The month of March has brought an assortment of ups and downs to thoroughbred racing and our horses as well.
After shipping 7,716 miles from New Orleans, Louisiana to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to run in the $1,500,000 Riyadh Cup Sprint, Engage had to be scratched from the race due to a knee injury. The good news is Engage will recover from the injury with time off and hopefully will resume racing late this Summer.
Our (Woodford Racing) outstanding marathon distance horse Campaign ran in the $125,000 Temperance Hill Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Friday, March 13th. Despite heavy rains which made the track sloppy, Campaign ran an outstanding race, only to lose by a neck. It’s hard to believe you can run 1 1/2 miles and lose by only a neck but that’s exactly what happened!
After breaking her maiden at Laurel Park in Maryland on February 8, we (Neal Allread and Peter Dorsman Racing, LLC) have been looking forward to running our 3 year old filly Chaysenbryn in her next race. She was entered to race last Sunday at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York but developed a fever the night before and had to be scratched. Like Engage, she will be fine but the fever will postpone her starting for 2-3 weeks.
While there will be no fans at the track watching the race due to the Coronavirus, Chestertown will run this Saturday in the Grade 2, Louisiana Derby. The $1,000,000 Louisiana Derby is a major stepping stone to the Kentucky Derby with the winner assured a spot in the Kentucky Derby field. Chestertown has drawn post position #4 in the field of 14 3 year old colts. The 2020 Louisiana Derby will be run for the first time in its 107 year history at a distance of 1 3/16th’s miles which is only a 1/16 of a mile shorter than the Kentucky Derby. Post time is 5:49 PM (EST) and the race will be televised nationally on NBC SN!
Field for Louisiana Derby
Horse Racing Nation Louisiana Derby odds and analysis.
If Chestertown qualifies for the Kentucky Derby it will not be run the first Saturday in May. Churchill Downs announced the Kentucky Derby will be held on Saturday, September 5. The details are still being finalized for the race billed as, “the greatest two minutes in sports”!