LEXINGTON, Ky. — The road to the Kentucky Derby, the biggest race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds in America, if not the world, starts right here in the Bluegrass.

Kentucky is not the “Horse Capital of the World” because the Kentucky Derby just happens to be here.

It’s the horse capital of the world because almost all the contenders for ...Read more

If purchase price were the most important indicator of a horse’s racing success, there would be a runaway favorite for the 2026 Kentucky Derby.

But the betting favorites do not include the most expensive horse in the field.

That distinction goes to Bob Baffert-trained Potente, who was purchased for $2.4 million at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky Derby fans looking for a special bottle for the big race day on May 2 have a lot of choices, including one that bourbon lovers line up for every year.

While fans flock to Buffalo Trace in Frankfort every day for limited releases,, the distillery traditionally sees its busiest day of the year on Oaks Day, the Friday ...Read more

Riley Mott knows how this will sound, so he offers a qualifier beforehand.

A charismatic young trainer who is set to make his Kentucky Derby debut on Saturday, Mott says he’s not trying to be bold or cocky when explaining that he’s not surprised to be in this position.

Mott, 34, has two horses in this year’s Run for the Roses, as Albus ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — It has rained on each of the last four Kentucky Derby race days, according to the National Weather Service, but an early forecast for this Saturday projects for that streak will come to an end.

The Kentucky Derby is scheduled to take place Saturday, May 2, at Churchill Downs in Louisville. The NWS’ seven-day forecast for ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — As the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby inches closer on the calendar, horse racing fans know they need to pay extra attention to the weather forecast before departing for the races.

The previous 150 editions of the Derby have seen all types of weather, including extreme hot and cold temperatures, sunny skies, torrential ...Read more

The only bet I would make during Kentucky Derby week is one I’d hope to lose. I’d wager a horse will die.

Because Churchill Downs, the most iconic track in the world, owned by the wealthiest racing company in the country, is one of the deadliest.

Look beyond the women wearing gaudy, oversized hats, men in outlandish suits and beautiful ...Read more

Kentucky Derby week is finally upon us.

We now know the horses, and their starting positions, for this year’s Run for the Roses.

On Saturday afternoon, the post position draws were held at Churchill Downs in Louisville for both the Grade 1, $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks for fillies on May 1 and the Grade 1, $5 million Kentucky Derby on May 2.

...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The 2026 Spring Meet at Keeneland is in the history books.

The 15-day horse racing meet at the Lexington track began April 3 and ended Friday, with plenty of action in between.

The leading trainer and jockey for the Spring Meet are familiar faces at Keeneland, but plenty of notable results also occurred along the way, ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Churchill Downs has reached a deal to acquire the intellectual property rights to the Preakness Stakes and Black-Eyed Susan Stakes for $85 million, the company announced Tuesday, but the agreement doesn’t threaten Maryland’s plans to keep the races in Baltimore.

The agreement with 1/ST Maryland LLC, an affiliate of 1/ST Racing...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Further Ado prevailed Saturday in the 102nd running of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, a key Kentucky Derby prep race.

Trained by Louisville native Brad Cox and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., Further Ado covered 1 1/8 miles on Keeneland’s main track in 1:49:58 on a warm Lexington evening to win ...Read more

The fleeting hopes by Northern California horsemen that as long as Golden Gate Fields was still standing, racing, even if only as a simulcast or gaming facility, could one day return to Northern California, were dashed on Monday when The Stronach Group (TSG) entered into a deal to sell the 141-acre facility to a nonprofit, which plans to ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Less than 35 days remain until the 2026 running of the $5 million Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

With the race set for May 2, the projected 20-horse field for the 152nd edition of the Derby is becoming clear.

This past weekend featured four major prep races on the road to Derby 152. Both domestically ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The hopes of Northern California racing and breeding interests were once again dashed when the California Horse Racing Board refused to license short racing dates to the Tehama District Fair and the Humboldt County Fair on Thursday.

Rather than a discussion about how to grow the sport, the 2-hour, 45-minute meeting was mostly ...Read more