Kentucky Derby Blog

The Preakness Stakes, the middle jewel of thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown, is the largest single day sporting event in the state of Maryland with attendance figures topping six-figures in eight of the last 10 years, including a record 121,263 in 2007.

The Preakness Stakes will be held at Pimlico Racecourse at May 15, 2010. The Gates Open at 8AM EST and the First Race Post Time is 10:30AM. The Preakness Post Time is 6:05PM EST.

Starting post positions for the 135th Preakness Stakes will be drawn Wednesday afternoon, May 12, 2010. Pimlico racing officials will use a pill pull, which employs a small numbered ball in a blind draw, to decide post positions for the middle jewel of racing’s Triple Crown. HRTV will broadcast it.

The Preakness post position draw is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Pimlico’s Turfside Terrace. Connections will be available for media interviews immediately following the draw.

NBC Sports exclusive coverage of the Preakness begins at 4:30 p.m. Post time for the middle leg of the Triple Crown is 6:15.

Race Details:
Distance: 1 3/16 miles (9.5 furlongs)
Track: Dirt, Left-handed
Qualification: 3-year-old
Weight: Colt/Gelding – 126 lb (57.2 kg), Filly – 121 lb (54.9 kg)
Purse: US$1.1 million

Last year’s winner was Calvin Borel on Rachel Alexandra. Watch the 2009 Preakness race replay

Blind Luck the favorite 6-5 won by a nose at Kentucky Oaks 2010.

All sources wagering on the Kentucky Oaks, America’s premier race for 3-year-old-fillies, was $10.6 million, a 55 percent increase over the 2009 total. All sources wagering on the 2010 Kentucky Oaks Day card was $36.0 million, a 20 percent increase over the 2009 total, and the all-time record.

Today’s win by Blind Luck, owned by Mark DeDomenico, John Carver, Peter Abruzzo and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, is Hollendorfer’s third as a trainer and second as a co-owner. He won the Oaks in 1991 with Lite Light, and again in 1996 with Pike Place Dancer.

Blind Luck, sent off as the 6-5 favorite, returned $4.60, $3.60 and $2.80. Evening Jewel paid $9.40 and $7.20 with Tidal Pool returning $5 to show. Completing the field in order were Beautician, Ailalea, Amen Hallelujah, Crisp, Quiet Temper, It’s Tea Time, Joanie’s Catch, Champagne d’Oro, Age of Humor, Jody Slew and Bella Diamante.

Diane Lane is attending the Kentucky Deryb for the first time in her life. The 45-year-old former Oscar nominee plays horse owner Penny Chenery in the movie “Secretariat,” due out Oct. 8 and co-starring John Malkovich. Some of the filming was done at Churchill Downs racetrack.

The movie about the 1973 Triple Crown winner follows the story of how Chenery took over her ailing father’s racing stable despite her limited knowledge of the sport. Against the odds, she succeeded in the male-dominated sport as Secretariat swept the Derby, Preakness and Belmont stakes.

“I was very impacted by the heroism of Secretariat’s performance,” Lane said at the Kentucky Derby Museum. “I feel so humbled and hopeful to honor everything that’s involved in the story.”

Lane and Chenery served as grand marshals of Thursday’s Pegasus Parade through the streets of downtown Louisville.

Lookin At Lucky (3-1), early Kentucky Derby favorite, starts from post 1 and Sidney’s Candy, the 5-1 second choice, didn’t fare any better at the opposite end of the starting gate — No. 20 — and will be taking the widest trip around Churchill Downs.

By compromising the two favorites, the Derby becomes a wide-open race a year after 50-1 shot Mine That Bird pulled off a last-to-first stunner under a rail-hugging ride by Calvin Borel.

Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia said the inauspicious No. 1 position didn’t significantly affect Lookin At Lucky’s odds and that he’ll still go off at 3-1, in part because Sidney’s Candy, the second choice at 5-1, drew the No. 20 position.

Although the No. 1 position has produced 12 Derby winners since 1900, tied for the most all time, many of those wins came before the field expanded to 20 horses. No horse has won starting on the rail since Ferdinand in 1986. Big Brown won from the No. 20 post in 2008 but was only the second horse to accomplish that feat.

The entire field will have to overcome a dismal forecast that calls for a 60 percent chance of rain Saturday, with accumulations of up to 2 inches.

The field from the rail out is: Lookin At Lucky, 3-1; Ice Box, 10-1; Noble’s Promise, 12-1; Super Saver, 15-1; Line of David, 30-1; Stately Victor, 30-1; American Lion, 30-1; Dean’s Kitten, 50-1; Make Music for Me, 50-1; Paddy O’Prado, 20-1; Devil May Care, 10-1; Conveyance, 12-1; Jackson Bend, 15-1; Mission Impazible, 20-1; Discreetly Mine, 30-1; Awesome Act, 10-1; Dublin, 12-1; Backtalk, 50-1; Homeboykris, 50-1; and Sidney’s Candy, 5-1.

The draw just ended and the following is the 2010 Kentucky Derby post positions, jockey and trainer info, and morning lines.

1	Lookin At Lucky	3-1	Bob Baffert	Garrett Gomez
2	Ice Box	10-1	Nick Zito	Jose Lezcano
3	Noble’s Promise	12-1	Ken McPeek	Willie Martinez
4	Super Saver	15-1	Todd Pletcher	Calvin Borel
5	Line of David	30-1	John Sadler	Rafael Bejarano
6	Stately Victor	30-1	Mike Maker	Alan Garcia
7	American Lion	30-1	Eoin Harty	David Flores
8	Dean’s Kitten	50-1	Mike Maker	Robby Albarado
9	Make Music For Me	50-1	Alexis Barba	Joel Rosario
10	Paddy O’Prado	20-1	Dale Romans	Kent Desormeaux
11	Devil May Care (f)	10-1	Todd Pletcher	John Velazquez
12	Conveyance	12-1	Bob Baffert	Martin Garcia
13	Jackson Bend	15-1	Nick Zito	Mike Smith
14	Mission Impazible	20-1	Todd Pletcher	Rajiv Maragh
15	Discreetly Mine	30-1	Todd Pletcher	Javier Castellano
16	Awesome Act	10-1	Jeremy Noseda	Julien Leparoux
17	Dublin	12-1	D. Wayne Lukas	Terry Thompson
18	Backtalk	50-1	Tom Amoss	Miguel Mena
19	Homeboykris (g)	50-1	Rick Dutrow	Ramon Dominguez
20	Sidney’s Candy	5-1	John Sadler	Joe Talamo

2010 Kentucky Derby post position will be drawn today at Secretariat Lounge, 2nd floor of the Churchill Downs clubhouse at 12 p.m. EST and the field will be set. It will be live broadcast on HRTV (Dish Network channel 404; Insight Communications channel 564 in Louisville), WAVE-3, WHAS-11, WLKY-32.

The draw won’t be open to the public and invitations and media credentials only

For the first time since 1997, the draw will be a traditional “pill pull,” in which horses’ entry blanks are pulled simultaneously with a numbered pill to determine what stall a horse will break from in the starting gate.

The past 12 years, Churchill used a two-tier, made-for-television process in which the horses’ representatives picked the starting posts. With ESPN no longer televising the draw, that format was dropped.

This morning, fourteen three year old fillies drew into the field for Friday’s Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks. Blind Luck is your morning line favorite at 6/5, with Crisp, Tidal Pool, and Amen Hallelujah sharing the second spot at 8/1. As expected, Todd Pletcher’s Devil May Care did not cross-enter into the Oaks and is only targeting Saturday’s Derby.

The post time for 2010 Kentucky Oaks is 5:45 pm EST at Churchill Downs and it is the race 11. It will be live broadcast on Bravo tv at 5:00-6:00pm.

Grade 1, $584,300 Kentucky Oaks

Post	Horse	Jockey	M/L Odds
1	It’s Tea Time	Alan Garcia	15-1
2	Jody Slew	Miguel Mena	30-1
3	Quiet Temper	Robby Albarado	10-1
4	Age of Humor	Rajiv Maragh	30-1
5	Blind Luck	Rafael Bejarano	6-5
6	Beautician	Alex Solis	15-1
7	Crisp	Joel Rosario	8-1
8	Tidal Pool	Calvin Borel	8-1
9	Bella Diamante	Mike Smith	30-1
10	Champagne d’Oro	Martin Garcia	30-1
11	Evening Jewel	Kent Desormeaux	10-1
12	Ailalea	John Velazquez	15-1
13	Amen Hallelujah	Julien Leparoux	8-1
14	Joanie’s Catch	Paco Lopez	30-1

The 2010 Kentucky Derby took a huge blow this past weekend when trainer Todd Pletcher, who had roughly 6 to 7 possible starters in the race, announced that because of swelling in his left front leg, Eskendereya, who would have been a huge favorite, had been pulled from the race.

Eskendereya’s departure wasn’t the only news this past weekend from the Pletcher barn.

Another one of their Derby contenders, Rule, came out of his work not looking his best leading Pletcher to announce that he was on the fence regarding Rule’s entry into the Kentucky Derby.

This is the 2010 Derby Wager and morning lines posted on kentuckyderby.com.
Last Updated on April 25, 2010 12:40pm EST
Pool Total: $224,358.43

Number	Name	Trainer	Morning Line	Current Odds
1	Aikenite	Todd Pletcher	50	58
2	Alphie’s Bet	Alexis Barba	15	46
3	Awesome Act	Jeremy Noseda	15	13
4	Caracortado	Michael Machowsky	20	27
5	Connemara	Todd Pletcher	20	77
6	Conveyance	Bob Baffert	20	19
7	Discreetly Mine	Todd Pletcher	20	44
8	Dublin	D. Lukas	15	18
9	Eskendereya	Todd Pletcher	5	5
10	Homeboykris	Richard Dutrow, Jr.	50	72
11	Ice Box	Nicholas Zito	12	19
12	Interactif	Todd Pletcher	20	26
13	Jackson Bend	Nicholas Zito	30	46
14	Lookin At Lucky	Bob Baffert	6	9/2
15	Make Music for Me	Alexis Barba	30	40
16	Noble’s Promise	Kenneth McPeek	12	19
17	Odysseus	Thomas Albertrani	20	18
18	Pleasant Prince	Wesley Ward	20	38
19	Rule	Todd Pletcher	20	30
20	Schoolyard Dreams	Derek Ryan	30	44
21	Sidney’s Candy	John Sadler	15	22
22	Super Saver	Todd Pletcher	20	35
23	Tempted to Tapit	Steve Klesaris	50	45
24	All Other Three Ye		8	9/2

2010 Kentucky Derby is only 5 days away.  NBC will broadcast the activities, which begin on May 1st 2010 at 5:00 EDT. The post positions to be announced several days beforehand on Wednesday, April 28, 2010 and the post time is set at approx. 6:15 PM. EST.

If you can’t wait until May 1 for a race, the Kentucky Oaks race will take place on April 30, 2010 at Churchill Downs – one day before the historic race begins.  This is a great race with a great purpose, as the traditions have morphed into more of a Charity event.  The official color of the Kentucky Oaks race  is Pink and the charity partner is the Susan G Komen for the Cure organization.