Running plans (or otherwise) for the second leg of the Triple Crown, Kentucky Derby crowd down, Kieran Shoemark loses job after 2,000 Guineas – don’t miss our weekly digest of recent international racing news
Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty to skip Preakness
USA: There will be no Triple Crown winner in 2026 following news that Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty will bypass the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the series at Pimlico on May 17. More here
Godolphin’s son of Into Mischief is likely to reappear in the Belmont Stakes, held this year at Saratoga on June 7. Sovereignty returned to the track at Churchill Downs on Wednesday [May 7] for morning exercise before going to join Bill Mott’s string at Saratoga. More here
Derby third Baeza is also headed for the Belmont, but runner-up Journalism remains a possible for the Preakness. Intended runners at Pimlicoinclude Wood Memorial winner Rodriguez, scratched at Churchill Downs with a minor foot bruise, while D Wayne Lukas will bid for his eighth Preakness victory via American Promise, who was 16th in the Derby. British-trained UAE Derby runner-up Heart Of Honor is also on course for the Preakness. More here
Kentucky Derby: attendance down, betting and TV viewers up
USA: A rainy day in Louisville probably contributed to a six per cent drop in attendance at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby day, where an official crowd figure of 147,406 was down from last year’s 156,710.
Conversely, all-sources betting handle on Saturday’s 14-race card totalled a record $349 million, easily bettering last year’s figure of $320.5m. A record of $234.5m was bet on the Kentucky Derby alone.
In their 25th year of Derby coverage, NBC Sports were also claiming a record average for TV viewers at 17.7 million – marking the largest Kentucky Derby audience since 1989. The peak figure was 21.8m, at just after 7pm when the race took place.
The record streaming audience of 959,000 was 34% up on the 2024 figure. More here
Top jockeys sign up to proposed global racing league
A dozen of the world’s top jockeys have signed up to join a revolutionary global racing league set to be launched in 2026.
According to reports, a prize pool of $15 million is in play – with $5m going to the jockey who comes out on top via a points system after participating in up to ten grand prix-style cards on a franchise basis around the world.
Among the 12 jockeys involved are James McDonald (above) and Ryan Moore (above right) – currently world #1 and #2 respectively, Frankie Dettori, William Buick, Japanese legend Yutaka Take and US-based pair Irad Ortiz and Flavien Prat. The squad is completed by Hong Kong record breaker Zac Purton and longtime rival Joao ‘Magic Man’ Moreira, plus Mickael Barzalona, Christophe Lemaire and Vincent Ho. More here
Epsom Derby field to be finalised at 72-hour stage
GB: The Betfred Derby on June 7 at Epsom will become a 72-hour declarations race for the first time in its 245-year history. “We are confident that this change will not only help build anticipation for the world’s most famous Flat race earlier in the week but also provide more certainty around the runners and riders on the day,” explained Epsom general manager Jim Allen. More here
A total of 42 horses stood their ground for the £1.5m Classic at the latest entry stage this week, headed by ante-post favourite The Lion In Winter – set to make his seasonal debut next week on the Dante Stakes at York – and Ruling Court, promoted to 4-1 second favourite after winning the 2,000 Guineas at the weekend.
One name that did not appear was the US-trained Maximum Promise, for whom Frankie Dettori had reportedly been lined up.
• Coral-Eclipse: Calandagan and Economics head 58 entries for £1m contest More here
Kieran Shoemark loses Gosden job after Guineas defeat
GB: Beleaguered jockey Kieran Shoemark has carried the can for Field Of Gold’s defeat in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday [May 3] by losing his job as retained rider to the John & Thady Gosden partnership.
Sent off favourite for Britain’s first Classic of the season, Field Of Gold finished strongly to be beaten only a half-length by Ruling Court. Shoemark admitted he may have been “too confident” on the Juddmonte colt. On Wednesday [May 7], the Gosdens revealed that in future they intend to employ the “best available rider”. More here
• France: Gosdens line up new jockeys for Sunday’s Classic card at Longchamp More here
Elsewhere in racing …
USA: Clean bill of health for Thorpedo Anna after Churchill flop More here
USA: $3.5m Nashville Derby heads lucrative Kentucky Downs schedule More here
USA: NYRA puts Brooklyn Stakes on one-year furlough More here
GB: Lambourn in Epsom picture after Chester Vase More here
Australia: Two-race Sydney campaign for world #1 Ka Ying Rising More here
Australia: Revealed – A$800m Warwick Farm revamp plan More here
Argentina: Sarawak Rim earns BC Distaff spot in GP Criadores More here
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