Triple Crown | Horse Racing Free Tips

Updated: King Guillermo Out Of Kentucky Derby After Spiking A Fever

King Guillermo, 20-1 on the morning line for this year's Kentucky Derby, will be forced to scratch from the race after spiking a temperature on Wednesday afternoon. According to a tweet from trainer Juan Carlos Ávila Thursday, the colt will instead point for a start in this year's Preakness if his health is restored.

“First is the health of our King Guillermo,” wrote Ávila. “He will be ready to show that he is one of the best in the country sooner rather than later.”

Ávila thanked the horse's followers for their support along the Derby trail.

King Guillermo, who is owned by Victoria's Ranch, comes to the race the runner-up in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby, and winner of the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby. Samy Camacho has been named as the rider for the son of Uncle Mo.

Speculation as to the horse's status had swirled throughout Thursday after the colt did not come out to train in the morning as expected. Ávila told media then he anticipated consulting with veterinarians through the afternoon before finalizing his announcement.

“To race in a race like the Derby we need him at 100 percent,” Avila told the Churchill notes team. “We aren't going to be able to demonstrate how good he is like this. I think we are going to have plenty of time to show his quality. He's going to be a great horse and everybody knows we have to take care of the horse first. The next step is to try to get him ready for the Preakness and go from there.”

Owner Victor Martinez added, “The sad part is that Juan said yesterday was his best day here. When we left the track in the morning following training and came back in the afternoon for feed time, we discovered he had a fever. It's just the sad part about this game.”

Prior to the scratch of King Guillermo, the 18-horse field was expected to leave stalls 1 and 20 open on the new 20-horse starting gate. Now, according to Churchill Downs, stalls 1, 2, and 20 will be left open.

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Preakness Day To Be Conducted Without Fans In Attendance

The Stronach Group and the Maryland Jockey Club, owners of the legendary Preakness Stakes (G1), announced today that Preakness 145 will proceed without fans in attendance on October 3rd at Pimlico Race Course.

“The Stronach Group and the Maryland Jockey Club have been working closely in consultation with local and state health and governmental authorities for the past several months to thoughtfully and safely plan for Preakness 145,” said Belinda Stronach, Chairman and President, The Stronach Group and 1/ST. “While we had hoped to be able to welcome fans as we have for the past 145 years, the health and safety of our guests, horsemen, riders, team members and the community at large is, and will always be, our top priority. Although Preakness 145 will look and feel much different from all those that have come before it, 1/ST RACING is committed to delivering a day of world-class Thoroughbred horse racing.”

Fans will be able to join the excitement of Preakness 145 live on NBC from 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 3rd.

The Stronach Group and 1/ST have implemented industry-leading, rigorous safety and prevention measures for COVID-19. As such, only essential racing personnel and horsemen will be permitted on-site at Pimlico Race Course on race day. Preakness 145 will operate in full compliance with all state, county and local health department orders and will follow all current and recommended CDC precautions and safeguards to ensure the health and safety of the limited number of essential racing personnel and participants required.

Existing ticket holders that have already purchased tickets will have the option to either transfer their purchased tickets to next year's Preakness 146 or to apply for a full refund. Information on ticket transfer or refund options is available at www.preakness.com, via email at tickets@preakness.com or by calling 1-877-206-8042, Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET.

For the first time since its inception, Preakness will represent the third jewel of the coveted Triple Crown and will feature an all-stakes program with $3.35 million in purses, including the 96th running of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2). Additionally, 2020 will mark the first time that the winner of the Preakness Stakes, or of any Triple Crown race, will qualify for the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) in November as part of the Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” Challenge Series.

Wagering on Preakness 145 can be enjoyed regardless of where fans are viewing the race day card with handicapping tools available on the 1/ST BET app. Part of the 1/ST TECHNOLOGY suite of handicapping and betting products, 1/ST BET is changing the game by delivering a user-friendly experience that suits everyone from the experienced horseplayer to the first-timer.

For more information about Preakness, please visit www.preakness.com or follow the excitement on social media @PreaknessStakes and #Preakness.

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The Derby 20 Presented By NYRA Bets: 18 Will Go Forward In Rescheduled Run For The Roses

The defection of Art Collector early Tuesday morning and late addition of several other entrants this week have left an interesting field of 18 for Saturday's rescheduled Kentucky Derby.

For the first time since the introduction of the Derby points system in 2013, there will be two horses in the field with no points at all. Those are the Todd Pletcher-trained Money Moves, a lightly-raced son of Candy Ride, and the Bret Calhoun-trained Mr. Big News, an upset winner of the Oaklawn Stakes two starts back. Neither has the credentials to compete with this field on paper, but the first Saturday in (September) is for dreamers!

Tiz the Law is definitely a deserving favorite, but the large field could make him vulnerable. Honor A. P. should be ready to roll for trainer John Shirreffs, and its hard to leave a Bob Baffert trainee out of the Kentucky Derby.

My longshot picks, or a few horses that I expect to outrun their odds, include: King Guillermo (20-1 morning line), Ny Traffic (20-1 morning line), and Enforceable (30-1 morning line).

Where did your favorite Derby horse end up? Be sure to click on the expandable boxes for each Derby candidate to get all the latest information in this edition of The Derby 20!

Tiz the Law

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Pedigree

372

Derby Points

Derby Post & Odds

1st

Paulick Report Ranking

Honor A. P.

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140

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2nd

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King Guillermo

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3rd

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Ny Traffic

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110

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4th

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Enforceable

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Pedigree

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5th

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Major Fed

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Pedigree

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6th

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Thousand Words

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Pedigree

Derby Points

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7th

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Sole Volante

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Pedigree

Derby Points

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8th

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Max Player

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9th

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Authentic

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Pedigree

200

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10th

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Money Moves

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Pedigree

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11th

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South Bend

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12th

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Winning Impression

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Pedigree

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13th

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Finnick the Fierce

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14th

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Necker Island

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15th

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Attachment Rate

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Pedigree

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16th

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Mr. Big News

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Pedigree

Derby Points

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17th

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Storm the Court

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Pedigree

Derby Points

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18th

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The post The Derby 20 Presented By NYRA Bets: 18 Will Go Forward In Rescheduled Run For The Roses appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Hernandez Not Worried About Inside Post With One-Eyed Finnick The Fierce

For most trainers, getting the inside-most gate in the Kentucky Derby is like a punch in the gut. It would be easy to think the trainer of a horse missing his right eye — blind to a wall of horses on his outside — would be verklempt. Not Rey Hernandez. Hernandez, who conditions and co-owns Finnick the Fierce, points out the chestnut has finished well from the first post position before, including his third-place performance in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby and his second-place effort (which was later converted to a win via disqualification) in an allowance/optional claimer at Oaklawn. “You know, he's been running really good with the one position,” said Hernandez. “His best races have been from the one position. He might like to be there.”

Hernandez said for as long as he's had Finnick the Fierce in the barn, he has been missing his right eye, which was removed when the son of Dialed In was a weanling. Finnick the Fierce was born with a congenital cataract in that eye, and was sold to veterinarian Dr. Arnaldo Monge for $3,000. After the eye was removed, Monge said the oversized colt was a different animal, leading Monge to suspect the eye had been painful for some time. Monge sold a half interest in the horse to Hernandez, charging the same $3,000 he originally paid. Now, Finnick has raked in $191,290 in earnings and is headed to the Derby. Hernandez said it's a dream come true. “It's amazing,” he said. 'It's a dream we've all got. I'm very excited to have gotten this far.” Hernandez was the one to break Finnick the Fierce as a yearling, so he has only ever known him as a one-eyed horse. He admits it took a little bit of patience as the horse began to train. It also required gelding him early on to reduce misplaced hormonal exuberance that could get him hurt. “It is challenging,” said Hernandez. “In the early stages he was a little more careful with the blind eye because he was trying to see everything with the one good eye. But he's learning how to progress with the one eye. “In the early stage, he'd look around with the good eye everywhere. When he ran in the Kentucky Jockey Club, he was running with the head cocked, trying to see the crowd. He still ran a big race but you could see he was not focused completely.” Hernandez said his partnership with Monge is a good one. For the most part, he's left to manage the horse as he sees fit. Monge told the Louisville Courier-Journal he knew early on the horse was something special–even before he hit the racetrack, thanks to his size and excellent conformation. For Hernandez, it was his performance in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill that sealed it. “He always showed a lot of talent, and he was very smart, but we didn't know he was that good until he ran first time out,” he said. “I really liked how he ran. That was a five furlong race and he was flying the last 1/16th of a mile. At that point I had a good feeling he was a good horse. “Once he ran second in the Jockey Club, it was pretty much the top 3-year-olds in that race. I was really impressed and running second in the same track they run the Derby, that's pretty good.” Finnick the Fierce beat Kentucky Derby favorite Tiz the Law, who ran third in that race. Tiz the Law has been undefeated since then, meaning Finnick the Fierce and Silver Prospector are the only two 3-year-olds ever to get the better of him, and they've done it on this track. In a Derby year unlike any other, Hernandez is a little relieved Finnick the Fierce will not have to content with the swarms of people normally present on the backstretch or leaning over the rail during the walkover. “The way I look at it, it's a plus,” he said. “It's a plus because I think the less noise for him, noise is a little annoying for him. He's a little concerned by noises, but now that it's going to be quiet I think he'll probably have a better performance.”

Thanks to the National Turfwriters and Broadcasters Association (NTWAB), which has assembled a group of pool reporters providing independent reporting to members unable to be on the Churchill Downs grounds this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.

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