Longshot pays off for couple five decades into horse racing

How much do you get back if you bet $20 win-place on a 39-1 shot? Former Hastings Park trainer Brian Phillips knows.

The 78-year-old conditioner saddled his only horse, Nu Soup for Baby, to drill the field into submission in the third race on Wednesday at the Downs, and led all the wheelbarrow bettors straight to the cashing windows.

Making just his third start of the year under new jockey Kerron Khelawan, who also moved his tack here from Hastings Park, Nu Soup for Baby went right to the front from the start and despite heavy pressure from outside rivals, he had lots left when they turned for home, opening up into the stretch and coasting home to win by 1 1/4-lengths over yet another former Hastings Park horse, Pay My Way.

“I got back $1,100,” said Phillips. “I only had $47 in my HPIBet account, so I bet twenty-twenty on him.”

Maryland exercises its right to match an $85 million offer to keep Preakness branding rights

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Thursday the state will exercise its right of first refusal to match Churchill Downs Incorporated’s $85 million offer for the intellectual property of the Preakness Stakes and the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes.

Churchill Downs Inc., which runs the Kentucky Derby to open the Triple Crown, announced in April it was buying the branding rights to the second leg, as well as the race for fillies the precedes it by a day, from 1/ST Racing with the intent of licensing it back to Maryland annually to stage the races.

"The Preakness Stakes is more than just a race: It is a cornerstone of Maryland’s history, culture, and economy," Moore said in a statement. "This decision secures a vital asset for our state, allows Maryland to shape its horse racing destiny, and by leveraging the Preakness’s iconic status and partnering with industry experts to enhance the fan experience, preserve Maryland’s position as a key power player in the Triple Crown for generations to come.”

Moore said no general fund tax dollars would be used, with the $85 million cost instead being funded by a tax-exempt revenue bond issuance, which would be paid back by money generated by the race through ticketing, wagering and sponsorships. The state expected the fee paid to Churchill Downs Inc. would escalate over time.

Pruitt comes back after hitting the dirt, scores first double of career

It took a Tuesday tornado warning and a face-to-face meeting with the dirt to make the stars align for jockey Ciera Pruitt on Wednesday night at the Downs, but when they did, she finally got her first lifetime win for her mother.

The 23-year-old daughter of trainer Lise Pruitt and former top jockey Jerry Pruitt not only won for her mother, but also won another race earlier on the card for trainer Jason Homer, giving her two victories on the same card after 24 straight losses to start the season. And it couldn’t have happened on a better night — it was also her dad’s 75th birthday.

Pruitt got her first win of the season aboard Preacher’s Secret for Homer in race three, stalking a duel on the turn and rallying outside to win by 2 3/4 lengths after a perfect trip. That would be the exact opposite of what she got on her next mount in the fifth race, Neighneigh, who stumbled twice at the start and sent Pruitt flying hard into the dirt.

Lise Pruitt was in the barn area getting her horse ready for the sixth race when it happened and didn’t see it live.

Truly Unbelievable takes Round 1

Four-time Manitoba Derby-winning trainer Robertino Diodoro served notice that he has another one in his sights when he turned loose Truly Unbelievable on Tuesday night to take the measure of Classico in the $25,000 Corporate Shuffle Overnight Stakes. That was one of four stakes run this week, two of which were won by longshots.

Sent off as the second choice behind Classico, who was impressive in an allowance race win in his previous start, Truly Unbelievable duelled with his rival three-year-old to the stretch before drawing out under jockey Kimal Santo to win by 2½-lengths.

Shipped into the barn of local trainer Rick Wise from Sunland Park in New Mexico a week before the race, Truly Unbelievable had finished a well-beaten fifth in the $100,000 Riley Allison Derby at Sunland Park on Jan. 18, but appeared to be a different horse on Tuesday.

“That was a very tough race, and he had a rough trip,” said Diodoro, speaking from his barn in Texas. “We gave him some time off after that race to mature physically and mentally, and it appears to have done him some good.”

Raise a glass to My Kinda Delite

While the big guns were racking up wins at Assiniboia Downs this week with their expensive purchases, 83-year-old trainer Doug Mustard and his $3,000 Manitoba Yearling Sale purchase stole a little thunder with their own particular brand of wackiness.

Assiniboia Downs trainer pulls a card for the ages

IT was only a matter of time. And not much of it.

Five-time leading trainer Jerry Gourneau shot to the top of the trainer standings this week on the strength of a record-tying night Wednesday at Assiniboia Downs. Gourneau won five of the six races carded on Wednesday, tying a record for wins on a card by a trainer.

The record was set by Gilbert Ducharme on Oct. 9, 1985 and equalled by Ardell Sayler on May 10, 2014. Ducharme accomplished the feat on a 10-race card. Sayler did it in eight. Gourneau had six races to work with, and his winners weren’t all favourites.

Gourneau won the first race with Layla’s Song ($4.40), the second with Brooklyn Alley Cat ($11.70), the third with Girl From de Bayou ($4.50), and made it four in a row with Lexington River ($10.30). He then won the sixth race with Prints Money ($6.80).

Preakness this year is the most watched since 2021, NBC Sports says

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — NBC Sports said Tuesday that this year’s running of the Preakness Stakes was the most watched since 2021.

An average of 5.5 million viewers tuned in on NBC or Peacock on Saturday, with a peak audience of 7.1 million for the race itself won by Napoleon Solo. A social media post noted that NBA and Major League Baseball games promoted the 151st running of the race this time.

Ratings were up 22% from last year despite Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo not running and there being no chance at a horse sweeping all three legs of the Triple Crown. This was the third time in five years the Preakness took place without the Derby winner.

NBC said the Derby earlier this month was the most watched on record with an average of 19.6 million viewers. Audience peaked at 24.4 million, according to preliminary data from Nielsen and Adobe Analytics.

My Miss Mo holds on to win the Black-Eyed Susan by 1 3/4 lengths over Jumping the Gun

LAUREL, Md. (AP) — After she was scratched from the Kentucky Oaks, My Miss Mo had to wait a couple more weeks to shine.

It was worth it for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.

“It was the right decision,” he said. “This was a better spot for her.”

My Miss Mo won the Black-Eyed Susan on Friday at Laurel Park, holding off a spirited effort from Jumping the Gun to win the 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-old fillies that takes place a day before the Preakness.

Jockey Whitehall hot out of the gates

Jockey Antonio Whitehall and trainer Steve Keplin Jr. exploded out of the starting gate in the first week of the live racing season, and now Whitehall is going to have some tough decisions to make.

The three-time leading rider won impressively aboard two three-year-olds this week, both of which could be headed for the Manitoba Derby. Whitehall won the sixth race on Tuesday by 4 ¼-lengths aboard former Santa Anita runner Classico for trainer Mike Nault, and won the third race on Wednesday just as impressively by six lengths aboard former Oaklawn Park runner Prime Suspect for Keplin.

Whitehall declined to comment on which horse was better — for obvious reasons — and both could take slightly different paths to the $125,000 Manitoba Derby on Monday, Aug. 3. This should be fun to watch, as both horses appear to be loaded with talent.

Make sure to watch the replays on both horses, but especially on Prime Suspect, who looked like he was shot out of a cannon at the top of the stretch. Pay special attention to his action and watch how his legs devour the ground in the stretch. Imagine an excavator propelling itself forward at 40 m.p.h.

From backstretch to homestretch to grandstand, it takes a village to keep Assiniboia Downs up and running during race season

Sunrise is still 45 minutes away, but don’t tell that to the 12 horses inside Steve Keplin Jr.’s barn.

A flick of the light switch at 5 a.m. and, like clockwork, the magnificent animals rise in their stalls and poke their heads out, ready to begin their day.

It’s a big one, too. The start of the 2026 racing season has arrived at Assiniboia Downs, with the first of 50 race nights on tap.

Two of Keplin Jr.’s thoroughbreds — Ceepeegee and Steal Your Soul — are set to compete this evening. And the leading trainer from the 2025 campaign is hoping to pick up where he left off.

Laurel Park waited 114 years for the Preakness. It may be a farewell as much as a debut

LAUREL, Md. (AP) — The crowds that once packed Laurel Park dressed in their best to watch champions like Secretariat and Seabiscuit have long since disappeared. For one final weekend, they are coming back.

Grandstands that typically sit empty will again fill with patrons in tailored suits, flowing dresses and stylish hats as Laurel Park hosts the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, the second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown. It will be the first time the track has hosted the race and is a final chapter of sorts, with racing expected to end next year before the property is converted into a training facility.

“It’s going to be a really special day,” said jockey Sheldon Russell, who will ride hometown horse Taj Mahal — trained by his wife, Brittany Russell — at the couple’s longtime home track. “It’s kind of sad because they’re going to get this moment in the spotlight on their way out.”

Founded in 1911, Laurel is the latest of many storied racetracks to close in recent decades as attendance dwindles and gambling increasingly moves online. To the people who still spend their days there, the loss goes beyond the betting window.

Assiniboia Downs racing season opens Tuesday, and follows in the hoofbeats of record-setting 68th season

Assiniboia Downs is set to kick off its 69th season of live racing on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., following a record-setting season last year. The horsemen are champing at the bit to send their charges out of the gate carrying your $2 punt all the way to the winner’s circle.

Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo is not running in the Preakness

Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo will not run in the Preakness Stakes next weekend, trainer Cherie DeVaux announced Wednesday.

DeVaux and owners decided to skip the Preakness and set their sights on the Belmont Stakes on June 6 at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York. DeVaux, who became the first woman to train a Derby winner, is from Saratoga Springs, which is hosting the Belmont for a third and final time this year.

“We are incredibly appreciative of the excitement and support surrounding the possibility of a Triple Crown run,” DeVaux said in a statement. “Golden gave us the race of a lifetime in the Kentucky Derby, and we believe the best decision for him moving forward is to give him a little more time following such a tremendous effort. His health, happiness and long-term future will always remain our top priority.”

Golden Tempo is the third Derby winner in the past five years not to be entered in the Preakness. For various reasons, it is the sixth time in eight years the Preakness will happen with no chance of a Triple Crown on the line. American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018 are the only horses to sweep all three races over the past four decades.

Provincial program at the Downs attracts horse lovers from around the world

The next crop of Kentucky Derby hopefuls has graduated from the HBPA 2026 Racehorse Groom Training Program at Assiniboia Downs, just in time for the beginning of live racing here on May 12, and today’s big race.

And why couldn’t one of them end up in the Kentucky Derby winner’s circle one day? Assiniboia Downs has had a connection to the Kentucky Derby in four of the last five years, including this one.

In 2025, Sovereignty won the Derby for trainer Bill Mott, who spent two years as a teenager in St. Laurent, riding horses and looking after cattle. In 2024, Derby winner Mystik Dan was sired by Goldencents, who is out of a Manitoba-bred named Golden Works bred by Phil Kives, and in 2022, 80-1 Rich Strike made his Manitoba-bred mom Gold Strike proud by winning the Run for the Roses.

This year, jockey Edwin Maldonado, who won his first career race at Assiniboia Downs in 2002 as Edwin Alicea, is riding 30-1 longshot Pavlovian in the big race for two-time Derby-winning trainer Doug O’Neill.

No clear favorite and plenty of contenders: The 152nd Kentucky Derby is a 20-horse puzzle

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The chaos at the start of the Kentucky Derby sometimes decides the most exciting two minutes in sports in a matter of seconds. Twenty horses bursting out of the starting gate to varying degrees of success makes it a mad dash to the turn.

Calling the race on television for NBC, Larry Collmus typically focuses on the favorite. This year presents a challenge.

“I don’t know who the favorite is going to be,” Collmus said. “I guess we’ll find out. It’s wide open this year.”

Todd Pletcher-trained Renegade opened as the favorite, but it could just as easily be Brad Cox’s Commandment or Further Ado or Bill Mott’s Chief Wallabee by the time the field of 20 leaves the gate. The first leg of the Triple Crown is so wide open that at least a half-dozen horses have a legitimate chance to win the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.