Horse Racing News

There is no arguing that D' Funnybone is talented. But trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. has another theory as to why D' Funnybone has won four consecutive Grade 2 sprints on dirt entering Saturday's Grade 3, $150,000 Withers at Aqueduct.

The filly Devil May Care, considered one of the leading contenders for the Kentucky Oaks on April 30, could be entered instead in the Kentucky Derby on May 1, a scenario her trainer, Todd Pletcher, termed "a possibility" on Tuesday morning.

Rafael Bejarano will ride Line of David in the Kentucky Derby, trainer John Sadler said Tuesday.

The Kentucky Derby is now less than two weeks away, but the final 20-horse field won't be solidified until at least Saturday, when two horses trying to make Hail Mary attempts to get into the Derby field run in the Grade 3, $200,000 Derby Trial.

Rachel Alexandra blazed through another Churchill Downs workout early Monday morning, going six furlongs in 1:11.22 over a fast track. Trainer Steve Asmussen once again declined to commit the superstar filly to a specific upcoming race.

She Be Wild, the 2-year-old filly champion of 2009, underwent a 30-minute surgery Sunday to repair a fracture in her left front pastern and is out of action indefinitely, although not necessarily retired, said trainer Wayne Catalano.

A Chapter 11 reorganization plan that Thoroughbred owner Ahmed Zayat has filed projects that he will sell 100 percent of Kentucky Derby favorite Eskendereya this year.

Tiz Chrome, a Bob Baffert-trained colt who was being pointed to the Derby Trial next weekend, broke down in a Sunday workout at Churchill Downs and had to be euthanized on the racetrack.

The parlors and account-wagering operation run by New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation will remain open this week and for at least another year after the corporation on Saturday backed away for a second time from a plan to shut down.

As if trainer Todd Pletcher won't have enough on his mind in the final two weeks leading up to the Kentucky Derby, with as many as six potential starters in his barn including the current favorite, Eskendereya, now he has to stress about the weather too.