Standing on the backstretch last Sunday at Churchill Downs, it was sad to view the desecration at Kentucky’s most famous landmark. I’m not talking about the barns that were ripped asunder by the recent tornadoes. They will be rebuilt after the current meet, and, unless Churchill management does it on the cheap, always a possibility, […]

[Read more →]

It’s too bad that no news outlet had a reporter stationed in the jockeys’ room during the 137th Kentucky Derby because it would have been priceless to watch the reaction of Robby Albardo as Animal Kingdom, the horse he was supposed to be riding, won the roses with John Velasquez in the saddle.
Albarado rode the […]

[Read more →]

LOUISVILLE — From the viewpoint of many Kentuckians, the Breeders Cup Classic came out just about right. By finishing a game second, beaten only a nose, the filly Zenyatta certified her greatness but put an abrupt stop to the absurd hype about her being the best thoroughbred of all time.
Brilliant as she was – […]

[Read more →]

Almost everybody who has seen the movie Secretariat seems to like it, and I can see why. It’s a sweet story that leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzy. Some of the camera shots are spectacular. The actress Diana Lane shows again why she’s Sandra Bullock’s main rival for the role of America’s Sweetheart.
Unfortunately for […]

[Read more →]

I’m going to be interested to see how the HullabaLOU mega-concert is supported at Churchill Downs. The cheapest ticket costs $75, which pretty much eliminates the high-school and college kids who were attracted by the night racing programs (or could it possibly have been the ease with which underage drinkers could get beer?)
In addition, parking […]

[Read more →]

Speaking on ESPN’s Sports Reporters show, sports columnist Mike Lupica declared the thoroughbred racing season to be officially over in the wake of Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver’s disappointing loss in the Preakness. He staggered home so far back of the victorious Lookin at Lucky that he might as well have been carrying Prince Fielder […]

[Read more →]

The Preakness has been good to D. Wayne Lukas. His first Triple Crown victory came in the 1980 Preakness, when his colt Codex overpowered — some say buillied — the Derby-winning filly, Genuine Risk. For the next 20 years, Lukas dominated thoroughbred racing unlike any trainer before or since.

[Read more →]

The Courier-Journal never published a special Kentucky Derby section until 1974, the year of the 100th running of the world’s most famous race. I know, because my friend Jim Bolus and I collaborated to write the lead story about Cannonade’s front-running victory for trainer Woody Stephens and jockey Angel Cordero Jr.
From then until 1986, the […]

[Read more →]

LOUISVILLE – Until it was time for the horses to leave the paddock and head for the track, the day of the 136th Kentucky Derby was such a dreary affair that YUM! Brands, the corporation that has leeched its name onto the world’s most coveted horse race, should have offered everyone a refund or, at […]

[Read more →]

LOUISVILLE – If the winner of the 136th Kentucky Derby turns up with a positive post-race drug test – heaven forbid! – the media immediately will begin looking for two people: the colt’s trainer and its veterinarian.
The trainer will be easy to find. But the vet? Well, suffice it to say that none of the […]

[Read more →]