Paladin showed why many consider him to be a leading contender for the May 2 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve by running down free-running leader Chip Honcho to win the $495,000 Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Risen
For the second straight year, Forever Young hooked up in a stretch duel with a highly talented rival in the long stretch at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and for the second straight year, he prevailed.
Some upset victories are more stunning than others. Villanova beating Georgetown in the 1985 NCAA men’s basketball National Championship, well, that was almost unthinkable, while the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl LII win over the New England Patriots in February 2018 was more along the lines of an eyebrow raiser.
The 2013 Risen Star Stakes – no doubt – falls into the former category.
John Shirreffs, who trained Zenyatta to a Hall of Fame career and saddled Giacomo to win the 2005 Kentucky Derby, died in his sleep Feb. 12 at his home in Arcadia, Calif. He was 80.
