correcting myself, CALUMET has THREE in the derby: Sonneteer, Hence, Patch. all very nice horses
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Their last Derby win came in 1968. Obviously, but in case someone didn’t know, Calumet Farm no longer can run in the iconic devil’s red and blue silks. (When Henryk de Kwiatkowski bought bankrupt Calumet in 1992, the colors had already been sold, for $12,000 to Brazil’s TNT Stud). Instead they run in current Calumet owner Brad Kelley’s own black and gold colors.
If all three - and they are all homebreds - enter the starting gate on May 6, it would mark only the second time since 1946 that a single owner has started three horses in the Derby.
If any of those three Calumet Farm horses wins that means it will be their ninth Derby win as an owner and 10th as a breeder.
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Pletcher said he’s leaving Always Dreaming in draw reins for the rest of the week. Said the colt has been pretty amped up since moving to CD since moving from Palm Beach Downs. Was happy with the second half of the Monday work after Always Dreaming kinda settled down and into the draw reins.
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Glimmerglass, Alydar won the Derby and wasn’t he owned and bred by Calumet?
sorry, alydar was 2nd in the derby
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An odd one for you all … as tweeted out this afternoon by NBC Sports producer Amy Zimmerman:
Trainer John Shirreffs was supposed to school Gormely & Royal Mo in today’s 3rd race. He cancelled cuz they were sleeping.
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:eek: sleeping? that’s a new one on me 
Hey, afternoon naps have been proven to help your productivity and mental focus.
Post draw:
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A curious point - with Calumet Farm having three horses there was a request by Larry Collmus and other announcers (such as Travis Stone for CDI on site & simulcast fee) to better distinguish these entries when calling the race. Accordingly Calumet agreed upon each of the three horses having the same silks but a different helmet color:
Hence’s rider will have a GOLD cap
Sonneteer’s rider will have a BLACK cap
Patch’s rider will have a WHITE cap
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The PP, Jockey, ML Odds for the 143rd KY Derby
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I think it is FABULOUS to see TWO CALUMET horses in the derby this year. HENCE is a beautiful animal with a great gallop on him. He is a stunning individual and if you watch him from the side profile in his blue bridle, he kind of looks like Big Red in his warm up! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5789wPBRjzk
Doesn’t look at all like Big Red to me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DilPEF9t3c8
Glimmerglass says Calumet has 3 horses going to the post.
He is a lovely horse…looks like a pill tho. Patch has an interesting story…
not that big red, the other one RPM.
Slightly off course but I want to know … what do these Derby contenders eat?? Like, what feed, how much, how often? I’m so curious how they are managed. What’s their schedule like?
Always Dreaming - even with the draw reins - is a handful. Since he won’t race in them I suspect it will be interesting to see if he takes the lead early. Per Todd Pletcher on Thursday morning his description was “a keg of dynamite”.
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GQ Magazine June 2016 “The Real-Life Diet of Nyquist, the Horse That Won the Kentucky Derby”
Will be interesting to see if Always Dreaming runs his race before the gate even opens 
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Worth citing one stat … trainer Todd Pletcher is 65 starts 1-4-7 lifetime in all Churchill Downs races at ten furlongs and up. He crushes it at Gulfstream but that doesn’t carry with him at Churchill.
Muchos gracias!
With it assured to be a sloppy track - and likely raining all Oaks and Derby day - the basic question becomes ‘who has experience over an off-track?’
Classic Empire is the only horse in the race to win over a sloppy Churchill Downs track.
Battle of Midway, Gormley, Hence and Tapwrit have a win over a sloppy track.
Horses who has run on an off-track and hit the board (but not a winner): Lookin At Lee, Untrapped, Gunnevera, Sonneteer,
Irish War Cry has never run on an off-track, but his sire Curlin did rather well on them. Has that conveyed to his off spring? Exaggerator (also by Curling) last year won on an off-track.
Looking for the Derby field’s past performances? Free from Brisnet:
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