
A huge crowd is expected to be on hand Saturday for the 143rd running of the Kentucky Derby.
This year’s race for the nation’s top 3-year-old horses features no clear favorite and a chance of early rain that may favor a horse with wet track ability.
The 20-horse field lacks a dominant runner. Classic Empire is the lukewarm 4-1 favorite. Two horses, Always Dreaming and McCraken, are the co-second choices at 5-1.
After heavy rain Friday, there remains a threat of rain early Saturday, which could soak well-dressed racegoers wearing fancy hats, and make for a most unpredictable Derby. Post time is about 6:50 p.m. ET. The race attracted a crowd of 167,000 last year.
Trainer Todd Pletcher will run 5-1 shot Always Dreaming, 20-1 Tapwrit and 30-1 Patch, the one-eyed horse. Pletcher is 1 for 45 in the Derby.
With no left eye, Patch will only see the crowd as he breaks from the far outside spot in the gate. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione figures to hustle him over to the rail to save ground as the field makes its way to the traffic-choked first turn.
Steve Asmussen also has three runners, and they’re all longshots: 15-1 Hence, 20-1 Lookin at Lee, and 30-1 Untrapped. He is winless in 15 tries, the only hole in his Hall of Fame resume.
“The Kentucky Derby would look really good to add to the list,” he said.
Don’t look for four-time winner Bob Baffert. The white-haired trainer doesn’t have a horse this year, but like everyone else, he has an opinion.
“There’s a lot of parity. There are some nice, solid horses,” he said. “I think Classic Empire is probably the best horse in the race. Todd’s horse has brilliance, Always Dreaming. If they can get him figured out, he could steal it. The rest are bombers.”
The rain is predicted to end hours before the race goes off in the early evening. The last Derby run on an off-track was 2013 when Orb splashed home in front.
Favorites have won the Derby the past four years, the longest such streak since the 1970s.
Classic Empire sure looked like the early Derby favorite last year when he won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and was named 2-year-old champion. He made his 3-year-old debut with a third-place finish in the Holy Bull Stakes in February. Then came two more months off caused by hoof and back injuries. Twice, the bay colt didn’t want to train.
“We’re happy to be where we are today given the last couple of months,” trainer Mark Casse said. “I love being the favorite. Let’s just enjoy the ride.”
Always Dreaming had been fractious in morning workouts leading up to the Derby. In an effort to harness the colt’s energy, Pletcher switched to longer reins, and Always Dreaming resisted. He has since calmed down and John Velazquez will be in the saddle Saturday to lend an experienced hand.
Girvin has battled a quarter crack in his right front hoof that limited his workouts. Trainer Joe Sharp and his assistant-wife, former jockey Rosie Napravnik, had the colt swimming and using a hyperbaric chamber to make the race.
Gunnevera’s trainer, Antonio Sano, was kidnapped twice in his native Venezuela before relocating his family to Miami. Jockey Javier Castellano, also from the violence-wracked nation, is trying to snap an 0 for 10 skid in the Derby. Gunnevera is the cheapest horse in the field. He was bought for $16,000 at auction.
“Every day, I stop to think, `My horse can win the Kentucky Derby,”‘ Sano said. “It would be a big gift for the people of Venezuela at this moment. In Venezuela, people are killing people. People have no food. Very sad.”
Thunder Snow carries the hopes of Godolphin Racing, which is owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum. He’s the ruler of Dubai. The stable is winless in nine previous Derby attempts.
“There’s plenty of speed lined up for this race and nobody’s going to get an easy lead,” said Jerry Hollendorfer, who trains Battle of Midway.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
About the Author: admin
Related posts
Confirmed: Trump Is, Indeed, a Very Stable Genius
Muslims respond to call for blood donations in Egypt after Palm Sunday attacks
Is There a Link Between Progressivism and Depression?
To Students: A Lesson on the Modern Left
78,000 military email accounts found in adult website hack
Madonna is NOT happy
Washington to Decide on First-of-Its-Kind Carbon Fee…
Corey Feldman claims he's being targeted for death!
'Killer' mom's lone surviving kid details bloody rampage
White House Spanish account sends out inaugural tweet: 'Hola'
Whatever Happened to the Feminists' 'Hear Me Roar'?
Trump: The Beginning of the End or the End of the Beginning?
Reversal of Aaron Hernandez's murder conviction appalls victim's family
AMAZON critics mark Cyber Monday with rally at Bezos penthouse……
BATTLE INTENSIFIES OVER CHINESE TAKEOVER OF CHICAGO STOCK EXCHANGE…
'Deadliest's' meth problem
Obama: Trump will 'choke off' nation's kids by exiting climate deal
It's Time for a Climate Change in the Climate Change Dogma
Social Logins Sold For $3.90 On Dark Web…
The First Thanksgiving
'TUCKER TONIGHT' Radio host: NRA ad condemns violence
Trump again insists Mexico will pay for wall…
Federal judge sides with White House on refugee issue
Wells Fargo asks for lawsuits to be arbitrated outside court
North Korea says China is 'dancing to the tune of the US' over coal sanctions
Communist Party membership climbs…
Obama hopeful Trump won't seek criminal revenge on Clinton: White House
France on strike: Trains stuck, Versailles shut, unions firm…
IKEA to ruin life on Mars
Make Our Health Care Great Again
AMBER ALERT Police say 12-year-old met abduction suspect online
Saudis Shocked by Official Flip-Flop on Khashoggi…
Texas to deny Medicaid funds for Planned Parenthood
'ENABLES SMUGGLERS' Top Texas official blames sanctuary cities for deaths
Mall brawl leaves officer injured
'Fox & Friends' celebrates National Puppy Day
North Carolina school 'refuses to acknowledge' electrocuted teen in graduation, family says
ISIS CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY Terror group: 'Soldiers' targeted bus carrying Coptic Christians in Egypt
Whole World Watching America…
The iPhone of motorcycles?
How the FAA Hinders Innovation
Jill Stein serves Trump 'hump pie' for his New Year's Eve tweet
McCain Gonna McCain
Hoyer backs calls for probe into Russian blackmail of Trump
MeToo unnerves China…
Zookeeper killed by tiger in enclosure at Hamerton Zoo Park in the UK
Trump's 14 Points for Israel and the Palestinians
Elon Musk's SpaceX launches spy satellite, breaks up Lockheed-Boeing stronghold
Fired engineers seek federal probe…
Why Trump Supporters are Still Solid
Can We Please Stop Pretending the NFL Protests Have Anything to Do with Free Speech?
LET'S DO LUNCH Trump invites every GOP senator to talk on health
Iran: A Leading State in Women’s Oppression
TAKES IT TO THE GRAVE Infamous 'Moors Murderer' denies family's final wish
Retailers fear House GOP tax plan
Why Jared Kushner Was Crucial to the Saudi Opening
Immigrant who lied about sex assault stripped of citizenship – Tucker on SF's $190K payout to illegal immigrant: 'You shouldn't pay a criminal'
Police: Driver shot, killed after hitting boy, 4
Another Hillary Mole
Activists riot against G-20 summit for 3rd night in Hamburg
Dylann Roof won't call witnesses, present evidence in death penalty trial
New York play's Trump-killing scene forces hand of major companies
ObamaCare vote do-over? House could be forced to revisit bill – Trump budget to cut Medicaid, food stamps — put 'taxpayer first,' officials say
Monkeys to be sterilized by AI after rampages as aggressive primates targeted…
Wall Street Journal: Trump's Taiwan call may help 'deal-making' with China
NHL star recalls double life under fugitive dad
Model shares revealing pics
No prom for grandmom, Alabama high school decides
Krauthammer: 'Reasonable' for GOP to threaten 'nuclear option' on filibusters
Angelina Jolie Drug Tests…
'I SLEEP PRETTY GOOD' Casey Anthony talks about life 6 years after acquittal
Netflix's dirty little secret
Vatican takes off gloves, accuses papal critic of 'defamation'…
Manchester attack: Trump orders probe after leaks
Pence confirms Romney is under 'active consideration' for secretary of state
Academics Play the Global Warming Card
Is UNICEF helping all the child victims of peacekeeper sex abuse?
Who Really Torpedoed Hillary's Campaign?
ISIS claims it's taken bin Laden's Afghan hideout
Conway on Anderson Cooper's eye-roll: I face sexism often in TV interviews
Sessions, Alabama governor may discuss senator's successor Friday, sources say
Democrats proving powerless to stop Trump's Cabinet
World's First 'Fly And Drive' Car To Be Unveiled In Miami…
US takes refugees off Australia's hands in Obama's final days
New Jersey Transit train derails at Penn Station
'This is our flag': County tears down memorial, town rebuilds it
There Is Only One Sure Way to Stop School Shootings
Middle East Studies Profs Gone Bad
Poll: Obamacare's benefits not worth the trade-off
BACKING BORDER PLANS: DHS chief defends increase in ICE, border hires
The US Government Again Fails to Protect Sensitive Personal Information
Top Missouri official: If we tell Trump his dad loved him, he won't 'act out'
Woman in 'fake homeless' vid has been arrested – Man accused of mocking, punching man with cerebral palsy arrested
NFL players, vets, save lives
Teen takes dying grandmother to school prom
Jelly Belly sued
TODD STARNES: Anti-religion bullies drive cross, symbols from campus
Paying workers to protest: The controversial trend of social justice benefits
'CONFRONT THIS REGIME' McMaster: US must prep for military ops in N. Korea
Trump names McGahn as White House counsel
UK police: 58 dead and presumed dead in London blaze – Almost $4 million raised for London fire victims
U.S. spy chief says has submitted letter of resignation
Yankees' prospect denies rumor he inquired about unretiring Mickey Mantle's number
How 'Guardians' really did
Male-to-Female Transgenders in Women's Sports
Children of the Revolution
Venezuela general orders snipers to prepare for clash with protesters
Cockatoos drum to a beat
New German study finds its media up to its old tricks, colluding with the Merkel government
A Republic, If You Can Keep It
The Media's Reliance on Skeevy Leaks and Crazy Conclusions
News organization asks Trump to declassify data on how Obama used NSA to spy on Americans…
Several people injured after falling off ferris wheel in Washington
Bannon testifies Stone was campaign link to WIKILEAKS…
Ford's Accusation against Kavanaugh Is Not Credible
Farm family struggles to recover after rising debt pushes husband to suicide…
LONG LINES, CANCELLATIONS…
Ohio State attacker faulted 'moderate' Muslims in note to family
'Real Men Watch BRAVO' Name Change After Backlash…
Trump to meet with Japanese prime minister next week
A Better Source of Nuclear Power?
Schumer worried Kerry 'has emboldened extremists'
REX REED: Shia LaBeouf 'HONEY BOY' Is 94 Minutes of Misery…
Everything (That's Not Sexism) Is Racism
Daring to bare shoulders: Debate on dress code for female Hill reporters heats up
Yes, really. A reporter asked the White House about the Oscars.
Lamborghini impounded after two 100 mph tickets in Eastern Washington
Report: Trump has received only two intel briefings since Nov. 8
ESPN'S DARK DAY 100 layoffs loom, including on-air 'anchors, analysts'
'Swineapple' is newest trend
Anti-allergy medicine EpiPen recall expands to US
'Mad Men' star's big move
Florida man to face charges after bodies found in truck at San Antonio Walmart – VIDEO: Report: 30 people rescued from trailer where 8 people died – 3 people found in car's trunk during immigration inspection
Tall man kicked off flight?
Humanness Must Trump Muslimness
Help find aliens
Trump orders two regulations cut for every regulation added
Trump misreads New York Times story about call with Chinese president
Gorsuch tries to bridge partisan divide in start of confirmation hearings – VIDEO: Gorsuch stresses need for 'neutral and independent judges' – Who is Neil Gorsuch? – Explore the life and career of Neil Gorsuch – Sen. Sasse slams Dems: 'A lot of hyperventilating' about Gorsuch
'TUCKER TONIGHT:' Manchin: Trump needs to repair intel relationship
Journalists question Buzzfeed publishing unconfirmed intel report on Trump
Scott Pelley reportedly out of 'CBS Evening News'
The Bankruptcy of One Free Grope Politics
Lawyer offers support to electors who want to vote against Trump
Penis-shaped rock formation to be rebuilt in Norway
Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals: Know its Lessons
Bill Nye poses with 'Keep The EPA Great' hat
5,000 National Guard troops will be deployed for Trump swearing in
How Hillary Clinton's white voters melted away
Another Day, Another Apology to Muslims
Texas father who forced daughter into prostitution is sentenced
Backs against the wall: Trump victory casts pall over Mexico
DOCTOR IS OUT Trump replaces Obama's surgeon general
The FBI's McCabe and Bias in the Deep State
Pack of seven gray wolves missing in California
GOP offers $300 million for refugee aid, with one condition
Trump mulling significant cuts to White House drug office, memo warns
Trump offers national security adviser post to Michael Flynn: senior Trump official
The Case Against Mahmoud Abbas
GREGG JARRETT Pelosi, others wrong on Donald Trump Jr.
Trump faces delicate diplomatic dance with Putin meeting, on G-20 sidelines
iPhone 8 comes out …
St. Louis' NFL lawsuit could open legal, PR floodgates
The Secret Service and a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
COPS: Father tries to attack son with chainsaw, but son runs him over with mower…
Why valedictorians rarely become millionaires
Congressman-elect Gianforte tells reporter: 'I had no right to assault you’
US airstrike in Somalia targets al-Shabab militants, killing at least eight
So When Exactly Did Bill Ayers and Barack Obama Meet?
Mike Pence courts the House Freedom Caucus
Boy can only eat 7 foods including Chick-fil-A waffle fries, report says – 8-month-old baby weighing 38 pounds baffles doctors
Stevie Van Zandt calls out 'Hamilton' cast for 'bullying' Pence
Flu Season Takes off Quickly in Deep South States…
Belmont Stakes up for grabs to end uneven Triple Crown
'Stop it' Trump warns his bully followers
Mount Everest's 'Hillary Step' collapses, mountaineers confirm
Report: Buzzfeed sued for story on unverified dossier
Follow the Votes
SNAP: Mother Upset With Son's Haircut Slams Car Into Barber Shop…
Pennsylvania coal mine, first in Trump era, praised as lifeline for local economy
Bangkok hospital bombing: More than 20 wounded in attack, police say
'I WANT TO GO FORWARD' Report: Comey tried to expose alleged Russian interference before election
Ohio Amber Alert canceled after 2 young children found safe
Gingrich jabs at Russia over UN Israel vote
'SNL': Sean Spicer accuses Nordstrom of committing 'light terrorism'
Paris letter bomb: One person hurt at IMF office
BOOM: Florida mansion sells for record $111 million…
Benign Violation Theory: An Explanation for 'Pocahontas' Outrage
Iranians freed in Obama's nuclear deal posed national security threat, says report – Obama talks immigration, Fox News in first post-White House event
'Guardian' rumors confirmed
Yes, President Trump Can Undo Controversial National Monuments
SYRIA MISSILE ATTACK Satellite images show major damage to airfields
Obama vs. the Nation
Texans' David Quessenberry returns to practice after completing cancer treatment
Carrie helps young girls
Former Marine now a celeb chef
FOX NEWS OPINION 'F*** Trump' chant led by California Democratic Party Leader
Oklahoma third-grade teacher resorts to panhandling to afford school supplies
Using Nullification To Destroy Federalism
Kim Kardashian gets White House ready, reportedly buys Jackie O's Cartier watch
Hawaii grand jury indicts US soldier on terrorism charges for trying to aid ISIS
ROGUE STATE THREAT US vows it will 'never accept armed N. Korea'
Trump still winner after Wisconsin recount, adds 131 votes to tally
Drill, Trump, Drill!
China Is Ticking All the Boxes on Its Path to War
'WASTE OF OUR TIME' Kushner denies collusion, prepares for congressional testimony
Arafat duped Clinton. Will Abbas dupe Trump?
Obama's Supreme Court pick Merrick Garland returns to DC Circuit Court
Draining the Swamp with Article V
TRUMP ORDER BLOCKED Judge blocks bid to cut funding to sanctuary cities
Is America ready for gay president?
Newsrooms hyping most predictable event of 2016
You’ve Got a Book in You (Maybe Five)
Road map to the Senate's nuclear option for confirming Gorsuch
Heavy French fry eaters have 'double' the chance of death…
Secretive corporation won't let Buttigieg talk about three years of his life…
5,000 Seattle students walk out of class to protest Trump
Tabasco's hottest sauce yet
New Jersey teen gets into Stanford after writing #BlackLivesMatter 100 times on application
Trump's first tweet
Iran's Elections: A Breaking Crisis?
FBI joins hunt for body of Hawaiian child missing for two decades
Aid groups bypass UN in joint call to prevent mass starvation
Powerball prize now 10th largest after months without winner
North Korea: Not Nerve Gas Again!
Lochte: Phelps will lose
First votes already cast in volatile midterm elections…
Pence meets privately with potential Cabinet appointee Corker
How Conservative States Should Handle Academia
Fourth Circuit gun ruling sets up potential Supreme Court battle
'Activity' seen at Syrian base where chemical attack originated, defense officials say
Lawsuit filed in Florida nursing home tragedy – Officials: Returning Keys residents must be self-sustaining
Russia and North Korea through the Lens of GDP
Is Trump-Russia collusion Drumbeat Pushing US into Another Cold War?
South America's Southern Cone
Johnny Manziel reportedly off the market
You Can’t Fire Bill O’Reilly
Media overhype yet another hate crime story in rush to connect it to Trump, GOP
'This poll is a disaster': Tucker spars with Clinton adviser on Dems' popularity
How Republicans might repeal and replace Obamacare
TRUMP BLASTS POST President asks if Bezos-owned newspaper is a 'lobbyist weapon'
Supreme Court justices show support for church, in Gorsuch's 1st high-profile case
A Time for War: The Cold Civil War Continues…and Trump Is Winning
Democrats in Trump districts under fire from GOP group
THE TRUMP EFFECT? Number of refugees US admits dropped 50 percent
We Should Stop Arming Everybody
Report: Intel agencies repeatedly withheld info from Trump
Message from woman in texting suicide trial: 'It's my fault'
New Jersey's new opioid law raises concerns among doctors
BANNON’S BACK Report: Trump adviser to head Russia response
Thorne flaunts short shorts
Trump: US stands by Japan '100 percent' after North Korea missile launch
Rule Forcing Visa Applicants to Provide Social-Media Info Targeted by Lawsuit…
Top Republicans ask AG to review IRS' Lois Lerner case
Ted Cruz trolls Deadspin with hoops photo
Ignorance: The Greatest Threat to Black Americans
Arrest after human remains found at Lake Mead encased in concrete
Last ISIS escape route in Raqqa hub cut off, Syrian monitors say
The Left and the Gun Control Marches
Mnuchin: Tax reform by August
Misandry Rises: In Defense of Men
Red Sox Apologize…
Trump Terminates Palestinian Revisionism
Killing Trump Is Deep State's 'Plan C,' Warns Adviser Roger Stone
Yelp users get revenge after Hawaii cafe bans Trump supporters
Japanese fleet returns from Antarctic hunt with 333 whales
Trump Falls for the 'Criminal Justice Reform' Hoax
Treasury's Mnuchin makes rare Canada visit amid tensions
Dismissing Third-Party Voters
Major Swedish musical festival cancelled after sex assaults rekindles fears of migrants, anger at police
Obama allows United Nations to condemn Israeli settlements
Off-duty border patrol agent may have started Arizona fire
Watch: Man grabs machete, chases off armed robbers
Hillary’s 2020 Vision of Revenge
DOPAMINE FASTS: SILICON VALLEY AVOIDING FOOD, TV, SEX, MUSIC, EXERCISE, EYE CONTACT…
Cockroaches in your PS4?
Paraphrasing Cato: The Democratic Party Must Be Destroyed
The Germans Will Never Learn
GOP asks states for help replacing Obamacare
Lawmakers consider impeachment articles…
The Broward County Superintendent's Corrupt and Dangerous Agenda
TOO CLOSE TO CALL Early results in Ga. House election show seesaw race
Tariffs Won't Help Make America Great Again
The F-35 Critics vs. the Facts
Dog runs ultramarathon
How to Get It Right on Iran
The Rise of Anti-Christian Bigotry in America
UPDATE: Republican GA Gov Defies Trump with Senate Pick…
Pence: Trump will 'be taking his case consistently' to Americans
Undergraduates in US reportedly face nearly 20 percent increase in interest for student loans
German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Saudi Arabia without headscarf
Biden knocks Clinton: Not a 'great' candidate
4 Vietnam War veterans receive Silver Star for 1972 rescue mission
SMOKE AND MIRRORS? Assad calls out Trump over his efforts to fight ISIS
Earth set for big freeze? Sun blank…
Why Roy Moore and Tax Cuts Matter
