http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/kentuckyderby/ en-us Mon, 4 May 2009 16:17:29 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2243855/posts The Monday after the Kentucky Derby, you’d think ABC would know which way horses run around an American racetrack—counter-clockwise—as you’ll see in the photo of Mine That Bird’s stunning triumph the Run for the Roses. But have a look at the Dem and Republican horses in the animation that Good Morning America used today to illustrate James Carville’s theory of why Democrats, according to his new book, are positioned to rule for 40 years. Yup, they’re running clockwise. View video here. FinkelBlog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2243855/posts#comment Mon, 4 May 2009 16:17:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2243156/posts Please watch the video of the trainer of the winner after the win and you see his handgun on his right side. It is the video titled "they will know me now?' NBC sports http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2243156/posts#comment Sun, 3 May 2009 13:26:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2243130/posts LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- It began the way it always does -- with the thump of horseflesh against horseflesh in a field so crowded, the wonder is that somebody didn't bounce all the way to Cincinnati. Dunkirk, a hot wise-guy horse, stumbled, and elsewhere, Mine That Bird, a colt nobody was even thinking about, had to fight a pair of horses for simple living space. Calvin Borel, up on Mine That Bird, did what he has always done here at Churchill Downs. He grabbed hold, steered clear and headed for his office. NJ.com with The Star-Ledger http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2243130/posts#comment Sun, 3 May 2009 11:59:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2242800/posts NBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2242800/posts#comment Sat, 2 May 2009 17:58:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2242668/posts Churchill Downs officials confirmed trainer Jeff Mullins has scratched I Want Revenge from the May 2 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I). A press conference will be held at 9 a.m. I Want Revenge was the morning-line favorite for the Derby. The son of Stephen Got Even had won his last two starts impressively, the Wood Memorial (gr. I) and Gotham Stakes (gr. I). He had a bullet work on April 28 but a physical problem has forced him to be withdrawn from the race. Bred by David Lanzman, he is owned in partnership by Lanzman, IEAH Stables,... Bloodhorse http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2242668/posts#comment Sat, 2 May 2009 13:17:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2231423/posts Country music star LeAnn Rimes will help start a new tradition at the Kentucky Derby this year.Churchill Downs says Rimes will be the first national recording artist to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the historic racetrack in Louisville, Ky., as part of the Derby Day ceremonies. Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2231423/posts#comment Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:56:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2222411/posts TODAY'S MAJOR KENTUCKY DERBY PREP RACES... 6th Race, SANTA ANITA PARKSanta Anita Derby (TELEVISED LIVE ON NBC, BEGINNING AT 2PM PDT, 5PM EDT) Post Time: 2:40 PM (local time) Distance/Restrictions: 1 1/8 Miles, Dirt, 3 Year Olds, Purse: $750,000 Grade: 1 FREE PAST PERFORMANCES FOR SANTA ANITA DERBY: (direct link to pdf file from EQUIBASE -free/no catch)http://ntra.equibase.com/eqbNTRAGetFreeFF.cfm?trk=SA&rd=04/04/2009&cty=USA&de=D&rn=6 ________________________________________________ 7th Race, HAWTHORNEIllinois Derby Post Time: 4:15 PM (local time) Distance/Restrictions: 1 1/8 Miles, Dirt, 3 Year Olds, Purse: $500,000 Grade: 2 FREE PAST PERFORMANCES FOR ILLINOIS DERBY: (direct link to pdf file from EQUIBASE -free/no catch)http://ntra.equibase.com/eqbNTRAGetFreeFF.cfm?trk=HAW&rd=04/04/2009&cty=USA&de=D&rn=7 ________________________________________________ 9th Race, AQUEDUCT, NEW... various sources http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2222411/posts#comment Sat, 4 Apr 2009 19:32:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2206561/posts Here are a few must-have links for the upcoming Kentucky Derby... (there's even free video of prior races at the site) 2009 Derby Contenders:http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2009/racing-information/contenders Contender PP's (Past Performances):Here is Brisnet's weekly updated PDF past performance file of Kentucky Derby hopefuls:http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2009/racing-information/contender-pps Derby Prep Schedule: (major races leading to the Derby)http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2009/racing-information/preps-schedule For more info at the site (http://www.kentuckyderby.com/), hover your mouse pointer/cursor over "Racing Information" and select from the drop-down menu. KentuckyDerby.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2206561/posts#comment Sat, 14 Mar 2009 16:33:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2201293/posts I Want Revenge is a horse on a mission. The son of Stephen Got Even has traveled across the country to get a head start on his compatriots back home. While they remain in California, content to scamper along on the synthetic surface, oblivious to the test that awaits them on May 2, I Want Revenge is willing to find out right now, once and for all, whether he will get hit by a dirt bomb or take to the loam like a kid to a sandbox. If it turns out to be the latter and he can defeat a... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2201293/posts#comment Sat, 7 Mar 2009 13:13:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2011641/posts The trainer of euthanized filly Eight Belles said Monday his jockey handled the horse properly during her second-place finish at the Kentucky Derby. Trainer Larry Jones said from Lexington that if the Derby were run again tomorrow, he'd put jockey Gabriel Saez right back on one of his horses. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has called for the suspension of Saez, saying the horse must have been injured during the race and he should have pulled her up rather than finish. But Jones said Saez acted exactly as he should have. Saez started whipping the horse to prevent... ESPN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2011641/posts#comment Mon, 5 May 2008 22:19:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2011303/posts THE only filly in the legendary US Kentucky Derby, which Hillary Clinton urged her supporters to put their money on, broke both its ankles and was destroyed on the track after the race ended. Senator Clinton will be hoping Saturday's derby does not prove to be a political omen. Runner-up Eight Belles, whom Senator Clinton had urged supporters to put their money on as the sole female runner was humanely destroyed on the track minutes after the race ended. Barack Obama, Clinton's African-American rival for the Democratic White House nomination, may draw comfort from both the winning thoroughbred's name and... Herald Sun http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2011303/posts#comment Mon, 5 May 2008 04:21:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2011267/posts NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is seeking the suspension of Eight Belles' jockey after the filly had to be euthanized following her second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. Gabriel Saez was riding Eight Belles when she broke both front ankles while galloping out a quarter of a mile past the wire. She was euthanized on the track. PETA faxed a letter Sunday to Kentucky's racing authority claiming the filly was "doubtlessly injured before the finish" and asked that Saez be suspended while Eight Belles' death is investigated. "What we really want to... Breitbart http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2011267/posts#comment Mon, 5 May 2008 02:18:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2011062/posts Tragedy struck the first filly in the Kentucky Derby since 1999, as Eight Belles went down on the track after her second-place finish today, broke two ankles, and was euthanized. Showing a sisterhood with the female horse, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., during a trip to Louisville this week had said she was going to bet on Eight Belles to win, place, and show. ABC News' Karen Travers reports that Clinton told supporters in Jeffersonville, Ind., earlier this week, "I hope that everybody will go to the derby on Saturday and place just a little money on the filly for me.... ABC News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2011062/posts#comment Sun, 4 May 2008 16:17:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2010970/posts Former Gov. Brereton Jones has borrowed heavily from a financially distressed bank that he and several other Democratic Party leaders founded in 2001, according to interviews and bank records. Federal regulators have criticized the directors of Frankfort-based American Founders Bank, including Jones, for inadequate supervision. The bank was badly managed and suffered "hazardous lending and lax collection practices," which left it with far too many unpaid loans, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Among the specific concerns cited was improper reporting and recordkeeping of insider loans to bank directors and executives. The FDIC issued a cease-and-desist order to the... Kentucky Com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2010970/posts#comment Sun, 4 May 2008 10:07:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2010929/posts LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A quarter mile past the finish line in the Kentucky Derby, a gallant runner-up effort by the filly Eight Belles was forgotten in an instant. In a freak accident that one experienced racetrack veterinarian said he had never seen before, the 3-year-old daughter of Unbridled’s Song apparently snapped both of her front ankles simultaneously as she galloped out after the race, sending her crashing hard to the Churchill Downs dirt racetrack. She was euthanized moments later, after vets determined there was no chance to save her. “She had finished the race and was around the turn at... WNKY Net http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2010929/posts#comment Sun, 4 May 2008 04:34:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2010904/posts The camera cut away from her, but it should have stayed on her. Eight Belles had run herself half to death yesterday, and now the vets were finishing the job as she lay on her side, her beautiful figure a black hump on the track. Horses don't just fall down like that, you thought, as NBC flitted away, cowardlike, from the sickening picture to the more appealing image of the Kentucky Derby victor, Big Brown. There is no turning away from this fact: Eight Belles killed herself finishing second. She ran with the heart of a locomotive, on champagne-glass ankles,... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2010904/posts#comment Sun, 4 May 2008 02:44:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2010874/posts Cuban emigres living out rags-to-riches fairytale with colt Gayego Dr. Jose Prieto, left, and Carlos Juelle pose with Gayego shortly after they purchased him at the 2006 Keeneland September yearling sale. Carlos A. Juelle Mike Brunker Horse racing editor -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Few, if any, have traveled a more improbable and circuitous route to the Kentucky Derby than Carlos Juelle and Jose Prieto. The Cuban émigrés journey to the owners’ suite at Churchill Downs traces back nearly four decades to hard-labor camps and a maximum security prison run by Fidel Castro’s communist regime. Juelle, a 68-year-old semi-retired business executive... NBC Sports http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2010874/posts#comment Sun, 4 May 2008 00:49:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2009634/posts Trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. said earlier this week that he could not imagine that a post position could get Big Brown beat on Saturday. That conviction will be put to the extreme test when Big Brown breaks from the outside post in a full field of 20 in the $2,211,800 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) at Churchill Downs. Big Brown drew the 16th pick on Wednesday morning in the traditional pill pull that determined the selection for post positions. Dutrow and owner IEAH Stables had four other options—posts one, two, 18, and 19—by the time they chose their... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2009634/posts#comment Thu, 1 May 2008 12:23:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2009233/posts In our quest to discover the origins of names belonging to Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) contenders, we discovered a diamond mine, picked up some basketball lingo, learned Indonesian, and found out "What brown can do for us" (to slightly modify a line from a popular television ad). Here are the stories behind the names of a few runners going into this year’s first Saturday in May. Anak Nakal (Victory Gallop-Misk) is an Indonesian phrase meaning "mischevious child," owner Kassem Masri of Four Roses Thoroughbreds said. "He was a bad boy," Masri said. "But he's not anymore."... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2009233/posts#comment Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:06:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2008540/posts Florida Derby (gr. I) winner Big Brown shipped into Churchill Downs April 28, exhibiting the same ease with which he earned his latest five-length victory. Now, with just five days remaining until the running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), trainer Rick Dutrow’s main concern is keeping the unbeaten son of Boundary out of trouble and in good condition heading into the May 3 event. Although Dutrow declined to hold court with the media early on, he eventually emerged from his office to give a brief statement on the condition of his trainee. “He’s good,” Dutrow... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2008540/posts#comment Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:04:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2008055/posts The Steve Asmussen-trained duo of Pyro and Z Fortune kicked off the week leading up to Saturday’s Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) with their final workouts Monday, April 28. With a large contingent of media and other observers on the backside on a cool morning, the two horses were among the first to work as the sun began to break through the horizon. The ground was slightly wet from light rain that fell overnight. Pyro was timed in :49 4/5 for his four furlong work, getting fractional splits of :13 1/5, :25 3/5, and :38. He galloped... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2008055/posts#comment Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:05:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2007656/posts WinStar Farm’s Colonel John, one of the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), solidified his status with a scintillating five-furlong drill over the main track at Churchill Downs Sunday morning. Under exercise rider Karine Lhuillier, Colonel John got the trip in :57 4/5. Colonel John, winner of the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) in his last start, broke off at the three-quarter pole and lowered his body and really picked it up at the five-eighths. He was clocked in splits of :12, :23 1/5, :34 3/5, :46. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:11 1/5.... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2007656/posts#comment Sun, 27 Apr 2008 16:43:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2007275/posts Mount Joy Stables' Smooth Air spiked a slight fever Thursday that prevented his going to the track for a scheduled gallop in preparation for the May 3 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I). The developing situation could result in his defection from the Derby starting grid, according to trainer Bennie Stutts, who at 70 is looking to run in his first Kentucky Derby. Stutts said the Florida Derby (gr. I) runner-up will not go to the track Saturday, having been treated with antibiotics for what Stutts, who scheduled a press conference for 8 a.m. Saturday morning to update... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2007275/posts#comment Sat, 26 Apr 2008 12:25:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2006809/posts The first morning at Churchill Downs brought sunny skies and warm temperatures, as the Kentucky Derby horses began their final stretch to racing’s biggest day. From here on, there is no room for error. We’ll give a brief rundown of the day’s activities and continue with the plusses and minuses of each contender. The majority of activity took place after the renovation break, with the only worker being the Nick Zito-trained Cool Coal Man, who worked a half-mile in company in :47 2/5. The two horses who really filled the eye from a physical standpoint were Colonel John and Adriano,... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2006809/posts#comment Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:23:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1995738/posts With the final Derby preps approaching, there is no more room for error. It’s time to earn your way into the Run for the Roses or pack up and go home. The three graded stakes this weekend – the grade I Santa Anita Derby and Wood Memorial and grade II Illinois Derby – offer intriguing plot lines that will make or break aspiring Derby hopefuls. Those plot lines include some juicy questions: Can last year’s champion 2-year-old War Pass rebound in the Wood Memorial following a dreadful performance at odds of 1-20 in the Tampa Bay Derby (gr. III)? Will... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1995738/posts#comment Wed, 2 Apr 2008 23:35:42 GMT