Great Falls Resident Has Horse in Kentucky Derby

Great Falls resident Tim Davenport will be cheering on a horse in the Kentucky Derby this weekend.

Davenport is one of 57 investors in Donegal Racing, a thoroughbred race horse partnership. He and fellow local investor Arlington resident Keith Frederick will both be cheering on Keen Ice.

Watch the Kentucky Derby Saturday beginning at 4 p.m. on NBC.

Donegal Racing, a thoroughbred race horse partnership, is making history at Kentucky’s Churchill Downs this weekend. For only the second time in the track’s 141-year history, one stable—Donegal—has horses in Churchill Downs’ three signature races: The Kentucky Oaks, Woodford Reserve and the most famous: The Kentucky Derby.

Donegal Racing is a partnership that was formed in 2008 and is managed by Jerry Crawford who has been involved in horse ownership for over 30 years. The name refers to the Irish county of origin of the Donegal family and the racing silks as well as the names of the partnership horses reflect the Irish heritage.

The horses running in the races are:

• Puca will be in the Kentucky Oaks on Friday
• Finnegan’s Wake will be in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic on Saturday
• Keen Ice will in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday

“Getting a horse into any of these races is a dream come true, but to get one in all three in the same year is unbelievable,” said Frederick in a news release. “We plan to enjoy every minute of it.

“Donegal Racing sometimes uses the tagline, ‘where Derby Dreams come true.’ That has definitely been the case for us,” he noted.

Davenport said that qualifying and performing in big races is nothing new for Donegal, as the partnership has been in the Derby three of the past six years. Qualifying for the big three races at Churchill Downs during Derby weekend, however, exceeded expectations.

“We look forward to a very exciting week in Louisville with all of our partners and friends,” Jerry Crawford told Blood-Horse. “For them to be able to experience the walk over for both the Oaks and the Derby is an achievement and experience that will create memories for a lifetime during what is the arguably the biggest weekend of racing in America.”

PHOTO: Keen Ice

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