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I was researching some photos related to Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville and came upon this absolutely charming photo of the late model/actress Anna Nicole Smith.
She attended the 2004 Derby Day all in frilly pink on May 1 of that year. Moments before the race started, she leaned over the rail and flashed the peace sign.
Now back to this year’s race: Hats, of course, are one of the big traditions at the Derby — along with mint juleps.
Click here to see a a photo gallery of a few toppers that are starting to turn up in the pre-Derby days. Spectators may need those hats — it has been rainy today. “Isolated thunderstorms” are predicted for Saturday, according to the Weather Channel, but maybe they’ll hold off until after the race.
— Mary Forgione, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
[Photo: Mike Simons / Getty Images]
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travel.latimes.com

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The trademark white cowboy hat was in place.
Trainer J. Larry Jones was on one end of a leather lead strap, Kentucky Oaks winner Proud Spell on the other, the filly grazing contentedly on the grass early yesterday morning outside Barn 43 on the Churchill Downs backstretch.
There was nobody else around when two reporters approached.
As he had done 12 hours earlier on Saturday night to a crowd in the press box, Jones, his eyes still showing the emotional toll of the loss of the filly Eight Belles following a runner-up finish in the Kentucky Derby, spoke directly, without prompting, about the subject on racing fans' minds.
“I'm sorry for bringing everybody else's day down,” Jones said. “It was such a great day, a great race and then it happened and brought everybody's feelings down.
“I know the people in (winner Big Brown's) camp felt bad about it and it took away from the win. But I do congratulate them on a great horse and great race.”
An autopsy reportedly has been scheduled. There will be a report. Owner Rick Porter has asked for Eight Belles' remains to be cremated. As far as Jones is concerned, “I guess we'll never get an explanation for it.”
Twenty-five years as a trainer, and many more than that around horses, lead Jones, 51, to contend that no one could have foreseen it happening. And that Eight Belles was probably unaware until the fatal instant when bones in both front ankles fractured.
The indicator, Jones said, is a horse's ears.
“The first thing they do when they're in discomfort is they pin their ears back,” Jones said. “I watched her galloping out past the wire into the turn and her ears were up and I've had people who saw it say they were that way just before she went down.

signonsandiego.com

BASEBALL Former major leaguer dies at 45 Former major leaguer John Marzano died Saturday in Philadelphia after falling down a flight of stairs at his home. He was 45. The cause of his death was not immediately clear, police said. Marzano was from Philadelphia and had been working for Major League Baseball’s Web site, where he co-hosted a show on weekday mornings. A graduate of Temple, Marzano earned a spot as a catcher on the 1984 U. S. Olympic team that included future major league stars Mark McGwire, Barry Larkin and Will Clark. He was drafted by the Boston Red Sox with the 14 th overall pick in the first round of the 1984 amateur draft. Marzano played 10 seasons in the big leagues for the Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners before retiring in 1998. Overall, Marzano batted. 241 with 11 home runs and 72 RBI in 794 at-bats in 301 games.
BASKETBALL Australia beats U. S. women Rohanee Cox scored 16 points to help Australia beat the United States women’s team 74-60 Saturday in their opening preliminary-round game in the Good Luck Beijing Tournament in Beijing. Lisa Leslie led the United States with 17 points, and Katie Smith added 14. In the other games Saturday, Cuba beat New Zealand 75-51, and China defeated South Korea 80-67. HORSE RACING War Pass to miss Derby One-time Kentucky Derby favorite War Pass will miss next month’s Kentucky Derby because of a leg injury likely to sideline the colt for a few months. Trainer Nick Zito said Saturday that X-rays revealed a small fracture in the left front ankle of last year’s champion 2-year-old. Zito said there was no swelling and the colt was “walking sound,” but that he started to worry something was wrong with last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner as pre-Derby workouts continued. Zito said the fracture occurred recently and that a veterinarian suggested the colt probably injured the ankle in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, where War Pass finished second behind Tale of Ekati. War Pass, owned by Robert LaPenta, was unbeaten in four races in his championship campaign and had one win in three starts this year. The colt has earnings of $ 1. 58 million and led all Derby contenders in graded earnings with $ 1. 47 million.

nwanews.com

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It used to be easier. Pick a horse you liked, from any track where thoroughbreds gather and begin their march to the Kentucky Derby. Study your Daily Racing Form, ponder the numbers, make judgments about the quality of the trainers and jockeys, then select your Derby winner.
No guarantees, of course, but you felt more secure after studying the numbers.
Not anymore. Welcome to the world of tracks with synthetic surfaces, where a win may still be a win, but when horses change surfaces, the game changes, as well. The results change, the bettors become uncertain, which trickles down to the trainers, who may see smaller fields with smaller purses.
There was a time when handicappers made judgments about the quality of competition at the California tracks compared with the horses who ran in Florida or New York. Now, it’s not dirt against grass, it’s natural surface against Polytrack since California’s racing commission forced major tracks such as Santa Anita and Del Mar to switch to the synthetic surface. Many tracks in Illinois and Kentucky have followed suit.
Colonel John is one of the favorites in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, coming off an impressive win in the Santa Anita Derby in his last prep race. But Colonel John has never run on dirt, which remains the surface at
“I don’t want to run on anything made from my attic,” said Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito, who has Anak Nakal and Cool Coal Man running in the Derby. “God made dirt. God made grass. I’m very upset about this business right now.”
Eoin Harty, Colonel John’s trainer, says Polytrack, which was installed to cut down on injuries to horses and jockeys, has provided comfort and security.
“The horses stay sounder longer now,” he said. “An average day training on a dirt track is like putting mileage on a car. I don’t think you get that with synthetic tracks.”

boston.com

The2008 Kentucky Derby is closing on us and it's time to look atthe betting odds once again, as well as the top ten contendersfor the Run for the Roses. To give you the best possible odds onthe Kentucky Derby 2008 we will look at two of the biggestonline bookmakers, one best suited for the U.K. bettors, Bet 365 (official website) referred to below as "U.K. odds", and another sportsbook for therest of the world, BodogSports (official website) ,referred to below as "U.S. odds". Keep in mind that the top tenKentucky Derby contenders hold quite different odds at each ofthe bookmakers, Americans, however, are not allowed to bet atBet365. Here are the current top 10 contenders to win the 2008Kentucky Derby odds included.
2008 Kentucky Derby favorite, BigBrown, betting odds U.K. 5/2, U.S. odds 5/2 - Big Brown isby Boundary, who made all eight of his starts in sprints,winning six times and recording Grade 3 wins in the A PhenomenonH. and the Roseben H.. Pensioned from stud duty in 2005,Boundary is represented by 22 black-type winners to date withhis leading performers being Minardi and Pomeroy. The former, aGroup 1 winner in England and Ireland as a two-year-old over sixfurlongs, was a disappointment when tried at a mile thefollowing year, and Pomeroy is best known as a sprinter winningthe King's Bishop S. (G1) and the Forego S. (G1), both overseven furlongs.
Pyro: 2008 Kentucky Derbyodds: UK 5/1, US 7/1 - Pyro is a son of Pulpit, the 1997Blue Grass S. (G2) winner who led the Kentucky Derby (G1) fieldbefore fading to finish fourth behind Silver Charm. A son ofHorse of the Year and multiple leading sire A.P. Indy (who is by1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew), Pulpit is the sire ofmore than 30 stakes winners, including several promisingthree-year-olds of the past such as Purge, Tapit, Essence ofDubai and Sky Mesa.

ogpaper.com