The start of the season for the Kentucky Wildcats has been a great one. With a 10-1 record and wins over Duke, Gonzaga, and Louisville, Mark Pope’s team has one of the best resumes in the sport to this point.

That is starting to show in the early bracketology as the Cats are getting some love.

In his latest update Joe Lunardi of ESPN bumped Kentucky up to the 1-seed line as they are joined by two other SEC teams in Tennessee and Auburn. The Tigers are Lunardi’s No. 1 overall seed. Even more wild, he has 13 teams from the SEC making the big dance.

The path would be a fun one, as the Wildcats’ bracket would feature a potential rematch with Gonzaga (2-seed).

Don’t like that? How about a date with the 3-seed Kansas?

Maybe the biggest storyline of them all would come from a potential Round-of-32 matchup with 9-seed Arkansas. That would drive up ratings for sure.

With an already impressive resume, the Wildcats have the chance to add some more key wins, while the opportunities for bad losses are few and far between.

It should be a fun few months of conference play.

Go Cats!

The Derby Alumni tracker checks in with the horses who raced in the Kentucky Derby, both this year and in previous years, keeping up with what they have done since they ran for the roses.

2024 Kentucky Derby

A pair of 2024 Kentucky Derby entrants raced in allowance company at Gulfstream Sunday, though in different races. Catalytic was second beaten only a head in a 1 1/16-mile first-level dirt allowance, his first start since July. Mugatu raced in a first-level allowance at a mile and 70 yards on the Tapeta, but never rallied and finished seventh and last.

Two others from the 2024 Kentucky Derby field are entered in races Saturday. Track Phantom, most recently second in an allowance at Churchill, steps up to stakes company in the Tenacious at Fair Grounds, where he drew the fence in a field of eight. Epic Ride returns to Turfway for the first time since his second-place finish in the John Battaglia Memorial in March; he drew the outside in an eight-horse, second-level allowance at six furlongs on the Tapeta.

West Saratoga, most recently ninth in an allowance at Churchill Downs, sold privately to RRR Racing and transferred to the barn of Doug Watson, one of the leading trainers in Dubai. According to a report at BloodHorse, Watson is considering mile races late in this winter’s meet as well as in the future for West Saratoga.

2023 Kentucky Derby

Four entrants from the 2023 Kentucky Derby have raced over the last month. Skinner won the Native Diver (G3) at Del Mar on Nov. 23 by a length over Tarantino. Skinner had been second in the same race in 2023, and it was his first victory in the graded ranks.

Hit Show also competed in graded company recently, placing fifth in the Clark (G2) on Nov. 29. As the 3-2 favorite he crossed the wird third behind Rattle N Roll, but was disqualified to fifth after bumping with Crupi late. Mandarin Hero finished third in the Tokai Kikuya Sho at Nagoya on Nov. 21, a solid reversal of form after an 11th-place finish at Oi the month before. Jace’s road dropped to the straight claiming ranks for the first time ever Thursday at Turfway, running for a $50,000 tag. Sent off the second favorite at 2-1, he chased on for third behind favored First Strike.

Three others are entered in the coming days. Rocket Can steps back up to graded-stakes company Saturday at Gulfstream for the Harlan’s Holiday (G3), while Confidence Game will take on a strong field in the Tenacious at Fair Grounds. Raise Cain is cross-entered in allowance races Friday and Saturday at Oaklawn.

2022 Kentucky Derby

Three entrants from the 2022 Kentucky Derby have recently raced. Rattle N Roll, making his second start off a yearlong lay, proved he still fits at the graded level by rallying to win the Clark (G2) at Churchill on Nov. 29. Two others from this class who recently ran finished off the board: Crown Pride finished 11th in the Champions Cup (G1) at Chukyo on Dec. 1, while Tiz the Bomb was eighth in a starter allowance at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday.

Ethereal Road is expected to return to action Saturday in an allowance optional claimer at a mile on the dirt at Oaklawn. He drew post 7 of eight, in a race likely to feature Raise Cain as well.

Three others from the 2022 Kentucky Derby field have been retired recently. Classic Causeway, the 2022 Belmont Derby (G1) winner, will stand for $6,500 at Crestwood Farm in Kentucky. Messier will begin his stud career in New York for a fee of $5,000 at Rockridge Stud. Barber Road, unraced since February, will get a break away from the track before returning as a barn pony for his racing trainer, John Ortiz.

2021 Kentucky Derby

Three horses in the 2021 Kentucky Derby class have raced in recent weeks. Like the King has flown south for the winter after a campaign at Woodbine, and flattened late to finish sixth in an allowance-level turf mile Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs. Brooklyn Strong finished sixth in a $15,000 claiming race at a mile and 70 yards on the Parx dirt on Nov. 25, settling near the rear and not kicking on in the lane.

Brooklyn Strong also returns to action Friday at Parx. He is entered in a conditioned $10,000 claiming race going 1 1/16 miles and drew the outside post in a field of seven.

HELIUM

2020 Kentucky Derby

Storm the Court, the champion juvenile of 2019, has been retired and will stand for $2,000 at Eclipse Thoroughbred Training and Sports Therapy in California. Though he never won again after upsetting the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, he finished sixth behind Authentic in the 2020 Kentucky Derby and amassed a 30: 2-4-7 record in six seasons on the racetrack.

2019 Kentucky Derby

The last month has been a quiet one for the field of the 2019 Kentucky Derby, though Long Range Toddy, Gray Magician and Tax have either worked or raced in 2024.

Associated Press

Northern Illinois Huskies (4-4) at Eastern Kentucky Colonels (8-3)

Lexington, Kentucky; Tuesday, 6 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Eastern Kentucky plays Northern Illinois after Althea Kara Angeles scored 21 points in Eastern Kentucky’s 89-72 win against the Indiana State Sycamores.

The Colonels have gone 3-1 at home. Eastern Kentucky has a 2-3 record against teams over .500.

The Huskies are 2-2 on the road. Northern Illinois gives up 73.8 points to opponents while being outscored by 5.7 points per game.

Eastern Kentucky’s average of 6.8 made 3-pointers per game is 1.1 fewer made shots on average than the 7.9 per game Northern Illinois gives up. Northern Illinois scores 6.0 more points per game (68.1) than Eastern Kentucky gives up (62.1).

TOP PERFORMERS: Alice Recanati is averaging 11.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.2 steals for the Colonels.

Alecia Doyle is scoring 13.5 points per game and averaging 3.1 rebounds for the Huskies.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.