{Friday, April 30, 2010} KENTUCKY DERBY PREVIEW One handicapper’s look at the 136th renewal of the Kentucky Derby: 1. Lookin At Lucky 3-1 Hasn’t been luckiest three-year-old with two terrible trips and the post draw. Now back on dirt,

{Tuesday, April 27, 2010} ONE PROBLEM
by John Piesen The Derby becomes more wide open than ever in the wake of the Wednesday post position draw since the two favorites took the worst of it.Post one is a bad

{Sunday, April 25, 2010} Pletcher quintet works; Devil May Care makes Derby case Five of Todd Pletcher's Kentucky Derby (G1) hopefuls worked at Churchill Downs on Saturday. Of the quintet, the most intriguing was Grade 1-winning filly DEVIL

{Friday, April 23, 2010} THE DERBY'S CALIFORNIA ANGLE
by John Piesen Of the top dozen 3-year-olds in most Kentucky Derby polls, five have done most of their racing, and have made their reputations on the southern California

{Thursday, April 22, 2010} Tweaking Kentucky Derby Eligibility The dictionary defines tweak “to make a slight adjustment or change to something, especially in order to improve or fix it.” Actually, that definition ranked third in the pecking

{Monday, April 19, 2010} PLETCHER HAS BEEN MASTERFUL Let's get this out of the way first: Todd Pletcher needs to win the Kentucky Derby to get the monkey off his back, to put his demons to rest, to silence his critics. Pick whichever

{Sunday, April 18, 2010} Eskendereya breeze leads Pletcher pack As if trainer Todd Pletcher won't have enough on his mind in the final two weeks leading up to the Kentucky Derby, with as many as six potential starters in his barn including

{Friday, April 16, 2010} LOOKING AT THE LEXINGTON The chances are remote that the $300,000 Lexington Stakes Saturday at Keeneland will produce a Kentucky Derby starter, but the final stop on the Road to the Triple Crown

{Thursday, April 15, 2010} RANDOM THOUGHTS ON THE DERBY TRAIL Well, we finally have some semblance of a Kentucky Derby field, give or take a horse or two…or three. We’ve already lost Odysseus, Uh Oh Bango, and Aikenite in the span of two

{Monday, April 12, 2010} LONGSHOT GIVES PLETCHER ANOTHER PREP WIN Usually on late Saturday afternoons this time of year, it is the trainer Todd Pletcher sporting an ear-to-ear smile after another one of his horses claims another Kentucky

{Sunday, April 11, 2010} THE ROAD TO CHURCHILL DOWNS PLETCHER NEEDS A DERBY WIN You can make the argument Todd Pletcher is the best trainer in horse racing. He's certainly the hottest. Virtually all that he has touched

{Friday, April 09, 2010} ESKENDEREYA DEFINITE DERBY FAVORITE Eskendereya emphatically answered the question who will be the favorite in the 2010 Kentucky Derby when he won last Saturday's Grade I Wood Memorial at Aqueduct by nearly 10 lengths in a tour de

{Thursday, April 08, 2010} SATURDAY DERBY PREP PREVIEWS Colt tries to live up to Promise in Arkansas Derby NOBLE'S PROMISE (Cuvee) held the lead in the stretch of Oaklawn Park's Rebel S. (G2) on March 13 while making his

{Tuesday, April 06, 2010} ONE SPORTS STORY
by John Piesen  As far as the friendy folks down here in southwestern Arkansas are concerned, there is only one big sports story. Well maybe

{Monday, April 05, 2010} POST-PREP REPORT Eskendereya heading back to Palm Meadows A little more than 12 hours after his smashing 9 3/4-length victory in Saturday's $750,000 Wood

{Sunday, April 04, 2010} ESKENDEREYA IN A ROUT Eskendereya stamped himself as the favorite for the May1 Kentucky Derby with a smashing 9-3/4-length victory in Saturday's Grade I Wood Memorial at

{Friday, April 02, 2010} THE POINT IS ELEVEN
by John Piesen As far as Racing In America is concerned on Saturday, the point is 11. There will be an 11-race program at each of this country's three major population centers

{Thursday, April 01, 2010}   THREE DERBY PREP PREVIEWS Eskendereya tops six-pack in Wood Memorial ESKENDEREYA (Giant's Causeway), generally considered among the top two candidates