LOS ANGELES — Minds were blown when former Dodgers outfielder Jayson Werth agreed to a seven-year, $126 million free-agent contract with the Washington Nationals during the 2010 winter meetings.

So much money! So many years!

General managers gnashed their teeth. Another example of agent Scott Boras hoodwinking one of their own, they said. ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The biggest long-shot winner in the Kentucky Derby’s 149-year history was Donerail, who won “The Run for the Roses” in 1913 at 91-1 odds.

A $2 win bet paid $184.90 on the horse after its half-length win at Churchill Downs over front-running favorite Ten Point.

The next four horses with the longest odds ever to win the Derby...Read more

We are deep into an age of parity for the Triple Crown series. Fifteen horses have won the 15 runnings of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes since Justify won all three races in 2018.

Every spring brings hope for a new star, even when the headlines around thoroughbred racing’s most glamorous events seem to focus more on ...Read more

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky Derby 150, just like 149 and 148, will be run without trainer Bob Baffert, the most recognizable name in the sport, even to those who don't follow it. And, for the first time, none of his horses were moved to other trainers, meaning the race won't have all the best horses in it.

The overwhelming number of people who...Read more

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A little after 6 p.m. on Saturday, Resilience will be pulled from his stall in Barn 19 and readied for the walk from the backside to the paddock at Churchill Downs. He'll be accompanied by his trainer, Bill Mott, who will make the walk for the 11th time with his 13th entrant in the Kentucky Derby.

Also in tow will be owners ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — When horses shuffle into the starting gate for the historic 150th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 4 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, one man’s voice will narrate the monumental event to millions of viewers at home.

Since 2011, Larry Collmus has been the race announcer for the Kentucky Derby for NBC Sports, which means...Read more

SAN DIEGO — In the late-1990s, the Del Mar media relations crew would offer writers gifts that included futures tickets for the track's Futurity winner at the following year's Kentucky Derby.

So Dan Smith, whom the press box is now named after, and Mac McBride drew out $500 from track coffers, drove to Las Vegas and snapped up $10 win tickets...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Among the plethora of factors to consider when making a Kentucky Derby bet are the bloodlines of the horses.

Handicappers will consider a horse’s sire to evaluate how the horse might run on different surfaces and what race length suits it best among other factors. To help you make your 2024 Kentucky Derby pick, here is a ...Read more

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The $2.3 million thoroughbred colt Sierra Leone can check a couple of important Kentucky Derby boxes on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Box 1 belongs to the Blue Grass Stakes. No winner of Keeneland Race Course’s Grade 1 Kentucky Derby prep race has continued on to win the roses since trainer Nick Zito’s Strike the Gold ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Kentucky Derby field is official and we’re just days away from dreams being fulfilled for one horse’s owners.

Just getting a contender into the 20-horse starting gate for Saturday’s race is a tall order, much less winning. For most, making it to Louisville for the race is the culmination of years of dreams and ...Read more

The 2024 Kentucky Derby is Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., and the Herald-Leader has asked horse racing experts around the country for their top handicapping picks.

Florida Derby winner Fierceness is the favorite, with Blue Grass Stakes winner Sierra Leone next on the morning line, and Catching Freedom, Forever Young and Just a ...Read more

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Last year's Kentucky Derby Day at Churchill Downs saw 143 horses enter the starting gate. Most will remember Mage, who crossed the finish line first in the world's most famous race. But forgotten by all who didn't known them were Chloe's Dream and Freezing Point, who never made it to the finish line, who never made it back to...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — With Saturday’s historic 150th edition of the Kentucky Derby fast approaching, the focus is on the top of the pre-race odds board.

Fierceness — owned by Mike Repole, trained by Todd Pletcher and to be ridden by John Velazquez — is the favorite to win this year’s Run for the Roses.

Despite initially being drawn into ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Exactly one year ago, Churchill Downs was a race track in crisis at the worst possible time.

Kentucky Derby week was being overshadowed by an early spate of equine deaths at the Louisville facility. Before the Spring Meet had concluded, the fatalities had risen to 12 and racing had been shifted to the Churchill Downs Inc.-...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — It’s only Tuesday, but we already have a scratch for Saturday’s 150th edition of the Kentucky Derby.

Encino — trained by Brad Cox and drawn into post position 9 — won’t run in Derby 150.

With Encino scratching out of the race, Epic Ride — trained by John Ennis — will move into the 20-horse field as a result of ...Read more

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Mike Repole has a message for people about Mike Repole: Don’t feel sorry for Mike Repole.

“I mean I’ve got a pretty awesome life,” the 55-year-old New York native said last week.

You could say that. According to Forbes magazine, Repole is worth $1.6 billion. He helped start Glaceau, the company behind Vitaminwater ...Read more

Regardless whether you think this is Kentucky Derby 150, Kentucky Derby 150* or Kentucky Derby 149½, most of the animus around this year's historic race will be forgotten, if only briefly, when the gates open at Churchill Downs on Saturday evening.

Somewhere around 20 of the best 3-year-old horses in the world will be hoping to win the most ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Keeneland’s 16-day Spring Meet came to a close Friday.

Held from April 5-26, this year’s Spring Meet included a historic 100th edition of the meet’s signature race, the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, as well as 19 stakes races in total that offered a combined, season-record purse of $8.6 million.

The meet also took place ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Fierceness, the Todd Pletcher trainee who won the Florida Derby by more than 13 lengths last month, was installed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s historic 150th edition of the $5 million Kentucky Derby.

A winner in three of his five career starts, Fierceness was assigned post position 17 for the Derby. That�...Read more