Horse Racing News is the source of thoroughbred racing information with horse racing odds, betting tips, racing picks, race results, and handicapping. Latest news and articles on top horse racing contenders, jockeys, trainers, three-year-olds, race tracks, and major stakes races such as the Triple Crown races: the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes as well as the Breeders' Cup horse races.Kentucky Derby Prep Race: Derby Trial Entries at Churchill Downs April 25
Posted on Thursday, April 23rd, 2009
Saturday’s 85th running of the $100,000 Derby Trial, the featured race on the opening day of the Churchill Downs Spring Meet, will have a distinct Kentucky Derby flavor as several of the eight 3-year-olds entered in the race hail from barns that will seek success in 135th running of the Kentucky Derby 2009.
The 7 1/2-furlong Derby Trial entries, from the rail out, is as follows:
- Silver City under jockey Julien Leparoux
- Tintim Por Tintim under jockey Alan Garcia
- Gato Go Win under jockey Calvin Borel
- Checklist under jockey Shaun Bridgmohan
- Santana Six under jockey John Velazquez
- Rendezvous under jockey Rene Douglas
- Hull under jockey Miguel Mena
- Kensei under jockey Robby Albarado
Saturday’s horse racing program is the first of 52 for the Churcihll Downs spring meet, which will be highlighted by the 2009 Kentucky Derby on May 2 and preceded on May 1 by the 135th running of the $500,000-added Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) for 3-year-old fillies.
Heading the Derby Trial field is Clarence Scharbauer Jr.’s Silver City, a onetime Kentucky Derby contender that is now focusing on shorter distances for race horse trainer Bret Calhoun.
The gray son of Unbridled’s Song, Silver City, won the Dixieland Stakes at Oaklawn Park and ran second to Old Fashioned, who was then the early favorite for the Kentucky Derby 135, in the Southwest Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park. A fifth-place finish in the Rebel (G3) ended Silver City’s pursuit of the Kentucky Derby, and Saturday’s race will be his first start since that March 14 outing.
Jockey Julien Leparoux will ride Silver City, who is the only stakes winner in the Derby Trial field and will break from post one. Julien Leparoux is set to ride General Quarters in next week’s Kentucky Derby.
Silver City’s 7 rivals in the Derby Trial include runners from the barns of Kentucky Derby trainers Jeff Mullins and Jerry Hollendorfer.
Jeff Mullins, who conditions possible Kentucky Derby favorite I Want Revenge, will send out Dean De Renzo, Randall Hartley, Joey Platts and William Sims’ Gato Go Win. The son of City Place enters the race off a third-place finish behind the filly Evita Argentina in the San Vicente Stakes (G2) on Feb. 16 at Santa Anita Park.
Jerry Hollendorfer, trainer of Kentucky Derby 135 contender Chocolate Candy, has Rendezvous for the Derby Trial. Owned by Hollendorfer, George Todaro and Team Green, Rendezvous comes into the Derby Trial off a third-place finish to Chocolate Candy in the Feb. 14 El Camino Real Derby (G3) at Golden Gate Fields.
Other race horse trainers with prospective Kentucky Derby starters that have colts entered in the Derby Trial are Todd Pletcher and Bill Mott.
Todd Pletcher, whose Kentucky Derby contenders include Dunkirk and Advice, will send out Starlight Partner’s Checklist in the Trial.
Bill Mott, who will send out Hold Me Back a week from Saturday, will saddle Haras Santa Maria de Araras’ Tintim Por Tintim in the Derby Trial.
None of the race horses entered in the Derby Trial is expected to attempt to run back in next week’s Kentucky Derby. Five horses have swept both the Derby Trial and the Kentucky Derby since the Derby Trial was introduced. The last horse to win both the Derby Trial and the Kentucky Derby was Calumet Farm’s Tim Tam in 1928. Calumet’s Citation, winner of the 1948 Triple Crown, also swept the Derby Trial and the Kentucky Derby.
Several Kentucky Derby winners failed to win the Derby Trial, but bounced back to win the “Run for the Roses.” Most notable of those were Calumet Farm’s Iron Liege, who finished fifth in the Trial and returned to defeat a Kentucky Derby field that included champions Gallant Man, Round Table and Bold Ruler and is generally considered to be the greatest field in Kentucky Derby history. King Ranch’s Assault finished off the board in the Derby Trial, but returned to win the Kentucky Derby and sweep the Triple Crown. In 1941, Triple Crown winner Whirlaway finished second in the Derby Trial, but returned to sweep the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and Belmont Stakes.
The Derby Trial is horse race 10 in Churchill Downs’s April 25 card. Derby Trial post time is 5:17 pm Eastern.
Horse racing news edited from www.churchilldowns.com.
Tags: Checklist, Gato Go Win, Hull, Kensei, Rendezvous, Santana Six, Silver City, Tintim Por Tintim
"Kentucky Derby Prep Race: Derby Trial Entries at Churchill Downs April 25" was posted on Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 at 8:29 am and is filed under Churchill Downs, Horse Racing Industry, Horses, Race Tracks News, Stakes Races, Triple Crown, USA Horse Racing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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