Triple Crown

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A Day in the Life of a Kentucky Derby Horse

The Churchill Downs backside comes to life a few weeks before the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve. While horses are stabled there nine months out of the year, some extra special ones call the backside their home in the weeks leading up to the Derby.

Giacomo, Mike Smith, John Shirreffs, Triple Crown, Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs, horse racing, America's Best Racing, ABR

Smith Remembers Classics Past, Excited for Record-Extending 29th Kentucky Derby Start

In 1984, 17-year-old jockey Mike Smith was given a leg up on Loblolly Stable’s 3-year-old colt Pine Circle by future Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey.

Kentucky Derby, owners, celebrities, Griffin Johnson, Sandman, influencer, Jayson Werth, Flying Mohawk, Joy Taylor, Ian Rapoport, Lindsay Czarniak, Jack Klugman, MC Hammer, Bode Miller, Burt Bacharach, George Steinbrenner, Joe Torre, Rick Pitino

Notable Celebrity Horse Owners in the Kentucky Derby

The Kentucky Derby is an event for the stars – both equine and human. Making it to the race is a dream of horse owners from all walks of life. For example, former Major League Baseball World Series champion Jayson Werth had a Kentucky Derby starter two years in a row in 2024-'25.

Famed sportswriter Bill Corum, “run for the roses,” Kentucky Derby, Col. Matt Winn, Churchill Downs, Eclipse Sportswire.

Kentucky Derby Forefathers: Bill Corum, Famed Sportswriter Coined Phrase ‘Run for the Roses’

Over its 152-year history, the Kentucky Derby has had its share of forefathers, figures who created and nurtured this racing tradition as it evolved from a Kentucky stakes into a bucket-list experience.

Derby Dozen, Byron King, Churchill Downs, Kentucky Derby, Further Ado, Commandment, Renegade, Chief Wallabee, The Puma, Pavlovian, Potente, So Happy, Silent Tactic, Emerging Market, Albus, Incredibolt, horse racing, ABR

Byron King’s Derby Dozen for April 23

BloodHorse news editor Byron King presents his weekly Derby Dozen for 2026, with a look at his leading contenders for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve on May 2.

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