How 2022 Kentucky Derby horses have run on sloppy or wet tracks

Update: At 3 p.m., the weather forecast in Louisville called for 63 degrees with a 2 percent chance of rain at posttime.

After a wet Kentucky Oaks Day, the Louisville weather forecast for Kentucky Derby Day on Saturday calls for clouds with a high of 64 degrees and a 24 percent chance of rain.

Let’s say the weatherman is wrong, however, and the Churchill Downs track is listed as something less than fast at 6:57 p.m. for the 148th running of America’s most famous race.

Here’s a look at which horses in the Derby field ran in less than ideal conditions:

The only horse in the field to run on a “sloppy” track is Barber Road, who finished second to Dash Attack in the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas on New Year’s Day. Barber Road lost that race by 2 lengths.

[Barber Road connects small town, big corporation and Derby dreams]

Since then, the colt trained by John Ortiz has finished second in the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes, third in the Grade 2 Rebel and second in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby. All three of those races were run on a “fast” track at Oaklawn.

Epicenter, second favorite in the morning line, broke his maiden at Churchill Downs on a track listed as good. Trained by Steve Asmussen and owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds, Epicenter followed a sixth-place finish in his debut with a 3 1/2-length win on Nov. 13, 2021.

[Can Steve Asmussen break his 0-for-23 Derby drought?]

That began a streak of four wins in five races for the son of Not This Time. The lone loss was a second-place finish to Call Me Midnight in the Lecomte Stakes on Jan. 22 at the Fair Grounds.

The Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes on April 9 at Keeneland was also run on a track listed as “good” at Keeneland. Zandon came from dead last (11th) to win that race by 2 1/2 lengths over Smile Happy.

It was the second win in four starts for Zandon, trained by Chad Brown. All four starts have come at different tracks — Belmont Park on Oct. 9 last year; Aqueduct on Dec. 4; Fair Grounds on Feb. 19 and then Keeneland.

Smile Happy has also raced just four times. He’s 2-for-4 with wins last year at Keeneland on Oct. 29 and then the Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill on Nov. 27. This year, the Kenny McPeek trainee finished second in the Grade 2 Risen Star at Fair Grounds on Feb. 19 before the runner-up finish in the Blue Grass.

Classic Causeway won the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby on a Tampa Bay Downs track listed as “good” on March 12, 2022. Trained by Australian native Brian Lynch, Classic Causeway won by 2 1/4 lengths over Grantham. He then ran last out of 11 horses in the Florida Derby on April 2 at Gulfstream Park.

This story was originally published May 6, 2022 at 4:37 PM.

John Clay

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-472-4218

John Clay is a sports columnist for the Lexington Herald-Leader. A native of Central Kentucky, he covered UK football from 1987 until being named sports columnist in 2000. He has covered 20 Final Fours and 42 consecutive Kentucky Derbys. Support my work with a digital subscription