22 horses entered for Kentucky Derby; field limited to 20

Associated PressMay 4, 2016, 2:31 PM EDT

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) Twenty-two horses have been entered for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, two more than the maximum field of 20.

The entry box closed Wednesday morning, with the draw to determine post positions set for later in the afternoon. The field is limited to the top 20 horses based on points earned in designated prep races.

Leading the way is undefeated Nyquist, winner of the Florida Derby. The colt is trained by Doug O’Neill, who won the race in 2012 with I’ll Have Another.

Bob Baffert, who last year trained American Pharoah to the sport’s first Triple Crown in 37 years, will saddle Mor Spirit.

Trainer Steve Asmussen has two horses, Gun Runner and Creator. Chad Brown has Shagaf and My Man Sam, while Todd Pletcher will saddle Destin and Outwork.

The also eligibles are Laoban and Cherry Wine, who would need defections by early Friday morning to get into the 1 1/4-mile race.

Owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey paid the $200,000 supplemental fee to make Oscar Nominated eligible to the Triple Crown. The colt was not an early nominee on Jan. 16, which would have cost $600, or a late nominee on March 21, which would have cost $6,000. Oscar Nominated is just the third horse to be a supplemental nominee since the practice began in 1996.

The extra money as a result of Oscar Nominated’s supplemental entry raises the Derby purse to $2,391,600, if 20 horses start. It would be the second-richest purse in the race’s 142-year history, behind the $2,399,600 awarded in 2005. The winner would earn $1,631,600.

Forte works out, waits for Belmont Stakes clearance

Associated PressMay 27, 2023, 3:14 PM EDT

Matt Stone/USA TODAY NETWORK

NEW YORK — Forte, the early Kentucky Derby favorite who was scratched on the day of the race, worked out in preparation for a possible start in the Belmont Stakes on June 10.

Under regular rider Irad Ortiz Jr., Forte worked five-eighths of a mile for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. It was the colt’s second workout since being scratched from the Derby on May 6.

“It seems like he’s maintained his fitness level,” Pletcher said. “It seems like everything is in good order.”

Forte was placed on a mandatory 14-day veterinary list after being scratched from the Derby because of a bruised right front foot. In order to be removed from the list, the colt had to work in front of a state veterinarian and give a blood sample afterward, the results of which take five days.

“There’s protocols in place and we had to adhere to those and we’re happy that everything went smoothly,” Pletcher said. “We felt confident the horse was in good order or we wouldn’t have been out there twice in the last six days, but you still want to make sure everything went smoothly and we’re happy everything did go well.”

Pletcher said Kingsbarns, who finished 14th in the Kentucky Derby, will miss the Belmont. The colt is showing signs of colic, although he is fine, the trainer said.

Another Pletcher-trained horse, Prove Worthy, is under consideration for the Belmont. He also has Tapit Trice, who finished seventh in the Derby, being pointed toward the Belmont.

Judge grants Churchill Downs’ request for summary judgment to dismiss Bob Baffert’s lawsuit

Associated PressMay 25, 2023, 9:36 PM EDT

Abbey Cutrer/USA TODAY NETWORK

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A federal judge has granted Churchill Downs’ motion for summary judgment that dismisses Bob Baffert’s claim the track breached due process by suspending the Hall of Fame trainer for two years.

Churchill Downs Inc. suspended Baffert in June 2021 after his now-deceased colt, Medina Spirit, failed a postrace drug test after crossing the finish line first in the 147th Kentucky Derby. The trainer’s request to lift the discipline was denied in February, keeping him out of the Derby for a second consecutive May.

U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings ruled in a 12-page opinion issued Wednesday that Churchill Downs’ suspension of Baffert did not devalue his Kentucky trainer’s license. It cited his purse winnings exceeding $1 million at Keeneland in Lexington and stated that his argument “amounts to a false analogy that distorts caselaw.”

Jennings denied CDI’s motion to stay discovery as moot.

The decision comes less than a week after Baffert-trained colt National Treasure won the Preakness in his first Triple Crown race in two years. His record eighth win in the second jewel of the Triple Crown came hours after another of his horses, Havnameltdown, was euthanized following an injury at Pimlico.

Churchill Downs said in a statement that it was pleased with the court’s favorable ruling as in Baffert’s other cases.

It added, “While he may choose to file baseless appeals, this completes the seemingly endless, arduous and unnecessary litigation proceedings instigated by Mr. Baffert.”

Baffert’s suspension is scheduled to end on June 2, but the track’s release noted its right to extend it “and will communicate our decision” at its conclusion.