Tom Law

An overflow field of 3-year-olds trained by Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers passed the entry box Tuesday for the 145th Kentucky Derby.

Cloudy skies and a extended unseasonal slight chill in the air welcomed the start of Kentucky Derby Week Monday morning at Churchill Downs in Louisville. Yes, technically Derby Week started Sunday but since there were no This Is Horse Racing boots on the ground until Monday we’ll go with that for the start.

Kentucky Derby Fever in full swing and now only a week to go until the race that almost stops our nation. It’s a big weekend of racing from coast to coast here in North America with Opening Day at Churchill Downs revving up the Derby excitement and the first Saturday of the Belmont Park spring-summer meeting giving off a feeling of big days down the road.

Happy Earth Day! The day to show support for environmental protection coincides with the day racing celebrates its latest Hall of Fame induction class.

Cars and curious onlookers outnumbered the horses Wednesday morning when training officially started at the Oklahoma Training Track in temperatures hovering just below the freezing mark at Saratoga Race Course.

Patriot’s Day in New England and Marathon Monday in Boston brings us to a serious regrouping point with all the major Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks preps in the books and now less than three weeks’ time until the first Saturday in May.

Near the halfway point of April and speeding toward the first Saturday in May – only three weeks away – brings another loaded edition of The Saturday Special.

A quarter of the year in the books, a trio of key Kentucky Derby preps and the third jump meeting of 2019 feels like an opportune time to take stock of where we are and re-set the table for what figures to be a very busy spring.

There are big days in racing and there are huge days in racing. Put Saturday, April 6 in the latter category with major Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks preps from coast to coast and strong supporting stakes to compliment the headliners.

Rick Violette’s faith in Diversify never wavered.