Favorite Fierceness draws No. 17 post for Derby
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Fierceness was named the 5-2 morning-line favorite for the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs and will look to make history in next Saturday’s milestone race as the first entrant to win from the No. 17 post position in 45 attempts.
The Todd Pletcher-trained colt enters the 1¼-mile opening leg of the Triple Crown races on May 4 off a dominating 13½-length win in last month’s Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park and has a third-place finish as a 3-year-old. Fierceness aims to give the Hall of Fame trainer his third Derby win and first since 2017 with Always Dreaming.
Coming just a year after Pletcher-trained Derby favorite Forte was scratched hours before the race with a bruised right foot, Fierceness owner Mike Repole said he is glad to have another top choice, even with history working against the post position.
“We’re in a great spot,” Repole said. “If you could draw it up, you want to be somewhere outside and you don’t want the speed inside. It’s blessed, couldn’t have asked for a better (post) for us other than we found out that (No.) 17 is 0 for 44. And I’m 0 for 9, so we’re 0 for 53 combined, but we’re OK.”
Also, Brad Cox-trained filly Tarifa is the 7-2 morning-line favorite for Friday’s Kentucky Oaks after drawing the No. 8 post.
Sierra Leone, whose 155 points led the Derby qualifying trail, drew the No. 2 post as the 3-1 second choice for the $5 million Grade I premier race for 3-year-olds. The son of Gun Runner and Heavenly Love by Malibu Moon has rallied from deep in the field to win both starts this year including a thrilling trip in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland three weeks ago, which followed a testy entry to the gate.
“He’s just a touch farther in than I wanted but he didn’t get the 1 hole, so I’m OK with that,” said trainer Chad Brown, whose other Derby entry, Domestic Product, drew the No. 15 post at 30-1 odds.
Catching Freedom is the 8-1 third Derby choice from the No. 14 post and will aim to give Cox his first outright Derby victory after Mandaloun was named the 2021 Derby winner following the disqualification of deceased colt Medina Spirit for a failed postrace drug test.
Tarifa will start Friday’s Oaks from the No. 8 post as the 7-2 favorite. She has won all three starts this season to lead the Oaks trail with 150 points and has won four of five lifetime starts while earning $456,000. The dark brown filly will attempt to give Louisville-born Cox his third Oaks win and first since 2020 with Shedaresthedevil.
“Very happy with how she’s coming into it,” Cox said of Tarifa. “I need her to settle. (Jockey) Flavien (Prat) knows her now, rode her in her last two, and he’s had opportunity to breeze her the last two weeks. Hopefully, she gets away well, gets a good, clean trip, and I think she’s gonna like the mile and an eighth.”
Just F Y I, trained by Hall of Famer and four-time Eclipse winner Bill Mott, is the 9-2 second choice in Friday’s $1.5 million Oaks and will start from the No. 13 post. Pletcher-trained filly Leslie’s Rose is the 4-1 third choice from the far No. 14 post, looking to follow up her win in the Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland on April 5.
The draw was held on opening night of Churchill Downs’ spring meet for the first time and a week ahead of the milestone race, two days earlier than in recent years.
Post time for the Derby is 6:57 p.m. ET. Friday’s Oaks is scheduled for a 5:51 p.m. post.
CLEVELAND — Shane Bieber promised himself after undergoing Tommy John surgery last April that he would be honest about his rehabilitation process.
Even though the Cleveland Guardians ace is going through his first setback, Bieber is trying to remain optimistic.
Bieber is in the middle of a seven-day pause from throwing after experiencing soreness in his right elbow following his first rehab start on May 31 and a bullpen session on Tuesday.
The right-hander was scheduled to make his second rehab start with Double-A Akron on Friday before being shut down.
“My mind went back to a very close buddy of mine said a few weeks or a few months back when I was starting bullpens. He was like, ‘Just don’t freak out. If you get a setback, everybody gets at least one,'” Bieber said before Saturday’s game against the Houston Astros. “I was hoping to be that anomaly, but at the same time, maybe it’s just part of the process and I’m trying to listen to my elbow and my body and do what’s best for myself and the team in the long term.”
Bieber will be checked again the middle of next week before the team’s medical staff and specialist Dr. Keith Meister decide the next steps.
Bieber threw 21⅓ scoreless innings in an Arizona Complex League game on May 31, which was his 30th birthday. The 2020 American League Cy Young Award winner faced nine batters, allowed one hit and struck out five while throwing 42 pitches.
“I’m a little frustrated with the timing of it as I get out here to Cleveland and join the team, but unfortunately, these rehab processes aren’t exactly linear,” Bieber said. “I’ve had a fantastic progression up to this point. A small hiccup, but hopefully we’ll just keep it at just that.”
Bieber — who agreed to a one-year, $14 million contract last fall with a $16 million player option for 2026 — appeared to be on pace to return to the Guardians’ rotation in late June, but that could be delayed until after the All-Star break.
Cleveland (33-29) went into Saturday 7½ games behind Detroit in the AL Central, and a half-game out of a wild-card spot.
Guardians starters have the sixth-highest ERA in the American League (4.11).
The Atlanta Braves designated nine-time All-Star reliever Craig Kimbrel for assignment Saturday.
Kimbrel, 37, made his season debut Friday night and allowed one hit in a scoreless seventh inning in Atlanta’s 5-4 10-inning loss at San Francisco. The right-hander had one walk and one strikeout and threw 14 pitches.
Kimbrel, who began his career in Atlanta in 2010, was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett prior to Friday’s game against the Giants. He signed a minor league deal with the Braves in March.
Kimbrel led the National League in saves in four straight seasons with the Braves from 2011 to ’14.
He ranks fifth all time with 440 saves and has a 2.59 ERA in 838 career games (no starts) over 16 seasons with eight teams.
Atlanta recalled left-hander Austin Cox, 28, from Triple-A Gwinnett in a corresponding transaction. He last pitched in the majors with the Kansas City Royals in 2023.
Also Saturday, the Braves claimed right-hander Jose Ruiz off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies.
The 30-year-old was 1-0 with an 8.16 ERA in 14 1/3 innings for the Phillies this season.
Information from Field Level Media was used in this report.
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