Kentucky Derby Blog

The 136th Preakness Stakes, the 2nd leg of the Triple Crown, takes place at Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore on May 21, 2011. The Preakness Stakes is race 9 and the post positions will be drawn on Wednesday in a week of the race. The field of Preakness is limited to 14 horses.

The NBC Sports Group will broadcast all three legs of horse racing’s prestigious Triple Crown, renewing the rights to the Preakness Stakes and reacquiring rights to the Belmont Stakes.

Archarcharch and Brilliant Speed jumped up after winning the Arkansas Derby and The Blue Grass Stakes respectively. Kentucky Derby 2011 contenders by graded earnings as of April 18th.

Brilliant Speed punched his ticket for the Kentucky Derby with a thrilling stretch run to win the $750,000 Blue Grass Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland.

The $450,000 winner’s check gives Brilliant Speed more than enough graded-stakes earnings to earn a spot in next month’s Run for the Roses. Ridden by Joel Rosario and trained by Tom Albertrani, Brilliant Speed covered the 1 1-8 miles on Keeneland’s Polytrack in 1:50.92 and paid $40.20, $20.80 and $13. Twinspired and jockey Robby Albarado paid $21.20 and $11.80 for second, while King Congie paid $8.80 for third.

Blue Grass Stakes 2011 race replay

Uncle Mo arrived under the twin spires on Monday afternoon following an eventful trip from New York. Uncle Mo will gallop on Tuesday morning for trainer Todd Pletcher, though his status for the Run for the Roses on May 7 remains unclear. Tests following a disappointing third-place finish in the Wood Memorial on April 9 discovered a gastrointestinal infection.

Pletcher says the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner will undergo two workouts before making a Derby decision.

Uncle Mo joins stablemate Stay Thirsty, Repole Stable’s winner of the Gotham, among five Kentucky Derby contenders now on the grounds and those horses will bid to give Pletcher his second consecutive victory in the Kentucky Derby. Pletcher picked up his first Derby victory last year with WinStar Farm’s Super Saver.

Archarcharch won the Arkansas Derby at 25-1 and heavy pre-race favorite The Factor finished seventh. The Factor entered with three wire-to-wire wins, but he fell behind the early pace of J P’s Gusto and Dance City.

Archarcharch finished 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.34 and returned $52.40, $16.80 and $8.20 and topped exotics worth $416.80 (exacta), $10,565.80 (trifecta) and $59,987.60 (9-2-8 superfecta). Nehro paid $9 and $5.60 for finishing second and Dance City paid $14.20 in third.

A debut second at Churchill Downs in November, Archarcharch graduated by 1 3/4 lengths in the Sugar Bowl S. at Fair Grounds the following month. Off that six-furlong score, Archarcharch was the even-money favorite in the January 17 Smarty Jones S. at Oaklawn, but wilted to fourth after pressing the pace. He rebounded to take the Southwest S. (G3) by a length at 14-1, then ran an even third behind The Factor when 6 1/2 lengths behind that one in last month’s Rebel S. (G2). The dark bay colt’s record now stands at 6-3-1-1, $832,744.

Arkansas Derby race replay