Kentucky Derby

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Penalized Jockey Says He Had to Use Crop on Sovereignty

Racing authority imposes fine, two-day suspension on Junior Alvarado

(Newser) - Junior Alvarado, the jockey who rode Sovereignty to victory in the Kentucky Derby last weekend, has been punished for striking the horse too many times with his riding crop. The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority fined Alvarado $62,000 and suspended him for two racing days later this month after...

Sportscaster Misses Derby After Allergic Reaction
NBC's Tirico: I'm OK
After Nut Allergy Scare
UPDATED
May 5, 2025 11:28 AM CDT

NBC's Tirico: I'm OK After Nut Allergy Scare

NBC sportscaster had to bow out of Kentucky Derby coverage

(Newser) - NBC Sports analyst Mike Tirico says he's fully recovered after he had to duck out of the network's Kentucky Derby coverage on Saturday because of an ill-advised snack. "I ate something that had a nut in it," he told the Today show. Tirico has a nut...

Watch Sovereignty Hold Off Kentucky Derby Favorite

Journalism finishes second

(Newser) - Sovereignty outdueled 3-1 favorite Journalism down the stretch to win the 151st Kentucky Derby in the slop on Saturday, per the AP . Sovereignty covered 1 1/4 miles in 2:02.31 and paid $17.96 to win at 7-1 odds. Watch the race here . Journalism found trouble in the first...

Soggy Derby Is Still a Party
Soggy Derby Is Still a Party
May 3, 2025 5:20 PM CDT

Soggy Derby Is Still a Party

Churchill Downs track has two hours to dry out before the main event

(Newser) - Bob Baffert's return is a major story line at Saturday's Kentucky Derby, as is a potential win for Journalism—though the entrant fell from 3-1 odds in the morning to 4-1 by late afternoon. But the rain, a possible reason for Journalism's slide, is right up there....

After Four Years, Baffert Returns to Kentucky Derby

Trainer says he has two strong contenders in this year's race

(Newser) - After a four-year absence and a high-profile suspension, Bob Baffert is returning to the Kentucky Derby with two contenders and unfinished business at Churchill Downs. The trainer wants to add to his legacy of six Derby victories, the AP reports. The 72-year-old is back at his old Barn 33,...

Churchill Downs Lifts Baffert's Suspension

Trainer was barred for more than three years after Medina Spirit failed a drug test

(Newser) - Churchill Downs has rescinded its extended suspension of Bob Baffert, allowing the Hall of Fame trainer to resume racing his horses at the historic track and partner facilities after more than three years of banishment for a failed drug test of 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit . The stunning announcement...

Kentucky Derby Ends in Three-Horse Nail-Biter

Mystik Dan prevails in photo finish

(Newser) - Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a three-horse photo finish, edging out Sierra Leone by a nose with Forever Young third in the tightest finish since 1996 on Saturday, per the AP . Sent off at 18-1 odds, Mystik Dan and jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. rode the rail down...

He Bought His Long-Shot Horse for $11K. Now, Kentucky Derby

Larry Demeritte will be just the 2nd Black trainer since 1951 to saddle up a horse at Churchill Downs

(Newser) - If Larry Demeritte is looking for a positive sign heading into his first Kentucky Derby as a trainer, it's right where his horse is assigned. Long-shot West Saratoga is staying in Barn 42 at Churchill Downs, the same location where Seattle Slew was before he won the 1977...

8th Horse Dies at Churchill Downs
8th Horse Dies at
Churchill Downs
May 15, 2023 12:40 AM CDT

8th Horse Dies at Churchill Downs

7 others had died in recent weeks at home of Kentucky Derby

(Newser) - A horse died Sunday after a race at Churchill Downs, making it the eighth fatality in recent weeks at the home of the Kentucky Derby, the AP reports. Rio Moon “suffered a catastrophic injury to his left foreleg a few strides after the wire,” according to notes in...

Kentucky Derby Victor Is Heading to Preakness
For Triple Crown Fans,
It's Good News
May 12, 2023 11:33 AM CDT

For Triple Crown Fans, It's Good News

Derby winner Mage will race in the Preakness

(Newser) - Kentucky Derby winner Mage will run in the 148th Preakness following an encouraging workout at Churchill Downs, its co-owner said. Mage galloped about 1 1/2 miles at a brisk pace with exercise rider JJ Delgado aboard on a cloudy but mild Friday morning at the track. Co-owner and bloodstock agent...

Instead of Derby Glory, We Have the 'Stench of Death'

Horse racing has a big problem, writes Paul Newberry for the AP

(Newser) - This should be the day the world of horse racing is celebrating Saturday's winner of the Kentucky Derby and speculating about the odds of a Triple Crown winner. And while derby winner Mage is indeed getting attention, this year's race has been spoiled by what AP sports columnist...

Mage Crosses First at a Wild 149th Kentucky Derby

The horse previously had 1 win in 3 previous races

(Newser) - A virtual unknown, Mage crossed the finish line first in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. The 15-1 shot Mage had only one victory in three previous races before covering 1 1/4 miles in 2:01.57 under jockey Javier Castellano, reports the AP . He and trainer Gustavo Delgado are from...

'Cruel Part' of Racing Hits Derby
2 More Horses
Die on Derby Day
updated
May 6, 2023 5:20 PM CDT

2 More Horses Die on Derby Day

Toll is now at 7 at Churchill Downs

(Newser) - This story has been updated with the death of another racehorse. The Kentucky Derby lost its early favorite Saturday when Forte was scratched and two more horses died at Churchill Downs, further blows to a sport reeling from a series of doping suspensions and breakdowns. "This is part of...

After Horse Deaths, Trainer Suspended and Horses Scratched

Churchill Downs says it's looking into 'highly unusual' deaths, 2 of them unexplained

(Newser) - A horse trainer has been suspended indefinitely following the deaths of four horses ahead of the Kentucky Derby. Two of the horses that died after racing on the track at Churchill Downs were trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., who's now been suspended, WLKY reports. Their causes of death have...

No Triple Crown Again This Year
Rich Strike Stuns
Racing Again
May 12, 2022 3:47 PM CDT

Rich Strike Stuns Racing Again

Kentucky Derby winner won't compete in Preakness

(Newser) - Rich Strike will not run in the Preakness after his major upset to win the Kentucky Derby, keeping horse racing from having a Triple Crown winner for a fourth consecutive year. Owner Rich Dawson made the stunning announcement Thursday, 10 days before the race in Maryland. Dawson said he and...

Watch an 80-1 Longshot Shock the Derby Field

Rich Strike pulls off 2nd-biggest upset in Kentucky Derby history

(Newser) - (This summary has been updated with new details throughout.) With favorite Epicenter and Zandon dueling in front, Rich Strike came charging up the rail for a stunning 80-1 upset in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. Jockey Sonny Leon guided Rich Strike from far back in the 20-horse field to...

Medina Spirit Stripped of Kentucky Derby Win

Since-deceased horse tested positive for substance banned on race day

(Newser) - Medina Spirit was stripped of the victory in last year’s Kentucky Derby and Mandaloun was declared the winner after a ruling by state racing stewards on Monday. The since-deceased Medina Spirit tested positive after the race last May for a steroid, betamethasone, that is legal in Kentucky but banned...

Churchill Downs Hits Star Trainer With 2-Year Suspension

Bob Baffert will be barred from company tracks after second Medina Spirit drug test confirmed first

(Newser) - After a second test on his Kentucky Derby winner came back positive for a banned steroid, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has been suspended by Churchill Downs. The punishment will last till the end of the 2023 spring meet, the Washington Post reports. "Substance violations that jeopardize the...

It's Official: Derby Winner Medina Spirit Failed Drug Test
Derby Winner Medina Spirit
Fails 2nd Drug Test
UPDATED
Jun 2, 2021 10:06 AM CDT

Derby Winner Medina Spirit Fails 2nd Drug Test

Betamethasone was found at prohibited level

(Newser) - Medina Spirit could go down in history as the second horse to be disqualified from the Kentucky Derby for a failed drug test. Two, in this case. A second sample tested at the request of trainer Bob Baffert has come back positive, says Clark Brewster, a lawyer for Medina Spirit...

'Cancel Culture' Is Off the Hook in Derby Winner's Drug Test

Trainer Bob Baffert says ointment used on Medina Spirit contained steroid

(Newser) - A day after he blamed "cancel culture" for the Kentucky Derby winner he trained flunking a postrace drug test , Bob Baffert has acknowledged that there is a likelier suspect: an ointment that contains the drug Medina Spirit tested positive for. In a statement Tuesday, Baffert said his veterinarian had...

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