137th Kentucky Derby News & notes

May 5, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

Albarado hurt: Jockey Robby Albarado was injured after his mount tossed him off before Wednesday’s third race at Churchill Downs. Albarado was aboard Smoke’n Al when he got thrown forward and then the horse stepped on him during the post parade. A track spokesman says Albarado was taken to a hospital for treatment of a facial injury. He was conscious after the fall. Albarado is scheduled to ride Animal Kingdom in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby. Animal Kingdom is owned by Team Valor International, which includes Youngstown businessman Bruce Zoldan as an investor.

Foreign flair: Master of Hounds is the only foreign-based horse in Saturday’s Derby, although he’s run at Churchill Downs before. The colt has been quarantined since arriving from Ireland on Tuesday. His 48-hour isolation ends today when he will be able to hit the track to work out with other Derby contenders. Master of Hounds has a wealth of international experience. He started his career on the turf in England and Ireland before coming to Churchill Downs last fall to run sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. He was second, beaten by a nose, in his lone race this year, the United Arab Emirates Derby in Dubai on a synthetic track. This will be his first race on dirt against top 3-year-olds.

Drying out: After three days of torrential downpours in the Louisville area, the rain finally let up, giving way to cold and windy conditions on Wednesday. The dirt track at Churchill Downs is noted for its ability to absorb a lot of water and dry quickly. It will certainly be put to the test following an extraordinarily rainy April.

Associated Press