All eyes will be on Churchill Downs on Saturday evening for the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby.
Having quit the UK last year to race in the US, Frankie Dettori will partner with Society Man as he aims to land ‘The Run for the Roses’ for the first time.
Dettori has not featured in the Kentucky Derby since 2000, when he was unplaced on China Visit behind Fusaichi Pegasus, but he has sealed the ride on Society Man for trainer Danny Gargan.
Society Man was last seen finishing second in the Grade Two Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct and arrives at Churchill Downs as a 35/1 shot with the bookmakers.
It’s a wide-open race this year, with Fierceness and Sierra Leonne battling for favouritism. However, with thunderstorms forecast, it could turn into an attritional battle if the surface turns messy.
With winning form on a muddy track, sloppy conditions would suit Society Man, so if the rain does arrive, it would be no shock to see his price shorten.
A familiar face will also join Dettori in tonight’s race—Ben Curtis partners the Whit Beckman-trained Honor Marie, who finished second in the Louisiana Derby on his most recent appearance.
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