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Tom Law 
Mendelssohn departed Ballydoyle Stables in Tipperary Monday and was expected on the grounds at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., at approximately 5:30 p.m. ET. Saturday the Aidan O’Brien-trained colt will attempt to become the first European-trained horse to win the Kentucky Derby.
The final Monday of the month also marks the start of Kentucky Derby Week, with all the serious work complete and the only remaining business the arrival of horses from California and overseas and the important post-position draw Tuesday.
Mendelssohn is set to embark on a return trip to the U.S. Monday that his connections hope will make him the first European-trained winner of the Kentucky Derby. The Irish Field, established in 1870 and Ireland’s only newspaper dedicated to racing and equestrian sports, is teaming up with This Is Horse Racing to follow Mendelssohn’s historic bid for the Derby.
One week to go until the Kentucky Derby and another loaded slate of action in this week’s edition of The Saturday Special presented by Pin Oak Stud.
Spring finally showed up across a significant swath of the eastern side of the U.S. and with it increased anticipation of the season ahead that includes the American and European classics, top steeplechase meetings and more.
Graded stakes at Santa Anita and Keeneland, Preakness Preview Day at Laurel and a stakes-filled Charles Town Classic card top the previews in this week’s edition of The Saturday Special presented by Pin Oak Stud.
Another busy weekend in the books and now a brief moment to take a deep breath, relax for a moment and rev up again with the Kentucky Derby, Middleburg Spring, Maryland Hunt Cup and so much more down the road.
The horses returned to Saratoga Race Course over the weekend – all nine, and a couple outrider ponies – and so did the rain, ice and light snow, forcing a slower start to the first official day of training on the Oklahoma Training Track.
Last Chance Saloon on the Kentucky Derby trail with a pair of preps – the Arkansas Derby and Stonestreet Lexington – leading this week’s edition of The Saturday Special presented by Pin Oak Stud.
Gaile Fitzgerald loved racing, everything about it, the camaraderie, the challenge, the sights, sounds and smells, the friends, gentle ribbing, the puzzle of handicapping, the horses. Oh, the horses.
