Our correspondent roamed the Churchill Downs backstretch this Kentucky Derby week. Here’s what he heard.
Pennsylvania-bred Fast and Accurate is among the longest of longshots for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby — but his owner is so confident that he paid $200,000 to supplement him to the big race.
While many trainers sent their horses to Churchill Downs, Graham Motion kept Irish War Cry home at Fair Hill until Monday. He sat down with Gary Quill to discuss that decision and much else.
It was only a conditioned claiming race on a dreary Sunday at Laurel Park – oh, and also one of the most joyous moments of our correspondent’s life.
Gary Quill – of The Racing Biz’s GQ Approach – was a roving wagering ambassador at Maryland Million day. His observation: it’s not your father’s racetrack anymore…
Our Gary Quill caught up and spent a few minutes with jockey Steve “Cowboy” Hamilton, returning to riding after a decade away.
Where to eat? Preakness weekend visitors’ dining questions, answered.
In a video interview, Doug O’Neill, trainer of Nyquist, discusses the “magic powers” that have enabled his brother Dennis to buy two Derby winners.
In a video interview, assistant trainer Jack Sisterson says Nyquist is doing well at Old Hilltop and says he acts like he never even ran in the Kentucky Derby.
Though questions abound about the ability of Maryland-bred Cathryn Sophia to get the 9-furlong distance of the Kentucky Oaks, her trainer says she deserves the shot at G1 glory.