’s Midnight Interlude worked a brisk three furlongs in :35.60 after the morning renovation break over a sloppy track with Peter Hutton in the irons.

            Working on his own, the 16^th-place finisher in Kentucky Derby 137 posted a first furlong fraction of :12 and then gallop-out times of :48.60 and 1:02.80 before pulling up at the track kitchen by the half-mile pole.

            “He acted like he got into his work this morning,” trainer Bob Baffert said. “The track was a little greasy this morning and we haven’t had the best of luck with him here catching fast tracks for works.

            “After what I saw today, we are going to the Preakness. I feel pretty good about him. I think he is better now than he was before the Derby. He never really ran in the Derby; he just laid a big goose egg.”

            Midnight Interlude broke from the 15 hole for the Kentucky Derby and Baffert feels the post position draw will be key for his horse in a 14-horse Preakness field.

            “He was stuck outside in the Derby,” Baffert said. “His Santa Anita Derby (G1) was a good race, and if he runs back to that, he’s right in the mix (in the Preakness).”

            For Baffert, a five-time Preakness winner including last year with Lookin At Lucky, there is no question of who the horse to beat in Saturday’s Preakness is.

            “Animal Kingdom is definitely the horse to beat,” Baffert said. “He was the best horse in the Derby, no question.”

            Baffert also trains Peachtree Stable’s Plum Pretty, winner of the Kentucky Oaks (GI) here on May 6. Baffert said no decision has been made on the filly’s next start.

BARN TALK – Four other Preakness probables housed at Churchill Downs had routine mornings on Monday.

            The Estate of Edward P. Evans’ Dance City jogged a little more than a mile before the renovation break; Robert LaPenta’s Dialed In galloped a mile and a half under Stacy Prior a little after 7 o’clock; Michael Lauffer and W.D. Cubbedge’s Shackleford, the Kentucky Derby pacesetter, jogged two miles after the renovation break under exercise rider Faustino Ramos; and, Batman Stable, Philip Lebherz, Cindy Olsen, Janet Sharp and Glen Wallace et al’s Sway Away walked the shedrow.

One horse that would need several defections by horses under consideration for the Preakness to make the field, Robert Baker and William Mack’s Saratoga Red, walked a day after working five furlongs in 1:02.80.

Last week the solid gold trophy that goes to the Kentucky Derby winner arrived at Churchill Downs.

On Wednesday and Thursday, two more potential contenders for the May 7 “Run for the Roses” arrived at the historic Louisville track to continue their training.

Then, on Thursday afternoon, another milepost on the road to the Kentucky Derby was reached.

With 30 days remaining before the 137th running of America’s greatest race, Churchill Downs updated a pair of prominent signs at the historic track to reflect the Derby’s upcoming 2011 renewal.

Track workers update a sign on the clubhouse’s slate roof between the historic Twin Spires to read “137th Derby … 2011.”

 Churchill Downs team members Todd Herl and Steve Brown climbed into a bucket and were lifted by crane to perform the update.

Track teams also changed the year to “2011” on the pagoda in the Kentucky Derby Winner’s Circle in the infield. 

 

The roster of contenders  now on the grounds at Churchill Downs has grown to three with the arrivals Repole Stable’s Stay Thirsty, winner of the Gotham (GIII) and stablemate to Derby favorite Uncle Mo, and Michael Lauffer and W.D. Cubbedge’s Shackleford, runner-up in last week’s $1 million Florida Derby (GI) at Gulfstream Park.

Stay Thirsty was one of 17 horses from the stable of trainer Todd Pletcher that arrived Thurdsay morning from Florida.  The son of Bernardini continues to be pointed toward the May 7 Run for the Roses despite a disappointing seventh-place finish in a field of eight in Sunday’s Florida Derby.  He brings a record of 2-2-0 in six races with earnings of $300,000 to Churchill Downs.  He has $260,000 in earnings in graded stakes races, which are used to determine the maximum field of 20 horses that will compete in Kentucky Derby 137.

He was led off the van just after 10 a.m. (EDT) by Michael McCarthy, the assistant trainer who oversees Pletcher’s Churchill Downs stable, and Stay Thirsty has settled into his stall in Barn 34.

"He shipped in well and looks well,” McCarthy said.  “He’s had a good winter down there in Florida.  Obviously we didn’t get the result we were looking for in the Florida Derby, but if he can bounce back and we get four good weeks here, maybe we can get lucky.”

Accompanying Stay Thirsty on the flight to Louisville were E. Paul Robsham Stable’s Swale (GII) winner Travelin Man, who is being pointed toward The Cliff’s Edge Derby Trial (GIII), the $200,000-added feature of the April 30 “Opening Night” program at Churchill Downs, and Mill House’s Queen’splatekitten, the runner-up in Gulfstream Park’s Palm Beach (GIII) on turf who is slated to run in next week’s $750,000 Toyota Blue Grass (GI) over the synthetic Polytrack course on April 16 at Keeneland.

Shackleford, trained by Louisville native and Churchill Downs regular Dale Romans, returned to Louisville Wednesday evening following his winter in Florida.  The son of Forestry just missed in the Florida Derby at odds of 68-1 when he set the pace but was caught in the final strides by Dialed In, who won by a head.   

Romans’ colt has a record of 2-1-0 in five races and earnings of $271,666.  His earnings in graded stakes races stand at $212,000.

The remaining Derby 137 contender on the grounds is Just for Fun Stable’s Decisive Moment, runner-up in the $300,000 Vinery Racing Spiral (GIII) at Turfway Park.      

 

There was plenty of support for unbeaten champion Uncle Mo (#23) during three strong days of betting in Churchill Downs’ first Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”) pool of 2011, but the final result was very familiar: the mutuel field (#24), or “All Others”, ranked as a solid favorite when betting on the three-day pool concluded early Sunday evening.

The “All Others” betting interest was the 2-1 choice over Uncle Mo, Repole Stable’s reigning 2-year-old champion who was the 7-2 second choice when the first of three 2011 Kentucky Derby Future pools wound to a close.  The mutuel field includes all 3-year-old Thoroughbreds other than the 23 individual horses listed among Pool 1’s wagering interests.  This is the 13th year for the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which was launched in 1999, and “All Others” has been favored in the opening pool in each of those years.

Betting was brisk throughout the pool and Kentucky Derby fans wagered a near-record $592,492 in its win and exacta pools during the three-day session. The Pool 1 betting total is the second-largest single pool total in KDFW history, trailing only the $620,362 wagered during the opening pool in 2005.  The 2011 Pool 1 total includes $480,375 wagered to win and $112,117 in exacta bets.

The Kentucky Derby Future Wager provides fans with opportunities to wager on potential contenders for the 137th Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I) at odds that could be much more attractive than those available on race day.  It offers win and exacta wagering, and all bets are $2 minimum wagers.  No refunds will be made on any wager made during a KDFW pool.  If it is determined during any pool that an individual horse has suffered an illness, injury or other circumstance that would prevent the betting interest from competing in Kentucky Derby, wagering on the horse will be suspended immediately.

Holy Bull (GIII) winner Dialed In (#7) was the overall third choice at 8-1, while Remsen (GII) winner To Honor and Serve (#22) closed at 10-1 and unbeaten Brethren (#3), the unbeaten half-brother to 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, stood at odds of 15-1 when Pool 1 when the pool ended.

KDFW Pool 2 is set for March 11-13 and the year’s final pool is set for April 1-3, and the Kentucky Derby will be run on Saturday, May 7 at Churchill Downs.  Information on the Kentucky Derby and the Kentucky Derby Future Wager – including real-time KDFW Pool 1 odds – is available at the official Kentucky Derby Web site at www.KentuckyDerby.com.   

KENTUCKY DERBY FUTURE WAGER
Pool 1, Feb. 18-20, 2011
FINAL ODDS & WILL PAYS
       
#    Wagering interest    Morning Line      Friday, 2/18  ...   Sat., 2/19  ...  FINAL ODDS ...   $2 Will Pay

1    Anthony’s Cross    30-1    65-1    55-1    45-1    $92.00       
2    Astrology    30-1    58-1    64-1    48-1    $98.20       
3    Brethren    15-1    18-1    18-1    15-1    $33.60       
4    Clubhouse Ride    50-1    99-1    99-1    127-1    $256.60       
5    Comma to the Top (g)    20-1    99-1    99-1    90-1    $183.00       
6    Decisive Moment    50-1    99-1    99-1    186-1    $375.40       
7    Dialed In    10-1    8-1    8-1    8-1    $18.80       
8    Gourmet Dinner    30-1    99-1    99-1    85-1    $172.80       
9    Indian Winter    50-1    99-1    99-1    71-1    $144.00       
10    J P’s Gusto (r)    20-1    86-1    87-1    79-1    $160.60       
11    Jaycito    20-1    33-1    27-1    21-1    $44.60       
12    Machen    30-1    50-1    41-1    49-1    $100.80       
13    Mucho Macho Man    30-1    99-1    66-1    30-1    $62.40       
14    Rogue Romance    30-1    59-1    49-1    34-1    $70.20       
15    Santiva    30-1    79-1    66-1    37-1    $77.20       
16    Silver Medallion    20-1    85-1    89-1    66-1    $134.80       
17    Soldat    20-1    29-1    21-1    18-1    $39.40       
18    Stay Thirsty    30-1    68-1    51-1    40-1    $83.40       
19    Sweet Ducky    50-1    99-1    88-1    79-1    $161.20       
20    The Factor    20-1    40-1    35-1    25-1    $53.60       
21    Tiz Blessed    30-1    99-1    84-1    79-1    $160.20       
22    To Honor and Serve    10-1    17-1    10-1    10-1    $23.00       
23    Uncle Mo    9-2    3-1    7-2    7-2    $9.20       
24    Mutuel Field  (All Other 3YOs)    5-2    EVEN    6-5    2-1    $6.20