2023 Kentucy Derby Art is Out... Yay or Nay?

Plus Irad, Oaklawn Park, and Lack of $$$ @ Duct

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GiddyUp Digest
December 06, 2022

Get Your Free 2023 Kentucky Downs Calendar

Ah yes, Kentucky Downs.  The greatest week of turf racing takes place every Summer in the heart of Franklin, Kentucky.  The fine folks that run this establishment are kind enough every year to send out free calendars and you can get yours too while supplies last!

Simply send an email to [email protected] along with your name and mailing address. We love ours!

The Official Art of the Kentucky Derby 2023 is Out!

Churchill Downs Racetrack has released the 2023 “Official Art of the Kentucky Derby” by renowned international artist, Romero Britto. Considered one of the most celebrated living artists in the world.

Britto’s artwork for the 149th Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve highlights his iconic approach of mixing bright colors with unique patterns. With sparkling, textured accents and elements of pop graphics, the art features subtle details that bring the racetrack scene to life, highlighting the energy and excitement of the Derby in a modern way.

1,000 limited edition prints are available for purchase starting Dec 6, 2022. - Would you pay $99.99 for one? - Well, if not, try using code JULEP for a discount.  No this is not a promotion, although we wish they'd give us some money already.

The Price is Not Great for Cigar Mile Day

This past weekend, Aqueduct had its Cigar Mile Day and the numbers weren't exactly great.  All sources handle on Saturday’s Cigar Mile Day card was $10,891,066, down 37.2 percent from last year’s figure of $17,345,029.

So what does this mean for Aqueduct fans?  Consider this article from June 20, 2022, where New York Racing Association (NYRA) Chairperson Marc Holliday mentioned the following:

“But I think we have to go one step further and really emphasize what these benefits are going to be for the safety of the horses, safety for the jockeys, the fan experience, and the ability to pull in the Breeders’ Cup upon the completion of this great redevelopment,” Holliday told Bloodhorse, “and, equally important, that we free up of Aqueduct Racetrack in a way that can unlock tremendous value for the state by not having the duplicity of racing operations encumbering two state-owned tracks.”

Marc Holliday

The latter half of Holliday’s quote might give long-time New York racing fans some pause. It’s been long speculated that NYRA and the state are considering shutting Aqueduct down and moving its six months of racing (from fall through winter and early spring) eight miles east to a renovated Belmont Park.Our Spicy Hot Take: We didn't bet the card simply because of the fact that it was rained off turf, how many others are as basic as us?

Irad doing Irad Things

The greatest herder of our generation, none other than Irad Ortiz scored his 77th stakes win in a single season in North America when he won on Dr. B in the G3 $200k Go for Wand fillies and mares race at Aqueduct this past Saturday. The win surpassed the record of 76 set in 2007 by the late Hall of Famer Garrett Gomez.

Word on the street is that Irad did not thank his brother for helping him execute this amazing record but we're still digging into our sources to confirm or deny this.

Woodbines Ends, and Oaklawn Park Begins!

Oaklawn Park kicks off its Winter meet on Friday where we'll see 87 horses starting in the nine races, making for an average of 9.6 entrants per race.  You may also notice a few new faces riding at the meet including Rafael Bejarano, Joe Talamo, and Tyler Baze.  While we do love the racing in the South, it should also be noted...Our polite friends to the North at Woodbine are holding their closing day on Sunday - Dec 11 so at the very least if you miss Oaklawn over the weekend you have a mandatory at Woodbine to look forward to on Sunday.  Also, an important announcement regarding Woodbine's leading jockey, Kazushi Kimura - he plans to ride this winter at Santa Anita Park.  Will he be giving Flavien Prat the business in 5 horse fields?  Can't wait to find out!