Horse Racing

9:19 PM ET Mitchell Lamb SATURDAY’S BEST Randwick Race 1 No.1 Star Fall (Linda Meech) – $2.40 It’s hard to deny the talent that Star Fall has shown so far in his career, even though he’s yet to be tested in stakes grade. The son of Zoustar showed glimpses as a juvenile and has since

2:43 PM ET Associated Press LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Kentucky Derby’s purse will be raised to $3 million this May, an increase of $1 million and the first boost in 14 years. Churchill Downs said Thursday that the winner of the 145th running will receive $1.86 million. The runner-up will earn $600,000, with third place

5:09 PM ET Associated Press ARCADIA, Calif. — Hall of Fame jockey Victor Espinoza has returned to exercising horses at Santa Anita for the first time since being seriously injured in a training accident last summer. Justify and Accelerate never got to face off on the track. Instead, they’ll duel for Horse of the Year.

1:03 PM ET Associated Press HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. — Justify and Accelerate never got to face off on the track. Instead, they’ll duel for Horse of the Year. Justify, Accelerate and Monomoy Girl were the three finalists announced Saturday for Horse of the Year. The top prize will be handed out at the Eclipse Awards

8:19 PM ET Mitchell Lamb SATURDAY’S BEST Gold Coast Race 9 No.4 Unlikely Story (Brad Stewart) – $3.60 From early on, I’ve had a pretty decent opinion of Unlikely Story and I certainly don’t think we’ve seen him reach his ceiling yet. Saturday represents a good opportunity for the striking chestnut to take another step

4:55 AM ET There are fears jockey Tye Angland may be left a quadriplegic from injuries suffered in a race fall in Hong Kong. The Australian Jockeys’ Association issued a statement today on behalf of the jockey and his family detailing the extent of the injuries Angland suffered on November 25 when his mount knuckled

7:32 PM ET Mitchell Lamb SATURDAY’S BEST Eagle Farm Race 9 No.5 Cadogan (Jackson Murphy) (a2) – $2.60 Make no mistake, Cadogan is a horse who has always had the talent to be successful, but either through physical or mental problems, he’s never reached the heights that may have been expected of him early. Toby

6:36 PM ET Mitchell Lamb SATURDAY’S BEST Doomben Race 9 No.9 Victorem (Dale Smith) – $4.60 Things haven’t quite worked out for Port Macquarie gelding Victorem at his two starts in Queensland this preparation, but Saturday’s Lough Neagh Stakes sets up beautifully for the talented son of I Am Invincible. At his current quote, I’ll

5:47 PM ET Associated Press DEL MAR, Calif. — Hall of Fame jockey Victor Espinoza is aiming to return to riding in January, six months after he was seriously injured in a training accident. The 46-year-old rider says he underwent an MRI recently and “it came out perfect.” Espinoza says he doesn’t need surgery and

10:03 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez rode his 6,000th career winner in North America, guiding Singapore Trader to victory Friday at Aqueduct. He joins Hall of Famer Edgar Prado, Mario Pino and Perry Wayne Ouzts as the only active riders to reach the milestone and the 18th