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FanHouse Kentucky Derby

Latest Kentucky Derby Stories

At Preakness, Stakes Highest for Jockeys


If you've paid close attention to Calvin Borel, like Tuesday night when he was a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, you've probably noticed that he doesn't have many teeth. America's favorite jockey has lost most of them over the years from falls, or from his face slamming into the back of horses' necks, or from erosion caused by stomach acid after purposely regurgitating countless meals to keep his weight around 110 pounds.



Mine That Bird Shocked Everyone, Including Announcer Tom Durkin



Above is the full broadcast of Saturday's Kentucky Derby as it appeared on NBC, with Tom Durkin calling the race. It was not one of Durkin's better days.

Mine That Bird to Run Preakness


Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, the 50-1 long shot who flew away from the field down the stretch, will attempt to take the next step toward the Triple Crown.

Full Kentucky Derby on YouTube



At a time when many sports leagues are spending big money attempting to crack down on fans who violate copyright laws by posting highlights on YouTube, the Kentucky Derby has decided to go in the opposite direction: Saturday's entire race is available on the Derby's official YouTube channel.

Mine That Bird Wins Kentucky Derby

Mine That Bird won the 135th Kentucky Derby Saturday in a shocking upset on a sloppy track at Churchill Downs.

Mine That Bird went off at 50-1 odds and was the second-biggest underdog ever to win the Derby. It was purchased for just $9,500 and beat a field that had several horses worth millions. With jockey Calvin Borel aboard, Mine That Bird pulled away from the pack on a stunningly fast stretch run, winning by almost seven lengths.

A Derby Victory for the Ages

    Calvin Borel does it again. Just two years after riding Street Sense to a win in the 2007 Kentucky Derby, the heralded jockey leads 50-1 long shot Mine That Bird to a stunning victory at Churchill Downs. The second-biggest upset in Derby history resulted in a payout of $103.20 to win. Click through to see more photos from the classic race.

    Al Behrman, AP

    Amazingly, Mine That Bird won after beginning in last place out of the starting gate. But Borel skillfully maneuvered his colt to the rail for a comeback. "I had enough room," Borel said. "He's a small horse."

    John Sommers, Reuters

    Once along the rail with three-sixteenths to go, Mine That Bird turned on the speed and took control. "It was a Street Sense move," Borel said. "They can only go so fast, so far. When I hollered at him, he just went on."

    Al Behrman, AP

    Despite racing on a sloppy dirt track, Mine That Bird pulled off a 6 3/4-length victory -- the largest margin since Assault won by eight lengths in 1946. "It just shows you how special this race is. Anything can happen," said losing trainer Todd Pletcher.

    John Gress, Reuters

    Borel, who also won the Kentucky Oaks a day earlier, choked back tears and paid tribute to his parents by pointing his whip to the sky. "If they could only be here to see what I accomplish in my life," said Borel after he crossed the finish line.

    Jamie Squire, Getty Images

    Borel became the first jockey since 1993 to complete the Oaks-Derby double. "All I asked him was to lay the horse back and be patient, and he did that magically," said Mine That Ride trainer Bennie Woolley Jr.

    Darron Cummings, AP

    Woolley, who spent time on the rodeo circuit as a bareback rider, hobbled on crutches to the winner's circle. The 45-year-old from New Mexico broke his right leg in a motorcycle accident two months ago. "I'm feeling like I never have before," he said. "I was just blown away."

    Brent Smith, Reuters

2009 Kentucky Derby Field Raring to Go

The 2009 Kentucky Derby field is set, so get your mint juleps ready and put on your fancy hat. Alright, so it's more like a cigar and a Daily Racing Form for most of us, but it's going to be a momentous day regardless. Often called the "most exciting two minutes in sports," the 135th running of the Derby will have one of the most competitive fields in years.

You can check out the odds for all 19 horses in Saturday's $2 million race at Churchill Downs below:

HausCast 16: Kentucky Derby Talk With Dick Jerardi


The FanHouse Podcast: Because bloggers are much sexier on the phone.


The Kentucky Derby is upon us, and the folks at Xpressbet.com (the legal, licensed, no-fee way to play the races when you can't make it to the track!) were kind enough to lend us the expertise of Dick Jerardi, Philadelphia Daily News writer and winner of the 2006 Eclipse Award for his work on Barbaro. Dick's got 25 years experience covering horses so, naturally, I begged him for gambling advice Wilson and I picked his brain about Saturday's festivities, the history of horse racing and the state of steroids. Which conveniently segues into the topic of Alex Rodriguez, followed by Tiger Woods, Peyton Manning and Josh Smith. Listen after the jump.

Rashard Lewis in the Kentucky Derby


Rashard LewisORLANDO -- Orlando Magic forward Rashard Lewis will have more than just basketball and a potential playoff Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers on his mind Saturday afternoon.

He now will have a horse in the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby, a notion that had him smiling broadly and shaking his head in amazement Tuesday morning. The Magic and Sixers, knotted at 2-2, play Game 5 Tuesday night in Orlando.

Lewis is a major stakeholder in Join in the Dance, which was added to the Derby field earlier this week after the late scratch by Quality Road.

Are Advocates for Racehorses So Passionate They Damage Their Own Cause?


Last year I wrote a FanHouse post about a man who died running the Chicago Marathon. No one left any comments.

On Saturday I wrote a FanHouse post about a horse who died running the Kentucky Derby. The comments have poured in, more than 400 and counting.

There are so many differences -- the man who died chose to run and the horse didn't, the Derby was on national television and the Marathon wasn't, and so on -- that maybe I shouldn't even mention the two cases together. And yet there's something about the juxtaposition of those two posts that I find it a little distasteful.

Big Brown Wins Kentucky Derby

Big Brown won the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby in convincing fashion today at Churchill Downs in Louisville. Jockey Kent Desormeaux ran exactly the race he wanted to, with Big Brown biding his time from the outside and then taking off down the stretch.

But the spectacular run by Big Brown was overshadowed when Eight Belles, the second-place finisher and the only filly in the Derby, fell to the ground afterward, having broken both front legs. Eight Belles was immediately put down.

Denis of Cork came in third.

Big Brown went off as the favorite at 5-2. Colonel John was next at 9-2 and Pyro's odds were 5-1.

Can Big Brown become the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years? I wouldn't bet against him.

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