76°F10:22 PM By Josh Cook
Kiddari seems to like Churchill Downs, just like her momma.
The 4-year-old homebred daughter of 2004 Kentucky Derby winner Smarty Jones, won the feature race Friday night in front of a "Downs After Dark" record crowd of 32,481 at Churchill Downs.
By Josh Cook
The son of Smarty Jones may be a long shot, but Backtalk (21-1) has two wins in two starts on the wet dirt at Churchill Downs.
The horse, that is owned by Gold Mark Farm, LLC and trained by Thomas Amoss, won his first three career starts last year (including the Grade II Sanford Stakes) and has finished in the money in five of seven career starts. The two times he wasn't in the money he was without regular rider Miguel Mena, who will be aboard the horse in the Derby.
By Josh Cook
Saturday's Run for the Roses is expected to be very wet, and if that is the case it will likely be wide-open too.
Here is a quick glance at what each of the contenders (along with their updated odds) in the 136th Kentucky Derby, which could be a very rainy and muddy, did the day before the big race: