A year after tragedy and Kentucky Derby banishment, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. is back with Catalytic
Kentucky Derby hopeful Catalytic works out at Churchill Downs Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Louisville, Ky. The 150th running of the Kentucky Derby is scheduled for Saturday, May 4. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Charlie Riedel]
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. is back at the 150th Kentucky Derby nearly a year after Churchill Downs suspended him following the deaths of two of his horses during a tragic spate of equine fatalities. An investigation cleared him of any wrongdoing but the episode still stings, although the Barbados native has bounced back with 30-1 long shot Catalytic in the field. The horse finished 13 1/2 lengths behind in second to Kentucky Derby favorite Fierceness in the Florida Derby in March, but that was good enough to earn entry into the 20-horse field.
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