Non-stop Derby drama clouding the Preakness

Horse racing officials and industry activists are hailing the passage and signing of a safety and integrity bill that will standardize medication and doping rules in an effort to make the sport safer and fairer. The bill gives an independent panel authority to set uniform, national medication, drug and track safety standards to be enforced by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. ”This is a monumental step forward that will help secure the future of thoroughbred racing in the United States,” New York Racing Association president and CEO Dave O’Rourke said.

Thousand Words was a late scratch for the Kentucky Derby after rearing up and then falling over backward in the paddock area just before the race. Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert and listed at 15-1 odds with Florent Geroux aboard, the horse was walking through the paddock when he suddenly stopped, reared up and then fell backward before workers helped him up. Thousands of protesters are marching around the gates surrounding Churchill Downs, chanting Breonna Taylor’s name less than an hour before the 146th Kentucky Derby.