After Owen Almighty faded badly to sixth in the Blue Grass Stakes, trainer Brian Lynch declared the horse out of the Kentucky Derby, saying he isn’t suited to run the Derby’s 1¼-mile distance. But eight days later, the horse was back in the Derby field. All signs point to this being a case of the owners coming down with a severe case of Derby Fever, but on Saturday he has a chance to prove his owners were right all along.
20 Owen Almighty (30-1)
- Trainer Brian Lynch
- Jockey Javier Castellano
- Last race Sixth in the Blue Grass Stakes by 4¼ lengths
- Career record 7 starts: 3 wins, 2 seconds
- Career earnings $499,935
- Best career Beyer Speed Figure 93 (2025 Tampa Bay Derby)
- Sire Speightstown
Below, we’ll dig further into Owen Almighty as part of our series profiling all the horses competing in the 151st Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 3. We’ll look back into his past performances, what questions need to be answered Saturday and analyze how the post draw affects his chances.
Kentucky Derby profiles 1 Citizen Bull | 2 Neoequos | 3 Final Gambit | 4 Rodriguez | 5 American Promise | 6 Admire Daytona | 7 Luxor Cafe | 8 Journalism | 9 Burnham Square | 10 Grande | 11 Flying Mohawk | 12 East Avenue | 13 Publisher | 14 Tiztastic | 15 Render Judgment | 16 Coal Battle | 17 Sandman | 18 Sovereignty | 19 Chunk of Gold | 20 Owen Almighty | 21 Baeza
Kentucky Derby picks Michelle Yu | Gene Menez | Jeff Hochman | Jody Demling
What to know about Owen Almighty
Every spring, a contagious illness spreads among overambitious thoroughbred racehorse owners called Derby Fever. Symptoms include owners, who are desperate to participate in the Kentucky Derby, pointing their horse to run in the first leg of the Triple Crown—and even overruling the advice of the trainer—even though their horse is woefully ill-suited to run in the Derby and would be better off running in another race.
The owners of Owen Almighty seem to have come down with a severe case of Derby Fever. While the colt excelled at sprint distances early in his career, trainer Brian Lynch never considered the horse a Kentucky Derby contender because of the horse’s breeding (his sire, Speightstown, is a notorious sire of sprinters) and the unlikeliness of the horse being able to get the Derby’s 1¼-mile distance. Even after Owen Almighty won the Tampa Bay Derby at 1 1/16 miles on March 8, Lynch still said he was leaning to bypassing the Kentucky Derby. And after Owen Almighty faded badly to sixth in the Blue Grass Stakes, Lynch said, “He just doesn’t want to go that far,” and officially declared the horse out of the Derby.
Or so we thought.
Eight days later, Owen Almighty was back in the Derby field, a decision that was described by Hunter Rankin—president of Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing, which owns the horse—as taking a “shot” with the horse. At the time, there was nary a public comment from Lynch.
Owen Almighty enters a race at a distance for which he’s wholly unsuited for and faces a pace scenario that’s unfavorable for him. He has been first or second in the early going of each of his last four races, but there are several other speed horses in this race (East Avenue, Rodriguez and Citizen Bull to name three), which will make getting to the front a difficult task.
On April 24, Lynch trained Owen Almighty to rate behind another horse. The trainer later confirmed the plan for Owen Almighty in the Derby is to sit early rather than press the pace, which he hopes will give the horse a better chance of seeing out the Derby distance.
To be fair, Owen Almighty is one of just three horses in the field who have a win at Churchill Downs. And if the track is wet, his chances improve. Sons and daughters of Speightstown win at a 20% clip; only progeny of Tiz the Law (21%), sire of Tiztastic, win at a better rate among progeny in the field.
Post draw analysis
Lynch’s plan to sit early in the Derby rather than press the pace is the only option now after Owen Almighty drew the far outside post. From there he doesn’t have enough speed to clear all of the horses to his inside. I wouldn’t be surprised to see jockey Javier Castellano keep Owen Almighty wide all around and out of everyone’s way in what may be a little more than a glorified workout, saving the horse for another day. He may be a 30-1 longshot to win at TwinSpires and 1/ST BET, but he’s the 1-1 favorite to finish last.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Fan falls over outfield wall during Pirates-Cubs matchup at PNC Park, taken off field on stretcher
A fan at PNC Park fell over the outfield wall and onto the track on Wednesday night during the Pittsburgh Pirates’ matchup with the Chicago Cubs.In the seventh inning of the contest, a man in the right field section at PNC Park suddenly was seen falling headfirst over the outfield wall and crashing down onto the dirt during the middle of a play. The person appeared to jump up before flipping multiple times on his way down about 21 feet to the warning track.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe fan remained down motionless for several minutes a players and officials started to realize what had happened. The incident came right after Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run double, which put the Pirates up 4-3 at the time.After being tended to for about five minutes, the fan was eventually loaded up onto a stretcher and taken off […]
Fan falls from 21-foot Clemente Wall at PNC Park during Cubs-Pirates game
<!--> A fan fell from the 21-foot Clemente Wall in right field at PNC Park during Wednesday night’s game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs.Right after Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run double in the seventh inning to put the Pirates ahead 4-3, players began waving frantically for medical personnel. The fan was tended to for approximately five minutes, then was removed from the field on a cart.Players from both teams could be seen praying and McCutchen held a cross that hung from his neck while the fan was taken off the field.Reporting by The Associated Press.ADVERTISEMENT --> <!--> recommended Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic -->
Floyd Mayweather casually revealed $123 million in one bank account to stunned journalist
Floyd Mayweather has never been shy about flaunting his fortune, but one particular moment stands out even among his countless displays of wealth. Back in 2013, before raking in hundreds of millions more from fights with Manny Pacquiao and Conor McGregor, Mayweather stunned ESPN journalist Tim Keown by casually revealing the balance of his personal bank account. During a visit to a Foot Locker in Grand Rapids,Mayweather called Keown over, made sure no one was watching, and then held out a paper slip. On it was the balance from just one of his accounts: a jaw-dropping $123 million.Floyd Mayweather turns heads courtside with outrageous diamond watch and jewelry displayKeown, who had been granted rare access to Mayweather ahead of his fight with Saul "Canelo" Álvarez, described the moment as surreal. "There is more than $123 million in Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s […]
Renato Paiva explica status de Savarino e Barboza, substituídos com dores em goleada do Botafogo
Apesar da boa exibição coletiva da equipe e da goleada conquistada por 4 a 0 contra o Capital-DF que encaminhou a vaga do alvinegro nas oitavas de final da Copa do Brasil, o Botafogo ainda saiu do gramado do Nilton Santos com duas preocupações: as lesões de Barboza e Savarino. Titular absoluta do time de Renato Paiva, a dupla precisou ser substituída ao longo da partida por conta de problemas médicos. Como está suspenso para a próxima partida do Campeonato Brasileiro, contra o Bahia, Barboza começou o jogo entre os titulares. De acordo com Paiva, a programação era de que o defensor atuasse durante apenas 45 minutos. No entanto, o argentino precisou ser substituído aos 35 da primeira etapa após sofrer um pisão no pé esquerdo de atleta do Capital. Na volta do Botafogo para o intervalo, Barboza andava com […]
Aaron Rodgers tests the Steelers’ patience, and now one of their legends is seriously ticked off
The Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback saga has NFL fans on edge as the 2025 season approaches, and Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger is stirring the pot with his latest comments about Aaron Rodgers. On the April 29 episode of his podcast Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, the two-time Super Bowl champion expressed doubts about Rodgers signing with Pittsburgh, despite the persistent rumors linking the four-time MVP to the team. "I don't know what that looks like, to be honest with you. I truly don't. At some point, you have to say, 'What's best for our team is to just probably move on.' And that might sound crazy because it's Aaron Rodgers, but at some point you start to question, 'Does Aaron really want to play?'", Big Ben said.Unexpected! Jason Kelce disrupts casino in VegasRodgers, a free agent since the New York Jets parted […]
Three reasons why Inter can beat Barcelona and advance to the Champions League final
Getty Images BARCELONA -- If Inter wanted to have a chance to qualify for their second UEFA Champions League final in the last three seasons, they needed to contain FC Barcelona and Spanish wonderkid Lamine Yamal in the first leg at the Estadio Lluis Companys. If the second one was quite difficult to make happen, we can't say the Nerazzurri haven't done their best to bring a 3-3 draw back to Milan ahead of the second leg semifinal that will take place on Tuesday (live on Paramount+). Simone Inzaghi's Inter showed, once again, why they shouldn't be underestimated and why they are still a strong candidate to win, despite a disappointing recent form that led them to lose the lead of the Serie A standings after losing two Serie A matches in a row. It won't be easy, but Inter […]
Related
Fan falls over outfield wall during Pirates-Cubs matchup at PNC Park, taken off field on stretcher
A fan at PNC Park fell over the outfield wall and onto the track on Wednesday night during the Pittsburgh Pirates’ matchup with the Chicago Cubs.In the seventh inning of the contest, a man in the right field section at PNC Park suddenly was seen falling headfirst over the outfield wall and crashing down onto the dirt during the middle of a play. The person appeared to jump up before flipping multiple times on his way down about 21 feet to the warning track.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe fan remained down motionless for several minutes a players and officials started to realize what had happened. The incident came right after Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run double, which put the Pirates up 4-3 at the time.After being tended to for about five minutes, the fan was eventually loaded up onto a stretcher and taken off […]
Fan falls from 21-foot Clemente Wall at PNC Park during Cubs-Pirates game
<!--> A fan fell from the 21-foot Clemente Wall in right field at PNC Park during Wednesday night’s game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs.Right after Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run double in the seventh inning to put the Pirates ahead 4-3, players began waving frantically for medical personnel. The fan was tended to for approximately five minutes, then was removed from the field on a cart.Players from both teams could be seen praying and McCutchen held a cross that hung from his neck while the fan was taken off the field.Reporting by The Associated Press.ADVERTISEMENT --> <!--> recommended Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic -->
Floyd Mayweather casually revealed $123 million in one bank account to stunned journalist
Floyd Mayweather has never been shy about flaunting his fortune, but one particular moment stands out even among his countless displays of wealth. Back in 2013, before raking in hundreds of millions more from fights with Manny Pacquiao and Conor McGregor, Mayweather stunned ESPN journalist Tim Keown by casually revealing the balance of his personal bank account. During a visit to a Foot Locker in Grand Rapids,Mayweather called Keown over, made sure no one was watching, and then held out a paper slip. On it was the balance from just one of his accounts: a jaw-dropping $123 million.Floyd Mayweather turns heads courtside with outrageous diamond watch and jewelry displayKeown, who had been granted rare access to Mayweather ahead of his fight with Saul "Canelo" Álvarez, described the moment as surreal. "There is more than $123 million in Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s […]
Renato Paiva explica status de Savarino e Barboza, substituídos com dores em goleada do Botafogo
Apesar da boa exibição coletiva da equipe e da goleada conquistada por 4 a 0 contra o Capital-DF que encaminhou a vaga do alvinegro nas oitavas de final da Copa do Brasil, o Botafogo ainda saiu do gramado do Nilton Santos com duas preocupações: as lesões de Barboza e Savarino. Titular absoluta do time de Renato Paiva, a dupla precisou ser substituída ao longo da partida por conta de problemas médicos. Como está suspenso para a próxima partida do Campeonato Brasileiro, contra o Bahia, Barboza começou o jogo entre os titulares. De acordo com Paiva, a programação era de que o defensor atuasse durante apenas 45 minutos. No entanto, o argentino precisou ser substituído aos 35 da primeira etapa após sofrer um pisão no pé esquerdo de atleta do Capital. Na volta do Botafogo para o intervalo, Barboza andava com […]
Three reasons why Inter can beat Barcelona and advance to the Champions League final
Getty Images BARCELONA -- If Inter wanted to have a chance to qualify for their second UEFA Champions League final in the last three seasons, they needed to contain FC Barcelona and Spanish wonderkid Lamine Yamal in the first leg at the Estadio Lluis Companys. If the second one was quite difficult to make happen, we can't say the Nerazzurri haven't done their best to bring a 3-3 draw back to Milan ahead of the second leg semifinal that will take place on Tuesday (live on Paramount+). Simone Inzaghi's Inter showed, once again, why they shouldn't be underestimated and why they are still a strong candidate to win, despite a disappointing recent form that led them to lose the lead of the Serie A standings after losing two Serie A matches in a row. It won't be easy, but Inter […]
Aaron Rodgers tests the Steelers’ patience, and now one of their legends is seriously ticked off
The Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback saga has NFL fans on edge as the 2025 season approaches, and Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger is stirring the pot with his latest comments about Aaron Rodgers. On the April 29 episode of his podcast Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, the two-time Super Bowl champion expressed doubts about Rodgers signing with Pittsburgh, despite the persistent rumors linking the four-time MVP to the team. "I don't know what that looks like, to be honest with you. I truly don't. At some point, you have to say, 'What's best for our team is to just probably move on.' And that might sound crazy because it's Aaron Rodgers, but at some point you start to question, 'Does Aaron really want to play?'", Big Ben said.Unexpected! Jason Kelce disrupts casino in VegasRodgers, a free agent since the New York Jets parted […]
Be the first to leave a comment