Only three owners have won the Kentucky Derby (G1) at least three times. All of them reached that milestone paired with the same trainer. That history would be welcome news for Paul Reddam and Doug O'Neill as they prepare Pavlovian.
As Mount Joy Stables and in partnerships, Brian Burns bred and/or raced about 300 winners and as an owner earned more than $5.2 million. He campaigned grade 1-placed, grade 2 winner Smooth Air, a homebred that took him to the Kentucky Derby.
So Happy went largely unnoticed in the early stages of his life, bringing just $12,000 during his first public sale appearance, before stepping out of the shadows as a 2-year-old and directly onto the radar of trainer Mark Glatt.
Recently released book In Service to the Horse: The Life and Legacy of Dr. Marcus W. Cheney, by S.D. Stanley, brings to readers the story of one of the Thoroughbred industry's most respected veterinarians, mentors, and horsemen.
While taking stakes winner Great White out to graze following morning training at Churchill Downs April 26, trainer John Ennis discusses waiting for his gelding to draw in off the also-eligible list for the May 2 Kentucky Derby (G1).
Kentucky Derby (G1) preparations continue each morning under the watchful eyes of trainers, some of them atop ponies. Yet someone is unmistakably absent at the Louisville, Ky., track in 2026: "The Coach," D. Wayne Lukas.