Horse Racing News by Marty McGee

Velazquez said the colt recoiled a bit from the dirt hitting him in the face and chest during the early stages and might have momentarily lost the focus required to stay closer.

Ventana, the favorite in a field of nine older horses, returned $5.20 after finishing six furlongs in 1:09.88 over a fast track.

Graham Motion has had a few things to do this week. Making raceday accommodations for family and friends. Dodging the raindrops that keep falling at his Fair Hill training base.

Aikenite was up in the final jump to nail Apriority on the wire in the 77th running of the Grade 2, $300,000 Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Derby undercard Saturday.

Dialed In was assigned post 8 in a full field of 20 3-year-olds entered to run Saturday in the 137th running of the $2 million Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Morning line odds had yet to be assigned by track linemaker Mike Battaglia.

Kentucky is regarded as a border state, but not in regards to Canada. Yet when the Keeneland spring meet ends Friday with the Grade 2 Elkhorn Stakes, it just might be all Canada all over the board.

Kentucky Derby week at Churchill Downs will start in earnest in the dark - and that's not to poke fun at the thousands of fans who admit to being clueless about which horse might win the 137th Derby here May 7.

Her Smile had been owned by her breeders, William Backer, and based at the Fair Hill training center in Maryland with Leigh Delacour.

Exhi furthered his stature as a Polytrack specialist when returning from a layoff of more than six months to lead all the way Saturday in the Grade 3, $150,000 Ben Ali Stakes at Keeneland.

Winter Memories proved good enough off the winter break when wearing down longshot Dos Lunas to prevail as an odds-on favorite Thursday in the Grade 3, $100,000 Appalachian Stakes at Keeneland.