#Ricky Courville

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…

As a yearling, he lost his left eye in a stall accident, so, they named him Un Ojo or One Eye - not the best way to launch a racing career, but he showed he wanted to run, so they let him. He won the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn at odds of 75-1 and then ran second in the Arkansas Derby. But he hurt a shoulder and they took him back to Louisiana to…

As the dust settled on Rich Strike's improbable 81-1 victory in the 148th Kentucky Derby on Saturday, the question of who would challenge him in the Preakness Stakes on May 21 in Baltimore, Maryland began to make the rounds across the country. Rich Strike, a last-minute Derby entrant who got a dream trip under jockey Sonny Leon for trainer Eric…

Bankit rolls home in the NYSSS Thunder Rumble (Chelsea Durand) By Mary Eddy - NYRA Press Office OZONE PARK, N.Y.- Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing's millionaire New York-bred Bankit added a seventh stakes score to his impressive resume when he stalked and pounced to an open-length victory in Sunday's $125000 NYSSS Thunder Rumble for…

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…

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…

1 3/16ths (Dirt) Preakness Stakes (G1), $1 million, 3 (Saturday 21 May) The 147th running of the Preakness Stakes is on the clock... Now, that a Derby Champion was crowned last Saturday, it is time to turn our attention to Pimlico Race Course, which once again hosts the 2nd jewel in the Triple Crown. Entries will be taken... and as the field takes…

The Race to the KY Derby Is On: A Look at the Various Roadtrips (Secret Oath / Photo by Holly M. Smith) From the Churchill Downs Media Team: Kentucky Derby fans across the world will be eyeing Hot Springs, Ark. on Saturday as outstanding 3-year-old filly Secret Oath, trained by 86-year-old Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, will take on the boys…

Bob Baffert-trained horses may be ineligible to run in this year's Kentucky Derby, but they're dominating the lead-up. Of the 21 Kentucky Derby prep races conducted since September, Baffert's horses have won six of them - two each by Corniche and Newgrange and one by Messier and Blackadder. Newgrange will look to continue the trend Saturday as the…

The 2023 Kentucky Derby trail begins Saturday at the track that will host that event next May. Echo Again (2-1) is the morning-line favorite for the Grade 3, $300000 Iroquois Stakes. Post time from Churchill Downs is 4:55 p.m. EDT, with FS2 showing the 1 1/16-mile race for 2-year-olds. The Iroquois kicks off the series of points-paying preps toward…

Churchill Downs Ready To Pop Gate on September Meet (Set Piece gets a morning bath at Churchill Downs / Photos by Holly M. Smith) From the Churchill Downs Media Team: Horse racing on the Kentucky circuit shifts to Churchill Downs on Thursday, Sept. 15 with the first of three Twilight Thursday programs at 5 p.m. (all times Eastern) as the famed…