Derby Day Crowd Begins to Arrive, Scratches of Note
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Photo: Courtney V. Bearse
At least early in the day, more rain and sloppy going are expected at Churchill Downs today
With a steady drizzle and temperatures in the mid-40s in Louisville, Ky. at 9:30 a.m. on May 6, fans trickled into Churchill Downs ahead of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1).
With the rain expected to halt in the early afternoon—and just a 30% chance it returns in the late afternoon—today's crowd may be late arriving. Churchill officials said the crowd of 105,100 for the May 5 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) arrived late in the day.
As of 9:30 a.m. Saturday, the track was listed as sloppy and turf was listed as good.
The only scratches from the Derby are also-eligibles Royal Mo and Master Plan.
Horses scratched from stakes races include multiple grade 1 winner Miss Temple City , who was slated to make her seasonal bow in the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes Presented by Longines (G2T), and grade 1 winner World Approval from the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes (G1T). Trainer Graham Motion posted on Twitter that Miss Temple City would now likely head to the 1 1/16 miles Beaugay Stakes (G3T) at Belmont Park May 13 as a possible prep for a trip to Royal Ascot this summer.
Greeley and Ben has been scratched from the Pat Day Mile Presented by LG&E and KU Stakes (G3).
La Coronel, who won the May 5 Edgewood Stakes Presented by Forcht Bank (G3T), is scratched from the American Turf Stakes Presented by Ram Trucks (G2T), where she was cross-entered.
The day's first-race post time is 10:30 a.m. EDT. The day's first stakes race, the Humana Distaff Stakes (G1) is scheduled for 1:13 p.m. and the Kentucky Derby is set for 6:46 p.m.