Kentucky

A Kentucky Derby Ticket is on the Line Saturday at Colonial Downs

Published

4 weeks ago

March 13, 2026

A Kentucky Derby Ticket is on the Line Saturday at Colonial Downs

Daily Racing Form handicappers David Aragona and Mike Beer disagree on the top pick in Saturday’s $500,000 Kentucky Derby qualifier.

Fifty Kentucky Derby qualifying points go to the winner of Saturday’s Virginia Derby – enough to guarantee a spot in the starting gate at Churchill Downs. Daily Racing Form’s David Aragona and Mike Beer have both taken a hard look at the 10-horse field, and they are not in agreement on who comes out on top.

The expected favorite is No. 1 Buetane, trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Flavien Prat. But neither handicapper is fully sold.

KENTUCKY DERBY 2026: Top contenders, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more

Why the favorite is beatable?

Buetane draws the rail and will attract money based on his connections alone, as Aragona noted. But his last race – a third-place finish in the Southwest Stakes – left both handicappers wanting more. Beer said the figures “fairly stand out against this field” but stopped well short of a strong endorsement. Aragona raised questions about how far the horse ultimately wants to go.

Both handicappers include Buetane in their picks. Neither puts him on top.

The horse Aragona wants most

Aragona’s top selection is No. 6 Lockstocknpharoah, trained by Thomas Drury Jr. and ridden by Eddie Morales. He has won both prior starts at Turfway Park over the synthetic surface – Saturday is his first start on dirt. Aragona called his second start – where he made the lead and pulled away in the stretch – genuinely impressive. Beer said he “absolutely smashed that field” last time. Both handicappers pointed to his pedigree – by American Pharoah – as a reason to expect he handles the surface, and Aragona added that workouts at Churchill Downs suggested the horse was comfortable on dirt in the mornings.

The horse Beer wants most

Beer’s top selection is No. 5 High Camp, trained by Will Walden and ridden by John Velazquez. He has two career starts, both at Gulfstream Park on dirt. Beer highlighted his maiden win going seven furlongs – he waited while others made premature moves on the far turn, then tipped out at the top of the stretch and finished strongly. Beer called that finish “probably the best part of the race” and said the pedigree supports the added distance. Aragona agreed, noting High Camp handled rail pressure in his debut and responded once he got clear. He is the one horse who appears on both sets of picks.

The Handicappers’ Verdict

David Aragona’s picks:

Lockstocknpharoah

Incredibolt

High Camp

Buetane

Mike Beer’s picks:

High Camp

Lockstocknpharoah

Buetane

Ocelli

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Kentucky

Collin Chandler releases statement on transfer from Kentucky

Published

12 hours ago

April 9, 2026

Press Room

Collin Chandler releases statement on transfer from Kentucky

Collin Chandler is saying farewell to Kentucky as he has entered the transfer portal following the completion of the 2025-26 season.

On Thursday, Chandler released a statement to On3. He concluded it by saying he’s going home. Chandler, a Utah native, is expected to transfer to BYU. He originally committed to play for Mark Pope at BYU, but went on his mission trip. Upon returning, he entered the portal and followed Pope to Lexington.

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“I am so grateful to Coach Pope, the assistant coaches and staff, my teammates, and the University of Kentucky and BBN for the last 2 years,” Chandler wrote. “You welcomed me into your family with open arms, were patient with me, and supported me every step of the way. You helped me grow so much — not just as a player, but as a man. You will always be family to me.

“I am returning home and excited for the work and challenges ahead.”

Chandler took a big step forward in 2025-26, his sophomore season. His production increased from 2.7 points per game to 9.7 as his playing time went up from 10.4 minutes per outing to 27.1 this season. In his second year, Chandler made 43.5% of his field-goal attempts, including 41% from 3-point range.

Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.

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Kentucky

Former lieutenant at eastern Kentucky penitentiary sentenced to prison in assault case

Published

24 hours ago

April 9, 2026

Press Room

Former lieutenant at eastern Kentucky penitentiary sentenced to prison in assault case

FLOYD COUNTY, Ky. (WCHS) — A Floyd County man who served as a lieutenant at an eastern Kentucky penitentiary was sentenced to prison Wednesday for falsifying records related to the assaults of inmates.

Michael Childers, 47, of Harold, Ky., was sentenced to 17 months in prison following a case that dates back to 2021 at U.S. Penitentiary Big Sandy in Inez, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

Childers pleaded guilty to being present when an inmate was assaulted by fellow staff members and then writing an incident report that falsely claimed the inmate had struck him with his head and a closed fist.

Prosecutors said Childers admitted to writing the statements knowing they were false in an attempt to “ impede the administration of justice regarding the investigation of the unlawful assault on the inmate,” the news release said.

Under federal law, Childers must serve 85% of his prison sentence, according to the news release. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for one year.

Childers is the final defendant to be sentenced for the assault.

Former Lt. Terry Melvin pleaded guilty to conspiracy against rights and violating an individual’s rights under the color of law. He was sentenced to 48 months in prison.

Another former lieutenant, Kevin Pearce was convicted of writing false reports that covered up the assaults of inmates and was sentenced to 66 months.

A third former lieutenant, Ryan Elliott, pleaded guilty to assaulting an inmate and writing a false report about the assault of a second inmate in an unrelated incident. He was sentenced in 2024 to 12 months and one day in prison.

Case management coordinator Samuel Patrick and captain’s secretary Clinton Pauley pleaded guilty to their roles in the assaults of inmates and were sentenced in 2023 to 36 and 40 months respectively.

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Kentucky

Miles Byrd to make transfer decision on Thursday, and Kentucky Basketball is a finalist

Published

1 day ago

April 8, 2026

Press Room

Miles Byrd to make transfer decision on Thursday, and Kentucky Basketball is a finalist

According to Jeff Goodman, San Diego State guard Miles Byrd will make his college choice on Thursday. His finalists include the Wildcats, Baylor Bears, Louisville Cardinals, Providence Friars, Texas Longhorns, Vanderbilt Commodores, and Cincinnati Bearcats.

The 6-6, 190-pound Byrd is one of the top players in the portal and has one season of eligibility remaining. This past season, he averaged 10.4 points on 40.5% shooting (30.8% from deep on 4.3 attempts per game), 4.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game, earning him Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors.

If Kentucky is the choice, then Mark Pope and Co. will be hoping Byrd makes a Lamont Butler-type jump in offensive production like the latter did when he played his final season in Lexington. Butler and Byrd were actually teammates in the 2022-23 season when the latter redshirted.

As of this writing, it’s unclear who the perceived favorite is. When he first entered the portal, Baylor was viewed as the early school to watch, so the Bears could be the team to beat.

Byrd is currently ranked 13th overall and fifth among shooting guards in the 2026 transfer portal cycle by On3.

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