Encino scratched yesterday. Click on the links below for the YouTube videos.

Longtime Kentucky jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. shortly after he helped out trainer Kenny McPeek by galloping his Oaks mount, Fantasy Stakes winner Thorpedo Anna, and taking her to the starting gate to school. Hernandez also rides Mystik Dan in the Derby for McPeek.

Jockey Keith Asmussen, son of trainer Steve Asmussen and who is riding Just Steel in the Derby and Lemon Muffin in the Oaks for iconic D. Wayne Lukas.

Victor Barboza, trainer of Grand Mo the First discusses his horse.

Harry Veruchi, owner of $11,000 yearling purchase West Saratoga.

Shot last Friday but just now posted: While most of Into Champagne’s owners have been in horse racing for quite some time, the Kentucky Oaks contender is the first racehorse for Mike and Kathy Davis of Mt. washington, right outside of Louisville. the filly very quickly provided reason to pop the bubbly. Equibase statistics show that 13,153 U.S. horses raced for the first time in 2023; Into Champagne was among the 10 and half percent that won their debut. The Louisville-area partners shared what it’s like having an Oaks filly, speaking outsidetrainer Ian Wilkes’ Churchill Downs barn recently . This is a little different sort of video than I normally do, including a little voiceover at the beginning over the Hammond Productions video of Into Champagne’s workout.

Michael McCarthy on Turfway’s Jeff Ruby winner Endlessly, who will make his dirt debut in Kentucky Derby 150.

Eric Foster of Utica (near Owensboro) on being in the Kentucky Oaks with his $30,000 maiden-claiming acquisition Everland. We talk to Eric about Everland, being in the Oaks and how he’s juggling being the filly’s groom and hotwalker with his help busy with the other barn horses at Keeneland and his farm in Utica, where he has a training track.

Jesus Castanon, rider of West Saratoga, who 13 years after riding in his first (and so far only) Kentucky Derby with Shackleford (who led until the sixteenth) finally is back in the race. BTW: Shackleford won the Preakness under Castanon in his next start.

Source: KY HBPA