Larry Demeritte is the first Black trainer participating in the Kentucky Derby in 35 years. And while the betting-books have his colt West Saratoga running at long odds, Demeritte, who is battling chronic illness and cancer, is feeling confident.
For the 70-something veteran trainer, this is his first time at the Derby, but he is part of a rich history of Black horsemen who helped shape the Kentucky Derby into the iconic race it is today.
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Funny Cide was an unknown racehorse from New York state in 2003 when he came out of nowhere to win the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. He died this week at the age of 23.
Mage earned a surprising Kentucky Derby victory on Saturday, capping a nerve-rattling day that included two more fatalities ahead of the 149th edition of the world's most famous race.
The horses trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. died within three days of each other from unknown causes. Another of Joseph's horses, Lord Miles, has been withdrawn from Saturday's Kentucky Derby.
Rick Dawson, owner of Rich Strike and RED TR-Racing, said the horse will skip the next stop of the Triple Crown and get some rest before the third race in the series, the Belmont Stakes, in New York.
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission determined Monday that Medina Spirit had betamethasone in his blood, and is now disqualified from last year's race.
The 3-year-old colt, whose Derby win is under dispute, died suddenly from what appears to have been a cardiac event, said an on-site veterinary team at Southern California's Santa Anita racetrack.
Medina Spirit tested positive for a type of banned steroid known as betamethasone after winning the legendary race on May 1. The same steroid was found in a second test.
After previously accusing critics of "cancel culture," trainer Bob Baffert admitted Tuesday that the horse had been given an ointment containing the offending drug in the days leading up to the Derby.
Medina Spirit, the horse that won the Kentucky Derby earlier this month, has failed a drug test. It's the latest drug test failure for trainer Bob Baffert's horses. He denies any wrongdoing.
This weekend, it's all about the hats, the horses and the bourbon. On Saturday, the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Lousville...