Mo Tom’s been the hard luck story of the 2016 Kentucky Derby (G1) trail, better known for being badly hampered when trying to rally in the Risen Star (G2) and Louisiana Derby (G2). In the process, his actual talent has gotten lost in the shuffle.
Bred by Hargus and Sandra Sexton and Silver Fern Farm, Mo Tom is from the first crop of champion Uncle
Majesto is making his second appearance in “Tales from the Crib.” How is that possible, you ask, since a 3-year-old Thoroughbred has just one shot in the Kentucky Derby (G1)?
That’s because he was born on the Sunday of Derby Week in 2013, just six days before his half-brother, Overanalyze, competed at Churchill Downs. When speaking with Diamond A
With rain in the forecast for the weekend, many trainers with contenders heading to the May 7 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) opted get in their final workouts Friday, April 29, at Churchill Downs.
Undefeated champion and expected Derby favorite Nyquist had his final breeze at Keeneland prior to the first race of the Friday closing
Look for “The Works” to sum up Kentucky Derby and Oaks training each morning from Churchill Downs, with insights and interviews on site leading up to the May 6 and 7 races.
Whitmore had just finished up his gallop Thursday morning, looking like a handful while swinging his head about during Derby training under the Twin Spires, when trainer Ron Mo
Connections: Mo Tom is one of two Derby-bound colts, along with Tom’s Ready, campaigned by Gayle Benson and her husband, Tom, also owner of the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans. Amoss has conditioned four previous Derby starters, most recently saddling 16th-place War Story last year. Mylute ran 5th in 2013.
Family ties: Coolmore Ashford’s Uncle Mo,
Victor Espinoza will have a chance for an unprecedented three-peat in the Kentucky Derby, after all.
The jockey who won the Derby with California Chrome in 2014 and with eventual Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in 2015 has landed aboard long shot Whitmore, Espinoza’s agent, Brian Beach, said Wednesday.
The Derby at Churchill Downs is May 7.
Churchill Downs’ leading jockey in eight straight meets will get a second chance at the Kentucky Derby.
Owner G.M.B. Racing announced Friday morning that Corey Lanerie has retained the mount on Mo Tom after lightning essentially struck twice on the Derby trail. In both Fair Grounds’ Risen Star and Louisiana Derby, Lanerie guided the late-kicking
Tom Amoss says he hopes Mo Tom can get an unimpeded trip in a race so that the public can witness what the trainer sees regularly in the mornings. And April 20 in the pre-dawn at Churchill Downs, that included a half-mile workout in :47 flat in preparation for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).
The gallop-out was spectacular, wit
For a moment, as Nyquist slid outward and Mohaymen slowed at the top of the stretch Saturday, Majesto looked as if he might slip by on the rail and score a major upset in the Grade I, $1 million Florida Derby. Then came a late bid from closing Fellowship, too.
The champion 2-year-old Nyquist ultimately hit another gear, going on to a 3 1/4-length
The highlight of the Gulfstream Park meeting is the $1 million Xpressbet Florida Derby (G1), a major prep for the Kentucky Derby. A field of 9 three-year-olds contested this 1 1/8 mile trip on Saturday afternoon with 100 “Kentucky Derby Championship Series” points to the winner, under cloudy skies (after earlier rains) and temperatures in the low 9