Do Horses in the Kentucky Derby Even Know They’re Racing?

Nyquist
Nyquist, ridden by Mario Gutierrez, winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in Lexington, Kentucky in 2015. (Candice Chavez/ESW/CSM/Cal Sport Media via AP Images)
(Candice Chavez/ESW/CSM/Cal Sport Media via AP Images)

Last year’s Derby winner, American Pharoah, went on to capture the Triple Crown. But did he know that he actually won it? As the Los Angeles Times‘ John Cherwa reports in advance of this year’s Derby, “The anthropomorphism of animals is ingrained in our culture, but it doesn’t answer the question if horses actually know when they win or even why they are running a race.” Read the full article here. To stay up to date on all the latest Derby odds, check in with the Daily Racing Form.

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