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Churchill Downs Race Track's Grand Opening Weekend April 30

Kentucky Derby 131 - 2005 @ Churchill Downs
Horse Racing Picks, Betting Tips & Race Entries

Kentucky Derby 2006

The trail to the Triple Crown kicks off with the 2006 Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Derby Preparatory Races. The Run for the Roses is one of the most anticipated thoroughbred races in North America and the world, happens annually at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.

Last year, long shot Giacomo stole the Kentucky Derby crown from top favorite Afleet Alex preventing the latter from capping the most-coveted Triple Crown. This year horse racing fans will again flock to the Downs and bet on their favorite contender to will go on to race for the Triple Crown honors.

Get free 2006 Kentucky Derby daily racing picks & betting tips with updated horse contenders' profiles, handicapping and past performances.

Kentucky Derby 2006 @ Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs has launched the official website for the 132nd Kentucky Derby and its sister race, Kentucky Oaks. The redesigned sites offer complete and updated coverage of the 2006 Kentucky Derby race with daily news updates, exclusive articles from top handicappers, free video of every major Kentucky Derby and Oaks prep race, and detailed information on each Derby and Oaks contender, including photographs, videos, past performances, pedigree information, and recent workouts. More Kentucky Derby 2006 @ Churchill Downs >>

Road to the Kentucky Derby Thoroughbred Horse Racing Picks

Road to the Derby Kickoff Day returns to the Fair Grounds meet, now running at Harrah's Louisiana Downs. Watch newly-turned 3-year-olds prep for the Kentucky Derby and Oaks , as they compete in the Risen Star Stakes (G3) and the Silverbulletday Stakes (G3). More Road to the Kentucky Derby Thoroughbred Horse Racing Picks >>

2006 Kentucky Derby Racing Odds and Betting Tips

Brother Derek upsets favorite Stevie Wonderboy 's 3-year-old debut to win the $150,000 San Rafael Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita Park, muddling the early Kentucky Derby picture. Brother Derek won by 1 1/2 lengths in what was essentially a match race between him and Stevie Wonderboy, the Breeders' Cup Juvenile champion making his 3-year -old debut. More 2006 Kentucky Derby Racing Odds & Betting Tips >>

Favorites To Win Kentucky Derby 2006 - Racing Picks & Horse Handicapping Tips

Doctor Decherd edged Itsallboutthechase by a nose Saturday in the $125,000 Aventura Stakes for 3-year-olds at Gulfstream Park , an important preparatory race for the Kentucky Derby in May. More Favorites to Win Kentucky Derby 2006 >>

132nd Kentucky Derby Triple Crown Race at Churchill Downs

It's another year and another race for America's top 3-year-olds gunning for the country's most prestigious racing event, the Kentucky Derby , which also happens to be the first leg of the Triple Crown race. The race is a $2 million Grade I For 3-year-old thoroughbreds at 1 mile and 1/4. More 132nd Kentucky Derby Triple Crown Race at Churchill Downs >>

Get FREE Kentucky Derby 2006 Racing Picks and Betting Tips, with daily updates on top contenders, Kentucky Derby Odds, and horse handicapping.

GIACOMO wins the 131st Kentucky Derby!!!

Congratulations to Kentucky Derby 2005 WINNERS! GIACOMO, MIKE SMITH and connections
GIACOMO - Kentucky Derby winner Payoff: $102.60, $45.80, $19.80 Kentucky Derby Winners, Results & Payouts	Closing Argument $70.00, 24.80	Afleet Alex - $4.60	Don't Get Mad - 4th
	Can GIACOMO win the PREAKNESS to be a TRIPLE CROWN Contender? Will he join Kentucky Derby and Preakness winners or will he be the 13th Triple Crown Champion? Read what trainers Bobby Frankel and D. Wayne Lukas have to say...

Triple Crown 2005 Kentucky Derby History, Horse Racing Picks, Horse Racing Tips, Official Race Entries, Contenders and Winners for Kentucky Derby 131 at Churchill Downs

Kentucky Derby 131 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, on May 7, 2005, is about to rock another year in Triple Crown thoroughbred racing history! Kentucky Derby prep races hot on the Triple Crown Trail since January 1 and the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival are all about to culminate in the never-to-be-missed Kentucky Derby 2005, which now begs the question to all fans of horse racing events, racing picks, and betting tips, horse betting and wagering, and horse handicapping: where do you stand in all these? You better have a good answer because the $2 million Kentucky Derby commences another thrill-filled season for thoroughbred horse racing, followed by the $1 million Preakness Stakes at Pimlico race track on May 21, 2005, and the $1 million Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park on June 11, 2005 - all coming to the big finale, the Triple Crown, in which a $5 million bonus further awaits the Visa Triple Crown Challenge winner!

With a $1-million-added total purse, Kentucky Derby 131 is the momentous first in a series of the three biggest stakes races in the sport of thoroughbred horse racing, leading up to the Triple Crown. Last year, it was Smarty Jones who made horse racing history by claiming both the 2004 Kentucky Derby and 2004 Preakness Stakes championships, one title shy of the much coveted Triple Crown, due to the 2004 Belmont Stakes win of Birdstone. Is 2005 going to lead the new Kentuky Derby winner to the Triple Crown at long last, a feat last pulled by Affirmed as far back as in 1978? Leave no stone unturned as you read on about Kentucky Derby horse racing history and race track information, past race results and payouts, past performances and top earnings, recent winners, possible race contenders, official race entries, horse racing picks and selections, race analysis, and horse racing tips. The 2005 Kentucky Derby 131 will be here before you know it - so better make sure you do know what's coming before it hits you!

2005 Kentucky Derby 131 Fast Facts & Horse Racing History

Nowhere else will you find the genuine followers of horse racing events, picks, and tips, horse betting and wagering, and horse handicapping on the first Saturday in May of each year but at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. This, after all, is the day that the two-week Kentucky Derby Festival is capped by the Kentucky Derby thoroughbred racing championship, the horse racing event you simply can not afford to miss! The annual Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs is a Grade 1 stakes race for three year old thoroughbred horses, run at a distance of 1 1/4 miles (10 furlongs / 2.012 km.) on the dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds (57 kg) while fillies carry 121. With a total purse of US$2,000,000 (US$1,000,000-added), this season stages the 131st running of the Kentucky Derby, slated on May 7, 2005, with post time at 6:04 pm.

2004 Kentucky Derby champion Smarty Jones, an undefeated winner with a 6-0 pre-race record, went on to further win the 2004 Preakness Stakes, making him one title shy of the elusive Triple Crown when he lost the 2004 Belmont Stakes to Birdstone.

The Kentucky Derby was first run at 1½ miles, the same distance as the Epsom Derby and the Grand Prix de Paris, on May 17, 1875, in front of an estimated crowd of 10,000 horse racing enthusiasts. Thus far in history, only three Kentucky Derby winners have ever gone on to bag the ever elusive Triple Crown victory: Secretariat in 1973, Seattle Slew in 1977, and Affirmed in 1978 - all immortal champions in their own right. 1973 Kentucky Derby champion and first ever Triple Crown winner Secretariat holds the all-time stakes record of 1:59.40. Last year's legendary Smarty Jones, winner of both the 2004 Kentucky Derby (undefeated with a 6-0 pre-race record) and 2004 Preakness Stakes, had such loyal horse racing fans rooting for him to claim the Triple Crown win but fell one title short for it when he lost the 2004 Belmont Stakes to Birdstone. The same fate was suffered by Funny Cide in 2003 and by War Emblem in 2002.

Churchill Downs Horse Racing History & Race Track Information

700 Central Avenue
Louisville, Kentucky 40208

Upon returning from Europe in 1874, 26-year-old Col. M. Lewis Clark set forth to develop the Churchill Downs race track in order to showcase the Kentucky breeding industry. For his inaugural race meet in 1875, Clark designed his three major stakes races - the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Derby, and Clark Handicap - after the three premier races in England: the Epsom Derby, Epsom Oaks, and St. Leger Stakes, respectively. The winner of the first race was Bonaventure while the winner of the day's featured race, the Kentucky Derby, was Aristides. The race track did not really show profit until 1903, and then its popularity grew along with that of the Kentucky Derby - which celebrated its 100th running in 1974, with a record 163,628 on hand.

Crowd favorite Smarty Jones was the 2004 champion of the Kentucky Derby, the 131st running of which will be held on May 7, 2005, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.

A five-year, $25 million major renovation in the mid-1980s helped attract the Breeders' Cup championship, to which Louisville's Churchill Downs responded by successfully hosting four of the top five attendance totals for the event. In recent years, Churchill Downs Incorporated has continued its aggressive growth cycle, having acquired such investments as Ellis Park in Henderson, Kentucky, Kentucky Horse Center in Lexington (later on sold to Keeneland), Calder Race Course in Miami, Hollywood Park, and a merger with Arlington International for Arlington Park. Its growing network of horse race tracks makes the company one of today's premier horse racing centers in North America.

Kentucky Derby 2005 Possible Race Contenders, Top Earnings, and Past Performance

With trainer Tim Ritchey and jockey John Velazquez at the helm, Afleet Alex tops almost every expert horse racing handicapper's list of leading Kentucky Derby race contenders. Afleet Alex boasts a career record of 7 (5-2-0) at earnings of $710,800, a Dosage of 2.11, and Best Beyer of 106. Another Kentucky Derby list topper is Rockport Harbor, with trainer John Servis and jockey Stewart Elliott, possessing a career record of 4 (4-0-0) at $210,300, Dosage of 1.67, Best Beyer of 102. With trainer Nicholas Zito and jockey Edgar Prado, Sun King is also a Kentucky Derby favorite, having a career record of 5 (2-0-2) at $264,650, Dosage of 3.00, Best Beyer of 104. Yet another list favorite, with trainer Craig Dollase and jockey Corey Nakatani, is Wilko, whose career record is 12 (3-2-5) at $934,074, Dosage is 7.00, Best Beyer is 98.

Under the care of trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey John Velazquez, Bandini holds a career record of 4 (2-1-0) at $99,180, Dosage of 3.57, Best Beyer of 98. With a career record of 5 (1-1-2) at $131,716, Dosage of 4.33, Best Beyer of 98, Giacomo has trainer John Shirreffs and jockey Mike Smith. Backed by trainer D. Wayne Lukas and jockey Rafael Bejarano, Going Wild's career record is 7 (3-3-1) at $212,420, Dosage is 1.91, Best Beyer is 104. Now with a career record of 5 (4-0-1) at $297,300, Dosage of 2.00, Best Beyer of 100 is High Fly, whose trainer is Nicholas Zito and jockey is Jerry Bailey. Round up the list of top Kentucky Derby race contenders with trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Gary Stevens is Roman Ruler, with a career record of 5 (3-1-0) at $330,800, Dosage of 4.45, Best Beyer of 106.

Prior to his injury, a huge favorite among expert horse racing handicappers had been Declan's Moon, with trainer Ronald Ellis and jockey Victor Espinoza, who boasts a career record of 5 (5-0-0) at $627,300, Dosage of 3.50, and Best Beyer of 107.

2005 Kentucky Derby 131 Official Race Entries

Kentucky Derby 131 at Churchill Downs on May 7, 2005, is galloping at you faster than you can say Triple Crown! So do come by regularly as we will post the Kentucky Derby Official Race Entries the moment the final word is out.

Kentucky Derby Race Analysis, Horse Racing Picks, Horse Racing Tips & Selections

Win big, and win often, at the 2005 Kentucky Derby 131 leading to the Triple Crown! Score your best choice in the Kentucky Derby race analysis, horse racing picks, horse racing tips, and horse racing selections right here - all in one page. Find regularly updated racing picks and selections featuring the top Kentucky Derby race contenders and your favorite race entries. Good luck at the races!

Kentucky Derby Past Winners and Past Race Results

2004 Kentucky Derby 130: A crowd of 140,054 fans of horse racing events, racing picks, and betting tips, horse betting and wagering, and horse handicapping braved the heavy downpour and a thunderstorm two hours before post time during Kentucky Derby 130 on May 1, 2004. But most were rewarded when the favorite came home first. After two scratches, eighteen went to post, with the undefeated Smarty Jones, winner of the 2004 Arkansas Derby and Rebel Stakess, sent off as the lukewarm 4-1 favorite. 5-1 second choice Lion Heart went straight to the front and toward the rail for a ground-saving trip around the two turns of Churchill Downs. A tightly bunched pack settled in behind him past the Spires the first time, with Smarty Jones in tight between horses. Lion Heart led the field around the clubhouse turn and down the backstretch, through brisk fractions of 22.99, 46.73, and 1:11.80.

After six furlongs, Smarty Jones started for his run to not let the pacesetter sneak away, drew even with Lion Heart at the quarter pole after a mile in 1:37.35, and the pair dueled for most of the stretch. With a furlong to go, Smarty Jones responded to the whip, grabbing the lead and drawing away to win by 2 3/4 lengths in 2:04.06. It was another 3 1/4 lengths back from Lion Heart to 11-1 shot Imperialism in third, who closed well from 17th early. It was 2 lengths back from him to Limehouse to round out the superfecta. Morning-line favorite The Cliff's Edge closed from 16th to finish fifth while Action This Day closed from dead last to finish sixth. Having already won the 2004 Rebel Stakes, the Arkansas Derby, and the Kentucky Derby, Smarty Jones won a $5 million bonus from Oaklawn Park, along with the $854,800 winner's share of the Kentucky Derby's $1,154,800 purse.

2004's undefeated Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby winner Smarty Jones went on to bag the 2004 Kentucky Derby championship at Churchill Downs, earning a $5 million bonus from Oaklawn Park as well.

Kentucky Derby 2004 Race Results, Top Earnings, and Payouts

Purse: $1,000,000
Plus: $5,000,000 (Racing Series Bonus)
Available Money: $6,154,800
Value of Race: $6,154,800 - 1st $5,854,800, 2nd $170,000, 3rd $85,000, 4th $45,000
Winner: Smarty Jones - Chestnut Colt, February 28, 2001; Bred by Someday Farm in PA

Kentucky Derby Winners - Complete List of All Kentucky Derby Past Winners

Kentucky Derby Winners' Past Performance

Follow the 2005 Kentucky Derby 131 at Churchill Downs from the prep races hot on the 2005 Triple Crown Trail to the Kentucky Derby championship race day and all the way to the Triple Crown horse racing finale. Find all you need to know about the Kentucky Derby horse racing picks, horse racing tips, horse racing selections, race analysis, Kentucky Derby official race entries, past performance, possible race contenders, recent winners, race results and payouts, Kentucky Derby horse racing history, and Churchill Downs race track information and history. Consider the 2005 Kentucky Derby 131 on May 7, 2005, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, as your winning bet to the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico race track, Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park, and finally, the Triple Crown 2005!