One of the preeminent prep races on the road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve will be held at Gulfstream Park, which hosts the Grade 1, $1 million Curlin Florida Derby presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa.
Oaklawn Park's road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve concludes this Saturday, when the Hot Springs, Ark. track hosts the $1.5 million, Grade 1 Arkansas Derby.
Belair Stud had dominated the sport of horse racing in the 1930s, the distinctive white with red spots a fixture in the winner’s circles of the Triple Crown races in multiple years. By the 1940s, though, the tide was turning toward a different set of silks, the immortal Devil red and blue of Calumet Farm.
There’s usually something special attached to the first time.
Of the numerous champions trained by Todd Pletcher, the first to enter the sport’s Hall of Fame was the sensational Ashado – an honor well-befitting one of the sport’s top fillies since the dawn of the 21st Century.
At 4 feet, 11 inches tall and 98 pounds, it didn’t look like Bill Shoemaker could muscle a few sacks of groceries, let alone control a head-strong Thoroughbred a dozen times his weight.
Still, Shoemaker personified that mysterious bond between horse and rider. He communicated with an innate light touch on the reins, coaxing the horse into the action, gentling it with his hands.
