The 148th running of the Kentucky Derby won’t go off until nearly 7 p.m. EST Saturday in Louisville, but there will be plenty of action all day long from Churchill Downs.
There are a total of 14 races that began Saturday morning leading up to the Run for the Roses, which is set for 6:57 p.m. EST. Zandon (3-1) is the morning-line favorite with Epicenter next at 7-2. (For up-to-the-minute odds, visit ChurchillDowns.com.)
Check back throughout the day for updates from the track, including sights and sounds from the scene and race results.
EXPERT ANALYSIS: Forget the Kentucky Derby tout sheets. Here’s who the sharps are picking.
WOLKEN: How to turn $100 bet into big money
BIGGEST STORYLINES: Five things to watch at 148th Kentucky Derby
WRONG (PROBABLY): Why your Derby horse can (and can’t) win
Stolen Base steals American Turf in mild upset
Stolen Base, a well-bred 3-year old colt who cost $335,000 as a yearling, won the Grade 2 American Turf in a mild upset under jockey Flavien Prat, holding off Balnikhov and race favorite Sy Dog in third.
It was Stolen Base’s second win in nine career starts, and some smart handicapping by the public, which bet him down to 5-to-1 despite starting at 12-to-1 on the morning line. Stolen Base was coming off two races on the synthetic polytrack at Turfy Park, where he lost two races to Kentucky Derby entrant Tiz the Bomb.
Before that, he had been in the mix in four straight races on the grass but hadn’t closed the deal. This time, though, Stolen Base finally got home for trainer Mike Maker.
–Dan Wolken
Obligatory returns to form, wins Derby City Distaff
Obligatory, who might have underachieved a bit as a 3-year old filly last season, has come back at age 4 in excellent form and won her first-ever Grade 1 race in the Derby City Distaff. The Bill Mott trainee got a little layoff after winning three of her eight starts in 2021 and has come back 2-for-2, including a Grade 3 stakes win in Florida in March. She beat a quality field Saturday that included five other graded stakes winners, wearing down Four Graces in the final furlong with favorite Just One Time finishing third. Obligatory paid $9.60 to win.
–Dan Wolken
Jack Christopher makes big splash on Derby Day
Last fall, the connections of Jack Christopher probably would have envisioned their horse making a big splash on Derby Day. That turned out to be the case Saturday — just not in the race that they had in mind.
Jack Christopher, who went off as the heavy 3-to-5 favorite in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile, won by an easy breezy three lengths and looked very much like a 3-year old who could be a factor in big races this summer and fall.
Jack Christopher seemed like he would be the star of Chad Brown’s barn when he won the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes, which is traditionally one of the top races for 2-year-olds. But an injury that required a screw to be inserted and then removed from his shin took him out of training after that race and ultimately out of contention for the Derby. After a strong comeback race under jockey Jose Ortiz, it looks like Jack Christopher is fully healthy again. It was Brown’s second win of the day.
–Dan Wolken
Derby bettors boost pair of California horses
With fewer than six hours until the Kentucky Derby, we can start to see how the odds are going to take shape. Though things will change and millions more will be added to the wagering pools as the afternoon moves along, we can get some clues from the early betting for how the tote board is going to look.
Though Zandon was made the morning-line favorite, he’s currently the 7-1 fourth choice at 1:30 p.m. ET behind Epicenter (5-1), Taiba (5-1) and Messier (6-1). That’s a lot of support for the two California horses, Taiba and Messier, which may reflect that the public believes they are essentially part of the Bob Baffert stable despite the fact he’s banned from the Derby this year.
Taiba and Messier were transferred to the barn of Tim Yakteen, a former Baffert assistant, making them eligible for the Triple Crown while he serves a suspension related to last year’s Derby and the positive drug test of Medina Spirit.
There’s also strong early money on Cyberknife, who is 13-1 after starting at 20-1 on the morning line. White Abarrio, the Florida Derby winner, is 12-1 while the runner-up in that race, Charge It, is 13-1 currently.
–Dan Wolken
Longshot rallies to spring an upset Knicks Go
We have our first big upset of Derby Day in the 6th race, where 36-to-1 longshot Three Technique rallied on the far outside to beat Injunction, who carried the field into the far turn.
In a one-mile race named for Knicks Go, the horse who won the Breeders’ Cup Classic last year, Three Technique, did not figure to be much of a factor. With just three wins in 22 lifetime starts coming in, he was easy to overlook. But with a really fast pace up front, it set up well for someone to come from off the pace and jockey Rafael Bejarano was able to get a strong finishing kick.
–Dan Wolken
Renown turf horse trainer Chad Brown could be in for special day
Trainer Chad Brown, who has morning-line favorite Zandon in the Derby later, just won the Grade 2 Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile with even-money favorite Speak of the Devil. It was a very impressive victory for the 5-year-old French import, who was making her American debut after some very impressive performances last year overseas. Flavien Prat, the 2019 Derby-winning jockey on Country House, conjured an impressive ride on Speak of the Devil, who swept from last to first very quickly around the far turn.
Brown, who is widely regarded as the best trainer in America for turf horses, has several more opportunities to notch victories before the Derby today.
Notably, he’ll send out Jack Christopher — who was 2-for-2 last year as a promising 2-year old — as the likely favorite in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile. He’ll also have Portfolio Company in the Grade 2 American Turf, Reinvestment Risk in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes and three entries in the Grade 1 Turf Classic right before the Derby.
It’s shaping up to be a potentially big day for Brown, who has yet to win the Kentucky Derby.
–Dan Wolken
Derby track playing fair in early races
It’s always important on Derby Day to see how the track is playing, and the fourth race certainly makes it look like a fair track so far. The winner was Creative Minister, one of the favorites, who rallied down the center of the track for trainer Kenny McPeek and jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. to get the victory at 7-2 odds. At the same time, Cover Me Up was hustled out of the gate early by jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., to get to the rail, set a pretty fast pace up front but still held on for a solid second at 6-to-1.
We’ll definitely be monitoring conditions as the day goes along, but it’s a good sign that the track is playing fair when speed horses aren’t fading but come-from-behind horses still have a chance to close.
–Dan Wolken
Kentucky Derby notes
Welcome to a cool and cloudy Derby Day from Churchill Downs, where it appears the rain will hold off today but temperatures probably won’t get much above 60 degrees.
After a week of talking to trainers, owners and jockeys every morning on the backstretch, I’m now camped out in media seats right across from the 1/8th pole today and will be here for the duration of today’s card all the way until Derby post time just before 7 p.m.
As always, it’s a long haul from the morning until the big race. But for horse racing fans and gamblers, the Derby Day card is always one of the best of the year with lots of stakes races and great betting opportunities.
The third race just went official with Lady Rockstar winning an allowance race on turf for trainer Brendan Walsh, who is having a nice weekend. The Irishman won the Grade 2 Edgewood Stakes on Friday with New Year’s Eve.
We’ll continue updating news, notes and scenes from Churchill throughout the day on this blog.
–Dan Wolken
Early morning
The day begins before sunrise in a soggy Louisville. Not much sunshine is expected Saturday, and it will be in the 50s, but the forecast calls for dry weather.
And we have a Mayor Pete sighting.
Race 1
Congressman, trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Flavien Prat, takes the opener at Churchill Downs and pays $11 to win. A late burst got him past the favorite, Warrior Johny.
Race 2
Irad Ortiz Jr. runs in his first winner of the day with the favorite, Surfer Dude. Ortiz will have a busy day and will ride Mo Donegal later today in the Derby.
Race 3
Lady Rockstar takes the third race convincingly under Tyler Gaffalione. No big payouts so far, as a win bet on Lady Rockstar pays just $8.00.
