Kentucky Derby Blog

2011 Kentucky Derby post positions have been drawn today. Dialed In, the favorite in the early odds, received an excellent post position as he was drawn in the No. 8 spot. But a few other contenders weren’t so lucky. Uncle Mo, second in the odds at 9/2, is way outside in the No. 18 hole. Uncle Mo will be flanked by contenders on his left and right, with Soldat at No. 17 and Nehro at No. 19. All three are among the favorites in the 2011 Kentucky Derby.

Here is the full starting order for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby.

R Heat Lightning was declared out of Friday’s Kentucky Oaks after heat was detected in her right front leg.

R Heat Lightning was expected to be among the favorites for the Kentucky Oaks. She appeared to jog fine over the Churchill Downs track in the morning but was found to be ailing shortly upon her return to the shedrow.

“We noticed back at the barn that she seemed to be just a little off in her right front,” Pletcher said. “We checked her and could feel some heat in her right knee. We consulted with her owner’s people and the decision was made to withdraw her from the race.”

The weather forecast for Saturday’s 137th Kentucky Derby calls for rain with a chance of thunderstorms. The expected post-time temperature is 75 degrees, which is similar to last year. The chances for a muddy track may have a big impact on this years winner as well as the chances for a Triple Crown winner this year.

The Friday forecast calls for light rain and isolated thunderstorms. Both Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby will be run on the muddy track.

Machen trained by Neil Howard and ridden by Edgar Prado, won the Cliff’s Edge Derby Trial on the opening night of the spring meet at Churchill Downs. Machen, the fifth choice at 5-1 in the field of nine, covered the mile over a fast track in 1:35.47. He returned $15.40.

Dominus was second, 21/4 lengths in front of J J’s Lucky Train. Travelin Man, the 8-5 favorite, faded to sixth.

The 87th running of the Derby Trial won’t produce a runner for Kentucky Derby for the sixth straight year since Don’t Get Mad in 2005.

Watch the race replay!

The Kentucky Oaks 137 Graded Stakes Earnings will likely determine the participants in the 137th running of the $1 million Kentucky Oaks on Friday, May 6.

The Kentucky Oaks field is limited to 14 starters and R Heat Lightning, trained by Todd Pletcher is the likely Kentucky Oaks favorite.

Here is the list of 2011 Kentucky Oaks contenders by Graded Earnings.

Churchill Downs historically has kicked off its spring race meet one week before the Kentucky Derby, but this year they’re making a much bigger deal of it–they’re running a full card under their recently installed lights that will be headlined by the $200,000 Cliff’s Edge Derby Trial.

First post time for the 11-race program, which kicks off the Churchill Downs’ 39-day spring meeting, will be 6 p.m. EDT with the Cliff’s Edge Derby Trial going off as the eighth race on the card with a 9:39 p.m. post time.

In theory, the Derby Trial is supposed to be a last shot for horses to qualify for the Kentucky Derby but even for a winning entry it would be a very long shot to make the field one week later. Still, the Derby Trial is attractive not only for its association with the most famous race in the sport but also it’s generous prize money. Furthermore, it’s a good springboard for a horse looking to compete in the Preakness Stakes or Belmont later this summer.

Here are the contenders for Cliff’s Edge Derby Trial.

With fewer than two weeks remaining until the Kentucky Derby, Robert LaPenta’s Dialed In remains the top choice in the Thoroughbred Times Road to the Triple Crown poll of editors, reporters, and correspondents, for the third consecutive week after dislodging Uncle Mo following nine weeks on top of the poll.

Jaycito, who was ranked eighth on last week’s Triple Crown poll, was withdrawn from the Kentucky Derby, due to its battling a foot bruise for several weeks.

Here is the Triple Crown poll results for racing through April 24.
1. Dialed In
2. Uncle Mo
3. Toby’s Corner
4. Archarcharch
5. Mucho Macho Man
6. Nehro
7. Midnight Interlude
8. Soldat
9. Animal Kingdom
10. Stay Thirsty

Derby Kitten, with Julien Leparoux aboard, won the $200,000 Lexington Stakes, surging past the leaders in the stretch in the rain at Keeneland. Making his first start on a synthetic surface, the turf colt produced a strong stretch kick for Julien Leparoux and returned $20.40, $6.60 and $3.60 at odds of 9-1.

Despite his impressive performance, the Lexington marked his graded debut, so his winner’s check of $120,000 is his sum total of graded earnings. Barring a flurry of last-minute defections, the Mike Maker trainee has little chance of making it into the Kentucky Derby field.

Nor will the Lexington offer much more help to Silver Medallion, who was aiming to book his spot in the Kentucky Derby. Silver Medallion ranked 24th on the graded earnings list going into the weekend’s races, with $184,334 to his credit, and hoped to pad his bankroll with a top effort here. But Silver Medallion didn’t help his cause after all, winding up fourth as the 6-5 favorite, and pocketing only $10,000.

2011 Coolmore Lexington Stakes (Grade III) takes place at Keeneland on April 23rd, 2011. It is race 9 and the post time is 5:20 PM.

With being downgraded from a grade II to a grade III this year and the purse reduced from $300,000 to $200,000 this year, the Lexington is more likely, for most, to serve as a possible prep for the Preakness in four weeks. But Silver Medallion among the six entered has a realistic chance to make the Derby starting gate. None of the remaining five Lexington entrants have any significant graded earnings.

Check out the contenders, post positions, and morning line odds.

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.