Last week, in this space, we outlined pros and cons for each probable Kentucky Derby starter. Some has changed since then. Horses have moved in and out of the lineup and we know post positions. We’ve also had additional time to further review races, workouts, gallops, past performances, speed figs and selections from fellow analysts. […]

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Undefeated champion Essential Quality heads a field of 20 entered in Saturday’s 147th running of the Grade I, $3 million Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.   This means barring any scratches, the track’s special 20-stall starting gate will be filled to capacity for the 1 1/4-mile classic. The first Kentucky Derby in which the 20-stall […]

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It’s roughly 14 more sleeps (catnaps not included) until they run America’s most important race the Gr. 1 Kentucky Derby. The Gr. 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic and a few other stateside events are worth more money, but the Run for the Roses remains the Holy Grail for the majority of racing folk, including breeders, owners, […]

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Inspired by Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW), which closed last Sunday, I have put together a very early Top 10 for the 2021 Run for the Roses. Here it is:   Essential Quality Life Is Good Highly Motivated Hot Rod Charlie Keepmeinmind Fire At Will Jackie’s Warrior Caddo River Mandaloun Dr. […]

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Tiz the Law’s luck finally ran out. Rabbit’s foot rubbed raw. Held the wrong end of the wishbone. Drew the short straw. Too bad, Tiz the Law was on quite a roll. Held the dice all year; pass after pass, point after point. Finally, Saturday, in the Kentucky Derby ‘Tiz rolled a seven. During an […]

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“He’s the real deal.” That’s what Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert wrote in response to my text congratulating him for his record-tying sixth Kentucky Derby victory last Saturday with Authentic. Come to think of it, how could a horse with the name Authentic be anything but the “real” deal, right? Baffert has now won […]

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KENTUCKY DERBY SELECTIONS AND ANALYSIS Xpressbet.com Column It’s Post Time by Jon White (Sept. 2, 2020) The 156th running of the $3 million Kentucky Derby will be contested Saturday at Churchill Downs. Tiz the Law no doubt will be an odds-on favorite in the field of 18 entered in the 1 1/4-mile classic. This is […]

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It figures. As soon as the package from Amazon hits the doorstep you realize you don’t need the product after all. At least not right now. That’s sort of how the folks at Churchill Downs feel. They ordered a brand-spanking new 20-stall starting gate, custom made especially for them, only to find out that this […]

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The $3 million Kentucky Derby looms. Delayed from its traditional date on the first Saturday in May due to the coronavirus nightmare, this year’s 146th running of the 1 1/4-mile classic is scheduled to be held at Churchill Downs a week from Saturday on Sept. 5. This will be the first time in the storied […]

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As it stands right now, Tiz the Law undoubtedly is going to be a strong favorite in this year’s 1 1/4-mile Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs when he resumes his quest to become a Triple Crown winner on Sept. 5. So much has changed this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. This includes the order […]

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Last weekend, in this space, yours truly suggested that Uncle Chuck could make Tiz the Law cry ‘Uncle’ in the Travers. We were half-right. Although there was plenty of ‘Uncle’ crying, unfortunately, most of it was done by Uncle Chuck instead of Tiz the Law. The weeping actually began long before the million-dollar featured race. […]

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Now that the calendars have been flipped over to July, it’s time for my list of the Top 10 performances by a Thoroughbred in the United States during the first half of 2020. When there were just a handful of tracks conducting live racing for several weeks earlier this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, […]

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As a result of Tiz the Law’s emphatic triumph in last Saturday’s 152nd running of the Grade I Belmont Stakes, he solidified his position atop this week’s NTRA Top Three-Year-Old Poll. It was nearly unanimous. I think it should have been unanimous. Tiz the Law received 28 first-place votes last week, while Honor A.P. garnered […]

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If a horse sweeps the Belmont Stakes, Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes this year, will the horse be a Triple Crown winner who deserves an asterisk? That question is being pondered now that we know the Triple Crown is going to be radically different this year. The three-race series has been forced to undergo a […]

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Myself and the late War Emblem have a lot in common. “Mean.” “Savage.” “Tough to handle.” Rank.” All these adjectives have been used to describe us both in the past! And now, I’m going to take you back to the spring of 2002, to Cicero Illinois. I’d been leading rider at Hawthorne a year earlier […]

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