1999 Arkansas Derby
In 1999, Certain went to Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas to run in the Arkansas Derby, against the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Champion Answer Lively, and Valhol, a 30-1 long shot in the race. Valhol won this race with Certain in second place and Answer Lively in fifth place; however, after the race, Valhol's jockey Billy Patin was accused of using or carrying an electrical stimulating device, after video footage from ESPN showed him dropping something on the ground and grounds keepers found a battery pack on the track. A stewards inquiry was set in motion, and a year later, Certain was declared the winner of the 1999 Arkansas Derby, with the winner's share of the $500,000 prize money given to his owners. Valhol was disqualified from the race.
Funny Cide was an American Thoroughbred champion racehorse who won the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. He was the first New York-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. He was a popular horse and remained a fan favorite in retirement at the Kentucky Horse Park.
Smarty Jones is a champion Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and came second in the Belmont Stakes.
My Flag was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. She was one of the leading American fillies of her generation, winning the Coaching Club American Oaks and finishing third against colts in the Belmont Stakes in 1996. My Flag was euthanized April 12, 2014, at age of 21, due to foaling complications for her bay colt by Bernardini.
Da Hoss was a champion Thoroughbred gelding best known for winning the Breeders' Cup Mile two times.
Jon Kenton Court is an American jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing.
Go for Gin was an American thoroughbred racehorse best known as the winner of the 1994 Kentucky Derby. He was sired by Cormorant out of the dam Never Knock. He was ridden in the Derby by Chris McCarron, who had previously won the race on Alysheba.
Nownownow is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the inaugural running of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf in 2007.
Nodouble (1965–1990) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from 1967 to 1970, he won eleven races from across the country, including the Arkansas Derby, Hawthorne Gold Cup (twice) and the Santa Anita, Brooklyn and Metropolitan Handicaps. He was twice voted American Champion Older Male Horse by the Thoroughbred Racing Association. After retirement to stud, he became the leading sire in North America of 1981 and was also a notable broodmare sire.
Jose Lezcano is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. He rides in New York in the spring, summer and fall and spends the winter in Florida. His big break came in 2008 when he won a Breeders' Cup race.
Blame is a retired American champion Thoroughbred racehorse, a winner of nine races in 13 starts including the prestigious Breeders' Cup Classic.
The 2011 Kentucky Derby was the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby, on May 7. The race was won by Animal Kingdom, ridden by John Velazquez, trained by H. Graham Motion and owned by Team Valor.
Shake The Yoke was a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. Originally trained in France, she showed good form as a two-year-old, winning the Prix d'Aumale and finishing second in the Prix Marcel Boussac. In the following year she won the Prix de la Grotte by ten lengths and recorded her biggest success when taking the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. In the same year she finished second in both the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes and third in the Prix du Moulin. She was then exported to the United States where she took time to adapt to her new conditions, but won the Wilshire Handicap as a five-year-old in 1998. She later had some success as a broodmare, producing several winners.
Creator is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse, best known as the winner of the 2016 Belmont Stakes and Arkansas Derby.
Pants On Fire is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. A seven-time stakes winner, his biggest win came in the 2011 Louisiana Derby.
The 2018 Road to the Kentucky Derby was a series of races through which horses qualified for the 2018 Kentucky Derby, which was held on May 5. The field for the Derby was limited to 20 horses, with up to four 'also eligibles' in case of a late withdrawal from the field. There were three separate paths for horses to take to qualify for the Derby: the main Road consisting of 34 races in North America plus one in Dubai, the Japan Road consisting of three races in Japan, and a new European Road consisting of seven races in England, Ireland and France.
The 2018 Kentucky Derby was the 144th running of the Kentucky Derby, and took place on Saturday, May 5, 2018, in Louisville, Kentucky. The field was open to 20 horses, with a purse of US$2 million. The Derby is held annually in Louisville on the first Saturday in May, at the end of the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. It is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of 1+1⁄4 miles (2.0 km), and has been run at Churchill Downs racetrack since its inception in 1875.
Game Winner is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the champion two-year-old colt of 2018. He was undefeated in four starts at age two, including wins in the Del Mar Futurity, American Pharoah Stakes and Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He started his three-year-old campaign with second-place finishes in both the Rebel Stakes and Santa Anita Derby before finishing fifth in the 2019 Kentucky Derby. After a brief layoff, he returned in July to win the Los Alamitos Derby.
The 2020 Road to the Kentucky Derby was a series of races through which horses qualified for the 2020 Kentucky Derby, which was held on September 5. The field for the Derby is limited to 20 horses, with up to four 'also eligibles' in case of a late withdrawal from the field. There are three separate paths for horses to take to qualify for the Derby: the main Road consisting of races in North America, the Japan Road consisting of four races in Japan, and the European Road with seven European races in England, Ireland and France. The top four finishers in the specified races receive points, with higher points awarded in the major prep races. Earnings in non-restricted stakes races act as a tie breaker.
Authentic is a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2020 Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic, where he set a new Keeneland track record. He also won the Sham Stakes, San Felipe Stakes, and Haskell Invitational, and was second in the Preakness Stakes and Santa Anita Derby. He was the Horse of the Year and Champion Three-Year-Old Male in 2020 and was the second highest ranked racehorse in the world. He also won the Secretariat Vox Populi Award.
Improbable was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 2020 Champion Older Dirt Male after winning three Grade One races; the Hollywood Gold Cup, Whitney Stakes, and Awesome Again Stakes. He also came second in the 2020 Breeders' Cup Classic, won the 2018 Los Alamitos Futurity, and came fourth in the 2019 Kentucky Derby as the favorite.
