Garrett Gomez will ride Pioneerof the Nile in the Grade 2 CashCall Futurity on December 20th, which means he has dropped Real Quiet Stakes winner Chocolate Candy. In fact, Gomez's agent Ron Anderson explained to the Daily Racing Form that they think Pioneerof the Nile--most recently fifth in a crowded run to get a piece of the money in this year's Breeders Cup Juvenile--might be a 2009 derby horse.

Pioneerof the Nile has been trained by Bill Mott for Zayat Stables, and with the horse's... Read More

0 comments View Entry

The Kentucky derby trail is my favorite season in horse racing, and with the Breeders Cup over--and this year's Kentucky derby winner, Big Brown, already retired to a stud farm--I'm ready to start keeping track of horses that may show up on the 2009 derby trail, and in the 135th running of the Kentucky derby on Saturday, May 2nd, 2009.

What kind of horses are we looking for?  Many agree it's about who has the pedigree to go 1 1/4 miles, although every year we see top trainers tryin... Read More

2 comments View Entry

Big Brown made history happen today, winning the 134th running of the Kentucky derby from the farthest outside post--a feat that hasn't been done since 1929--and became the first horse to win the race with only three lifetime starts since 1915. Big Brown won by almost five lengths over filly Eight Belles, who unexplicably broke down a quarter-mile after the race.

Coming from post 20, Big Brown broke well and took a stalking position outside of the pace as front-running longshot B... Read More

1 comments View Entry

It says something about this year's Kentucky derby field that the favorite, Florida derby winner Big Brown, has only three lifetime starts. This field of 20 is full of what now look like slower developers. Perhaps you might take a chance and bet on other contenders who look like this will finally be the race where they blossom. On the other hand, Big Brown has won all three of his races in very impressive dominant performances that no other horse in the field has equaled.

Throw out Big... Read More

0 comments View Entry

If you weren't a horse racing fan you would never know the Kentucky derby is this Saturday. We keep our eye on the prep races and look forward to the first Saturday in May from day one--somewhere around the late 2007 futurities to the first 2008 preps in January. And when the derby finally comes up as the next big race on the calendar it's very exciting. This is the day history is made as we cheer our heroes to victory on what will be the greatest day of their lives... so far. The derby is ju... Read More

0 comments View Entry