Steve Bittenbender

Tough losses fuel greatness. Todd and I decided to train Renegade up to the Belmont. I’m still so impressed with both Renegade’s performance and Irad’s ride!!!!! I love @iradortiz mamba mentality!!!!! 💪

@JohnnyBets_KY Thought it may have had something to do with Matress Mack since he owns Runhappy.

The biggest head scratcher of Derby 152 is So Happy going off at 5-1

It’s time @ChurchillDowns is back in the regular rotation for @BreedersCup Weather concerns are a false argument because they are identical to those @keeneland The CDRT team has done a fantastic job building out @KentuckyDerby week. Over $1 billion in physical plant improvements means top class hospitality & the facility can fit everyone from the sponsors & VIPs to the regular fans. Not one temporary facility will need to be built. The new turf course has settled and is getting rave reviews. There is a substantial tax credit in place when the event comes to Kentucky. It’s time to bring the #HorseRacing world championships back to the home of the Derby in 2028.

@Everylastgoat Crazy for me not to realize the two best defensive teams left in the West would produce an 80s style shootout

@Stepbitt RIP 😂

I bet U6 goals for tonight's Wild-Avs game

NEW: Thanks to the Kentucky Oaks, Churchill Downs posted a record handle for Derby Week even as wagering on the Run for the Roses fell slightly. gamblinginsider.com/news/157889/oa…

The heart and soul of the @courierjournal’s Kentucky Derby coverage.

@stoolpresidente The extra couple of hours made the difference for the Oaks. In the past, most people were either still working or on their way home when the Oaks ran. May not have been a big TV audience given it's a Friday, but it's still a lot of new eyes for the race.

So Derby Day handle was down but Oaks day was way up? Interesting.

As one racing historian told me, women were not allowed on the backstretch for a long time.

Trainer @reredevaux takes a call from the Maryland Jockey Club formally inviting Golden Tempo to the #Preakness

Is my car trying to tell me it needs a cup of coffee this morning?

Owner Mike Repole on Renegade’s runner up Derby finish: “I think the best horse won and we had the second best horse. No excuses. Best horse, best post it doesn’t matter. The 19 had to go 8 lengths out. He had to go wide, we had to go inside. There is no excuse.”

As I tell everybody, the Derby is basically a lottery. With today's reload, even moreso. You can handicap and find good reasons for a horse to win. That horse may even have it that day, only to get bumped at the start to throw them off OR be unable to move out of the pack.

Meanwhile, “It was a rough trip, everybody was all over the place," Luis Saez, who rode sixth-place finisher Commandment. "He ran pretty well and made a nice move, but it was just a tough race.”

Golden Tempo and Jose Ortiz did not have to back out of the gate due to the Great White tumble and reload. Did that help them? "It would be very hard to tell you," he said, and he added he did not know if it affected the horses that had to go in, back out and go in again.

All love as @RepoleStable consoles a very emotional @iradortiz after Renegade runs second in the @KentuckyDerby.

Great White now scratched from the Derby. Those who bet the longshot for win/place/show will get refunds (not credits)

Per Weather.com, it's 56 degrees here in Louisville. It's the coldest #KentuckyDerby since 1989

Commandment (8) is the second choice, followed by Renegade, who was the 4-1 M-L favorite. Seems like bettors are hesitant about Renegade because he's starting for the inside gate, which last produced a winner in 1986.

We're less than 90 minutes from the start of the Kentucky Derby, and bettors are still very divided about who they think will win the race. So Happy (6) has seen the biggest adjustment, going from 15-1 morning line odds (just a projection, BTW) to the current 5-1 fave