Splish, Splash – Who Has a Shot in the Kentucky Derby Slop?
Factors like experience running on an off track as well as turf experience elevate several contenders that could influence your Derby wagers.
Kentucky Derby
Jennifer Kelly
Jennifer Kelly is a horse racing historian, writer, and author of Sir Barton and the Making of the Triple Crown and The Foxes of Belair: Gallant Fox, Omaha, and the Quest for the Triple Crown. When she's not writing about racing's past, she's watching and wagering on racing's present, eagerly awaiting our next Triple Crown winner.
Sognare Il Derby: Umberto Rispoli Is Derby Dreaming with Journalism
Umberto Rispoli has already had an accomplished career, riding at racetracks around the world, from Italy to Hong Kong, and logging Group or Grade 1 victories in five countries, but a Kentucky Derby victory would take this world traveler’s career to the next level.
Triple Crown
“It Was Toby’s Dream” – Toby Keith’s Render Judgment Represents the Late Singer Saturday
Thanks to the points the colt earned on this year’s Road to the Kentucky Derby, Render Judgment will be breaking from post 15, with a shot to make the late country music star’s dream come true.
Triple Crown
A Glass Full of Memories: A History of the Derby's Iconic Mint Julep Glasses
From their humble beginnings in the 1930s to their collectible designs in 2025, the mint julep glass is another piece of the Kentucky Derby experience that leaves fans with lasting memories of their day under the Twin Spires.
Kentucky Derby
Tall Tales of the Track – A Bargain Mare Yields a High Class Horse
The product of an unwanted mare and an unheralded stallion, Lieutenant Gibson was a record-breaking Kentucky Derby winner and a beloved horse, his too-short life unable to give him the legacy that his performances might have merited.
Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby Lucky Losers: Cryptoclearance (1987)
Cryptoclearance was another exceptional member of the class of 1984, a hard-trying horse who was always in the mix in the sport’s biggest stakes and a stellar sire who passed on his champion genes to more than one classic winner.
Kentucky Derby
Tall Tales of the Track: Whose Horse Is He Anyway?
Owning a racehorse is a point of pride for many a racing fan; owning one who wins stakes races and competes in classics like the Kentucky Derby takes that investment to another level. For one Derby contender, the story behind the name on his papers turned out to be one laden with controversy and intrigue.
History
Tall Tales of the Track: A Tale of Two Clydes
Once upon a time in the rolling hills of the Kentucky Bluegrass, a little chestnut horse was born. What he lacked in stature, he made up for in talent and heart, especially on rainy days. Named for his equally diminutive trainer, Clyde Van Dusen put on a big show on the first Saturday in May and did his big sire proud with his Kentucky Derby win.
Kentucky Derby
A True Gentleman of the Sport: Edward L. Bowen (1942-2025)
Edward L. Bowen, former BloodHorse editor, author, and historian, was one of those storytellers, a man who loved every facet of racing and made it his life’s mission to share its stories.
Features
Tall Tales of the Track: Donau Doesn’t Play
Every Kentucky Derby winner leaves their mark on the race, a collection of 150 stories writing the history of this sporting institution. One particular winner, Donau, came to Louisville with a colorful background and an even more colorful personality, his tale one of a champion with an attitude all his own.
History
At Long Last: Perseverance Pays Off at the Kentucky Derby
For names like Day and Pincay, Whittingham and Stephens, and Mellon and Genter, the road to Derby glory is long and winding, but their arrival is a celebration of the triumph of spirit and perseverance that finally brought them Kentucky Derby glory.
Kentucky Derby
Tall Tales of the Track, Kentucky Derby Edition: One Horse, Two Women, and a Derby for the Show Me State
Bred by Emma Holt Prather, Elwood came east from California to contest the Kentucky Derby for his owner Lasca Durnell, not only giving Missouri its lone rosy victor but also becoming the first bred and owned by women.
Kentucky Derby
Faded Glory: Forgotten Kentucky Derby Winners (Sunny’s Halo, 1983)
Sunny’s Halo bested injury and a full field on Derby Day to bring another victory in the Run for the Roses back to the Great White North.
Kentucky Derby
Trying for Lilies and Roses: Fillies Who Ran in the Kentucky Derby and Won the Kentucky Oaks
In its 150 years, five fillies were able to win the Kentucky Oaks after their turn in the Kentucky Derby, putting these distaffers in a class of their own.
Kentucky Derby
Tall Tales of the Track, Kentucky Derby Edition: One Winner, Two Sires?
Named for 1882 Kentucky Derby winner Apollo, this phenomenon commemorated the Bluegrass-bred colt’s extraordinary victory over a popular choice in Runnymede.
Kentucky Derby
Faded Glory: Forgotten Kentucky Derby Winners (Dust Commander, 1970)
In 1970, Dust Commander made dreams come true for a journeyman jockey, a young trainer, and a family new to racing, a victory that rewarded the faith of the few who believed in this long shot from the Land of Lincoln.
Kentucky Derby
5 Key Breeders’ Cup Betting Trends for Turf Races
As you plan your wagers for these two championship days, these five trends can help you narrow down your choices for each race as well as those multi-race wagers.
Breeders Cup
Not Always the First Saturday in May: The Kentucky Derby’s Changing Calendar
Through war, pandemic, and the ever-evolving sport of horse racing, the Run for the Roses has rolled with the punches, finally settling into its familiar place on our calendar.
History
Tall Tales of the Track, Kentucky Derby Edition: ‘The Truck Horse’ Does Good
The 1918 Kentucky Derby brought the sport one of its most beloved figures, Exterminator, whose surprising victory in the Run for the Roses showed that great performances could come from the most unexpected places.
Features
Faded Glory: Forgotten Winners of the Kentucky Derby (Venetian Way, 1960)
In 1960, with a Hall of Famer in the saddle, Venetian Way scored his signature victory for his soft-spoken owner and big-dreaming trainer, with his ultimate legacy coming in the form of another historic moment for America’s most famous race.
Kentucky Derby
Mary Hirsch, father Max Hirsch and Jack Horner (Photo courtesy of Keeneland Library Cook Collection)
She Was the First: Mary Hirsch, No Sir, and the 1937 Kentucky Derby
In the 1930s, as racing grew from coast to coast, more women sought the chance to become a part of the country’s oldest sporting pastime. One of those was Mary Hirsch.
Kentucky Derby
Tall Tales of the Track, Kentucky Derby Edition: Nellie the First
As Warren Wright transitioned Calumet from trotters to Thoroughbreds, he invested in a band of broodmares to create the families that would eventually produce two Triple Crown winners. To build that program, he purchased a mare with classic credentials and a unique story of her own, one that combines a tobacco farm, a cartoonist, and the 20th century’s greatest horse to create Calumet’s first Kentucky Derby starter, a filly named Nellie Flag.
Kentucky Derby
Dark Star wins the 1953 Kentucky Derby (Photo courtesy of the Kentucky Derby Museum/Churchill Downs)
Faded Glory: Forgotten Winners of the Kentucky Derby (Dark Star, 1953)
In 1953, the sport had fallen in love with a gray colt who seemed destined to sweep every race he tried, but in that year’s Kentucky Derby, Native Dancer’s unexpected defeat came thanks to a colt named Dark Star.
Kentucky Derby
Royalty and Roses: The Nobility Comes to Churchill Downs
Not only has the Kentucky Derby played to many Thoroughbred kings and queens, but has also attracted its share of royalty to the day’s celebrations, including famed royal equestrienne herself, Queen Elizabeth II.
History
Tall Tales of the Track, Kentucky Derby Edition: A Cursed Classic Contest
Despite the bright skies and the field brimming with talent, Burgoo King’s 1932 Derby win would prove to be one not of good fortune, but bad luck instead.
Features
Faded Glory: Forgotten Kentucky Derby Winners (Jet Pilot, 1947)
In a year sandwiched between Triple Crown winners, Jet Pilot capitalized on his good fortune and brought home a rosy victory for his famous owner and Hall of Fame trainer.
Kentucky Derby
Coming to You Live: A History of Broadcasting the Kentucky Derby
The 150 years of the Kentucky Derby have seen this famous test follow the evolution of media, where this racing experience has gone from words on a page to images on our screens, creating a day at the races unlike any other.
Education
Tall Tales of the Track, Kentucky Derby Edition: Taking a (Long) Shot at Roses
Though the early list for the 1972 Kentucky Derby featured names like Riva Ridge and No Le Hace, as the race grew closer, a maiden named One Eyed Tom grew closer to making his owner’s Derby dreams come true. However, to make his shot at rosy glory a reality, the gelding needed to pass one very important test: the gate test.
History
Faded Glory: Forgotten Kentucky Derby Winners (Gallahadion, 1940)
Bimelech entered the year as Colonel E.R. Bradley’s best hope for a fifth Derby win, his undefeated record making a win on the first Saturday in May a veritable certainty. In the wings waited a surprise for the overwhelming favorite, Gallahadion, an unheralded contender who would deliver a sweet victory for a familiar name.
Kentucky Derby
A Battle of Titans: The 1917 Brooklyn Handicap
On June 25, 1917, another memorable clash played out at old Aqueduct Racetrack, as three Kentucky Derby winners and three Hall of Famers made that dirt oval their arena in a historic battle of titans. In this epic saga, the finale yields a surprising twist as these superstars play off each other over nine furlongs on the Gotham stage.
History