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Nineteen horses will race in the Run for the Roses at the 151st Kentucky Derby on Saturday in Lexington, Kentucky. Although three of them are the obvious favorites, all 19 horses will be in a field that mixes fast runners and strong finishers. Let's dive into the details.
Legendary trainer Bob Baffert returned to Lexington with hopes of making history as the only trainer to win the Kentucky Derby seven times. He had just completed a three-year suspension at Churchill Downs after his star 3-year-old colt Medina Spirit, who had won the 147th Kentucky Derby in 2021, was later disqualified for testing positive for the anti-inflammatory corticosteroid betamethasone. (Medina Spirit died that December under unclear circumstances.)
Baffert, an enigmatic figure in the racing world, brought Citizen Bull and Rodriguez to the Derby. Rodriguez, previously considered the stronger of Baffert’s two horses, was withdrawn late Thursday after a “small but tender bruise on his leg” was discovered before Saturday’s race. His owners will now aim to field a better colt in May’s Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Mike Repola’s Grande, an outsider in this year’s race, was also withdrawn Friday morning because of a bruise on his leg. On Twitter, Repola expressed disappointment with veterinarians’ decision after several clean X-rays of the horse’s slightly cracked heel throughout the week.
Two scratches mean that the John A. Shirreffs-trained Baeza, who ran neck-and-neck with Derby favorite Journalism in the Santa Anita Derby in April, will start from the far outside gate. A son of Pookie and Mackenzie, Baeza will be ridden by French jockey Flavien Prat and is expected to be in the running for the finish on Saturday. Shirreffs is best known for training the legendary filly Zenyatta, who finished her career with a perfect 19-1 record, at one point defeating the best colts of her era in the 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic.
Baffert's Citizen Bull has been assigned to Gate 1 and will look to use his great speed to take the lead along the fence out of the gate. Victory will be a tall order for Bull, who will likely need to lead the race from start to finish. No horse has won the Derby out of Gate 1 since Ferdinand surprised everyone in the 1986 race.
Legendary trainer D. Wayne Lukas is bringing Virginia Derby winner American Promise to this year's Kentucky Derby. The 89-year-old Wisconsin horse breeder has won the Kentucky Derby four times. Out of Triple Crown winner Justify, American Promise is a chestnut
Sourse: theamericanconservative.com
