#Brian Hernandez Jr

Three stakes winners plus a debut runner caught my eye last week. Each of them bred in Louisiana, and each of them with the talent to potentially face open company going forward. Let's start with the debut runner from Ron Faucheux's barn who ran on Thursday, Kyle Beauty. It didn't take an expert eye to be awed by this first-time-starter. After…

Potential Breeders' Cup Horses Work Lexus Raven Run Winner Caramel Swirl Returns To Churchill Downs Conditioner Cox's "Cool Little Horse" Perryville Winner He'smyhoneybadger LEXINGTON, Ky. - Charles Fipke's undefeated Lady Speightspeare, scratched at the gate for the Oct. 16 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) Presented by Dixiana, at Keeneland…

Two weeks after a Grade 1 win at Saratoga, trainer Christophe Clement is putting the star of his barn back in the starting gates. Gufo (7-5) is morning-line favorite Saturday for the Grade 2, $1 million Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes. Post time from Kentucky Downs is 5:45 p.m., with the race broadcast on both CNBC and FanDuel TV, the network formerly…

Lovely Ride wins Saturday's Pippin Stakes at Oaklawn Park Coady Photography, courtesy of Oaklawn Park Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Trainer Bob Baffert saddled the first three finishers in Sunday's $100000 Grade III Sham Stakes at Santa Anita, a "Road to the Kentucky Derby" race, while the other weekend qualifier went to a colt who might find the Derby distance…

Fair Grounds News: Bron and Brow Highlights 1st Gary P. Palmisano Stakes From the Fair Grounds Media Team: Gary Barber's Bron and Brow enters the 1st running of the $75000 Gary P. Palmisano Memorial Stakes after showcasing his best effort to date in a second-level allowance on Dec 15. A field of nine Louisiana-breds will take to the court in…

The 145th running of the Grade-1, Kentucky Derby will take place on Saturday, May 4, at historic Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. This is the only race in the U.S. with a 20-horse field and it can provide great wagering opportunities for bettors. The favorite has won the run for the roses the last several years, but even with the top choice…

In the Untapable, Pretty Mischievous settled nicely in the pocket then split foes to take over and win the $100000 event by 3 1/4 lengths and earn 10 points towards qualifying for the Longines Kentucky Oaks. Pretty Mischievous, a Godolphin homebred, clocked 1 mile 70 yards over a fast track in 1:41.98 under Brian Hernandez Jr., who rode the winner…

HENDERSON, Ky. -- Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. won on four his five mounts Friday on Ellis Park's eight-race card, including with the promising 2-year-old colt Tiz the Bomb. The race he lost? Gus Gus, owned by trainer Ian Wilkes' wife, Tracey, and Hernandez's wife, Jamie. The two couples also bred the 2-year-old gelding. But Gus Gus' second place in…

Notes & Quotes From Gun Runner Stakes & Untappable Stakes: Jace's Road & Pretty Mischievous (Jace's Road / Hughes Photo & Courtesy of the Fairgrounds) From the Fairgrounds Media Team: Trainers have a lot of customary language to go to when describing their horses on a regular basis. One line that is thrown around a lot is - "the horse will tell us…

Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Trainer Bob Baffert celebrated Christmas a day late with five winners on Santa Anita's Opening Day program Monday, likely boosting one of those horses to an Eclipse Award and perhaps setting up another for a repeat raid on the rich races in the Middle East. It was a star-studded day in front of a big crowd at Santa Anita, as Juan…

Don Alberto Stable's Forza Di Oro gets the honors of morning line favorite at 7-2 in the $100000 Tenacious Stakes Monday at Fair Grounds, but last year's Tenacious exacta returns in the form of Estate of James J. Coleman Jr.'s Chess Chief and Lothenbach's Happy American, who is cross-entered in the $100000 Buddy Diliberto three races earlier on the…

The principal action for Kentucky Derby 148 occurred more than 2000 miles west of Churchill Downs Thursday morning as Santa Anita Derby (GI) winner Taiba worked six furlongs in 1:12.80. "It was very straight forward," trainer Tim Yakteen said. "He worked three-quarters from the five-eighth pole. It was a typical Taiba work and we accomplished what…

According to Churchill Downs' Mike Battaglia's opening odds, thoroughbred contender Cyberknife is a 20-1 shot for Saturday's Kentucky Derby. Even if he doesn't win, his owner deserves a bouquet of roses or at least a glass of champagne. You see, Al Gold had more important things on his mind when he named his Chestnut colt. The prostate cancer he…

Turf racing returns for Monday's "Road to the Derby Kickoff Day" card at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans, La. With the portable rail set at 34 feet, starters will be limited to eight runners for the $100000 Buddy Diliberto Memorial and the female counterpart, the 1 1/16 miles $100000 Blushing K.D. (Race 6). With the same parameters,…

Fair Grounds' Barn Notes: Jace's Road Will Return in Dec. 26 Gun Runner Stakes (The Alys Look will run in the Untappable Stakes / Hodges Photo & Courtesy of the Fair Grounds) From the Fair Grounds Media Team: West Point Thoroughbreds and Albaugh Family Stables' Jace's Road, who finished a good third in the Iroquois (G3) at Churchill Downs two…

Wildatlanticstorm keyed a lot of firsts, winning the $400000 Springboard Mile on Saturday night, for trainer Ray Ashford at 15-1 odds. The large colt scored the biggest 2-year-old stakes race of the Remington Park season. For the third time in the past five years, a locally-based horse took on all shippers from around the country and got the best…

Lys Gracieux cruises to victory in Sunday's Grade 1 Arima Kinen in Japan. Photo courtesy of Kasumi Saito Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Lys Gracieux roared to victory over a loaded field in the Arima Kinen in Japan in the marquee event of weekend horse racing while Diamond Oops upset the apple cart in a key Florida sprint with international implications. Firenze…

The Kentucky Derby is the first leg of horse racing's Triple Crown and it will take place Saturday evening at Churchill Downs in Louisville. The year's derby will be one of the more interesting ones in recent memory since legendary trainer Bob Baffert will not be allowed at the track as he's serving a 90-day suspension. The ban was given to him by…

The 154th running of the Belmont Stakes takes place on Saturday in Elmont, N.Y., with Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike returning after sitting out the Preakness. At 80-1, Rich Strike was the second-biggest long shot winner in the history of the Kentucky Derby. Although he didn't run in the Preakness, there was a Rich Strike effect. Fenwick opened…

Rich Strike, the 80-1 shot ridden by Sonny Leon and trained by Eric Reed, mounted a furious and improbable rally to capture the 148th Kentucky Derby on May 7. He was not even in the field until another horse was scratched the day before the race. But after skipping the Preakness Stakes on May 21, forgoing a shot at the Triple Crown, Rich Strike…

Rich Strike, the 80-1 shot ridden by Sonny Leon and trained by Eric Reed, mounted a furious and improbable rally to capture the 148th Kentucky Derby on May 7. He was not even in the field until another horse was scratched the day before the race. But after initially pointing the colt toward the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, Rich Strike's owner said…

Flightline wins his third straight race in style in Sunday's Grade 1 Malibu at Santa Anita. Benoit photo, courtesy of Santa Anita Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Epicenter entered the Kentucky Derby picture with a handy win Sunday at Fair Grounds while a sparkling Opening Day program at Santa Anita featured a dazzling performance by budding superstar…

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The horses for the 143rd running of the Kentucky Derby are listed in order of post position, with comments by Joe Drape and Melissa Hoppert of The New York Times. The morning-line odds were set by Mike Battaglia of Churchill Downs. Purse: $2 million guaranteed Distance: 1¼ miles Track record: 1:59 2/5 (Secretariat, 1973) Post…

The horses for the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby are listed in order of post position, with comments by Joe Drape and Melissa Hoppert of The New York Times. The morning-line odds were set by Mike Battaglia of Churchill Downs. King Fury was scratched Friday with a fever. All horses to his outside will move in one spot the new 20-horse starting…

Rich Strike, seen posing the morning after his Kentucky Derby win, returns in Saturday's Grade I Clark Stakes with a chance to stake a claim for year-end honors. Photo courtesy of Churchill Downs Nov. 25 (UPI) -- It's getting to be crunch time for horses who seek year-end honors, and this weekend's Clark Stakes at Churchill Downs provides one of…

Notes, Quotes, G3 Cardinal Stakes: Dalika (Dalika wins the Cardinal Stakes / All Photos by Holly M. Smith) From the Churchill Downs Media Team: Dalika (GER) scored her third front-running graded stakes win of the year when she rolled to a 1 ¾-length victory over Perseverancia in Thursday's 47 running of the $268500 Cardinal (Grade III) on…

Stats, works, videos and more! A field of eight super talented 3-year-old colts will compete Saturday, June 25, in the 2022 G3 Ohio Derby held at JackThistledown for a purse of $500000. The marquee event is the closer on an 11-race card. With a first post of 12 PM ET, the Ohio Derby will post at 5:35 PM ET. With G3 Stonestreet Lexington winner…

Nine juvenile colts whose connections harbor Kentucky Derby dreams are expected to go to post Saturday in an intriguing edition of the Grade 2, $400000 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs. Instant Coffee, a lightly raced son of Bolt d'Oro trained by Brad Cox, is the 5-2 morning line favorite in the 1 1/6-mile race for 2-year-olds, a Derby…

Michael McLaughlin's $300000 Iroquois Stakes (Grade 3) winner Curly Jack headlines a field of nine 2-year-old colts that were entered in Saturday's 96th running of the $400000 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2), a "Prep Season" race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. The Kentucky Jockey Club, run at 1 1/16 miles, will award the Top 5 finishers points on a…

Churchill Downs' Barn Notes: Curly Jack May Set Them Straight In G2 KY Jockey Club (Curly Jack / Photos by Holly M. Smith) From the Churchill Downs Media Team: Michael McLaughlin's $300000 Iroquois Stakes (Grade III) winner Curly Jack headlines a field of nine 2-year-old colts that were entered in Saturday's 96 running of the $400000 Kentucky…

Rich Strike, the long shot winner of the Kentucky Derby, will make his triumphant return to the track Saturday in New York for the 154th running of the Belmont Stakes. Post time is scheduled for 6:49 p.m. ET and the race will be televised on NBC. While horse racing's Triple Crown is out of the picture, there's plenty of intrigue in Rich Strike's…

Churchill Downs' Barn Notes: KY Derby Winner Returns in G1 Clark'Cap (Rich Strike / Photos by Holly M. Smith) From the Churchill Downs Media Team: RED-TR Racing's Kentucky Derby (Grade I) hero Rich Strike will return to Churchill Downs and face a compact field of seven entered in Friday's 148 running of the $750000 Clark presented by Norton…

Making the 33rd start of her career, her 19th in the last two years and ninth of her 5-year-old season, Lothenbach Stables' She Can't Sing (Bernardini) may just be better than ever and earned an extremely valuable first victory at the graded level in the GIII Chilukki S. as the sun began to set on Churchill Downs Saturday afternoon. A highly…

Churchill Downs' Barn Notes: Played Hard Could Be "Played Hard" in G3 Falls City (Played Hard / Coady Photography) From the Churchill Downs Media Team: Rigney Racing's Played Hard, winner of the $400000 Locust Grove (Grade III), will headline a field of six fillies and mares that were entered in Thanksgiving Day's 107 running of the $500000 Falls…

The only graded stakes on Saturday's racing schedule features distaffers battling under the twin spires. Coach is the 9-5 morning-line favorite for the Grade 3, $300000 Chilukki Stakes. Post time from Churchill Downs is 5:35 p.m. EST, with FS2 showing the one-mile race for 3-and-up fillies and mares. The Chilukki is part of a November Churchill…

Early Voting Set for Preakness; Zandon Decision Pending BALTIMORE, Md. - Trainer Chad Brown has not decided whether he will have one or two runners in the 147th Preakness (G1) on May 21 at Pimlico Race Course. Klaravich Stables' Early Voting (Gun Runner) is on course for the 1 3/16-mile Preakness, while Brown said that he is still considering a run…

The Preakness Stakes is the second leg of horse racing's Triple Crown but this year any chance of a thoroughbred winning all three events has been nixed. Rich Strike's handlers announced last week that the Kentucky Derby winner will not go forth with the Preakness Stakes, opting to give the colt some rest ahead of June's Belmont Stakes. Rick…

World Series Winner Now a Winner at Churchill Downs, Too (Alex Bregman, of the Houston Astros, gets a win at Churchill Downs / Coady Photography) From the Churchill Downs Media Team: Two-time World Series-winning third basemen Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros became a winning horse owner Wednesday at Churchill Downs when his family's 2-year-old…

Kueber Racing's two-time stakes-winning filly Coach will attempt to collect her first victory in graded stakes company as the headliner in Saturday's $300000 Chilukki Stakes (Grade 3) at Churchill Downs. The one-mile Chilukki Stakes for fillies and mares will go as Race 10 of 11 with a post time of 5:35 p.m. (all times Eastern). First post is 1…

Tools & Tips to Win Big on Kentucky Derby 2021! All Derby handicapping Free Derby PPs Expert sets Derby Odds Derby Odds & Analysis Fastest Derby speed figs Get expert Derby picks! 90% of Derby winners... Derby pedigree analysis 10 Derby Secrets (FREE) (VIDEO) 30-1 Longshots Louisville,Ky. Itwill come as no surprise that Essential Quality is the…

A Thoroughbred Experience. That's the pitch to potential renters of an historic breeding shed where three Kentucky Derby winners were conceived, which has been converted to a vacation rental cottage on Sherri and Ken McPeek's Magdalena Farm in Lexington. Trainer McPeek and owner Peter Callahan have had quite the experience with Swiss Skydiver in…

Churchill Downs' Barn Notes: Mr Wireless Was Well Connected On Friday (Mr Wireless / Coady Photography) From the Churchill Downs Media Team: It was a sentimental win Friday at Churchill Downs for Jon Lapczenski and JIL Stable's Mr. Wireless. Just days before his allowance victory, his co-owner/breeder John Kerber passed away at age 86. Kerber, who…

This marks the latest edition of "Stackin' Cheddar: Looking Back", a new biweekly series on America's Best Racing. Here, we'll look back on an early race in the careers of some of the greatest horses of all time, including spots where they went off at a big price. June 13, 2008 Maiden Special Weight Jess Jackson and Steve Asmussen arrived at…

The 154 running of the Belmont Stakes will take place Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. While the Triple Crown won't be on the line, Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike will be part of the eight-horse field. Post time for the race is set for approximately 6:49 p.m. In last year's edition of the race, favorite Essential Quality came in…

Churchill Downs' Barn Notes: Sconsin Returns in Sunday's Dream Supreme Stakes (Sconsin / Photos by Coady Photography) From the Churhcill Downs Media Team: Lloyd Madison Farm's growing broodmare band will add another member to their roster with their homebred Sconsin, who has a date with 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner in a few months. The…

Set Piece Is Set to Return to Churchill Downs in Sunday's G3 River City (Set Piece / Photos by Holly M. Smith) From the Churchill Downs Media Team: Juddmonte's multiple graded stakes winner Set Piece (GB) leads an oversubscribed cast of 14 horses that were entered in Sunday's $300000 River City (Grade III) at Churchill Downs. Sunday's featured…

Trainer Shug McGaughey knew he had a potential Kentucky Derby contender in Code of Honor after his successful 2-year-old campaign but had re-evaluate his plan after the horse's fourth-place finish in January's Mucho Macho Man Stakes. "I was a little bit shook after the Mucho Macho Man," McGaughey said. "I kind of changed my strategy, and that…

Churchill Downs Press Release/Edited LOUISVILLE, Ky.- A total of 95 of some of the nation's top claiming-level horses, including seven also-eligible entries, have been entered in Saturday's 24th annual Claiming Crown Championship Series, which will be staged beneath Churchill Downs' historic Twin Spires in Louisville, Ky. for the first time. The…

There's a reason we're the #1 trusted source for premium racing picks & info. A total of 95 of some of the nation's top claiming-level horses, including seven also-eligible entries, have been entered in Saturday's 24 annual Claiming Crown Championship Series, which will be staged beneath Churchill Downs' historic Twin Spires in Louisville, Ky. for…

The draw for Saturday's 147th Preakness Stakes lacked the drama of a Kentucky Derby draw because the field is half its size. The draw was held at a lakeside restaurant in Baltimore on Monday if for no other reason than Pimlico Race Course is very old and shows every bit of its age. In fact, there were more mentions of the post-draw private event…