* Sun-Times…

Larry Rivelli is a body in constant motion on the backstretch at Hawthorne Race Course. […]

But his pacing comes to a standstill when it’s time to trot out Two Phil’s, the 3-year-old chestnut colt with the white-striped snout, who commands all of Rivelli’s attention. Other trainers and riders stop to poke their heads over the backstretch gate, too, for a view of one of the horse’s final training sessions before the biggest race in the world.

All eyes in the state’s entire horse racing industry will be focused on Two Phil’s this weekend, too, as he’s poised to become the first Illinois-based horse to compete in the Kentucky Derby since Recapturetheglory finished fifth in 2007. […]

It’s the first Derby run for Rivelli, unquestionably Illinois’ top thoroughbred trainer with 1,772 wins and more than $36 million in earnings since 2000.

* Daily Herald…

A full field of 20 is scheduled to go postward. Two Phil’s — No. 3 with Derby rookie Jareth Loveberry in the irons — is a sixth selection in the morning line at 12-1.

The top opening picks are: Forte (No. 15, trainer Todd Pletcher, 3-1), Tapit Trice (No. 5, Pletcher, 5-1) and Angel of Empire (No. 14, Brad Cox, 8-1). […]

TWO PHIL’S IS JOINTLY OWNED BY Patricia’s Hope LLC (Vinnie Foglia and mother Pat Foglia, both of North Barrington, 80 percent) and former advertising exec Phil Sagan of Bloomingdale, who bred the chestnut charger in Kentucky.

The colt is named for Sagan and eightysomething Phil La Sala of Bensenville. La Sala is the father of longtime Chicago jockey Jerry La Sala, who was instrumental in helping to bring about the breeding of Hard Spun to Mia Torri, a General Quarters mare. Anthony Sagan — the son of the breeder — also played a role.

* News and Tribune…

The group has a live chance on that stage. Two Phil’s got here through winning the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) at Turfway Park, which is not traditionally a producer of top Derby contenders, though last year’s winner, Rich Strike did come from it.

However, he’s won at Churchill. He has experience, and his connections think he has the temperament to perform well in an environment that stresses out some runners.

“Real cool,” Rivelli said. “He’s perfect for this type of setting. He’s laid back, he likes to sleep. Nothing really bothers him.”

And if Two Phil’s does the unlikely, a major city will celebrate.

“Everybody back home before we left were patting me on the back, you know, ‘Bring home the Derby,’” Rivelli said. “That’s pretty cool.

* A little background on Two Phil’s name…

@ everyone asking about Two Phil's name spellingpic.twitter.com/F27uWOjseA

— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) May 5, 2023

* What a pretty horse…

Two Phil's taking a spin around @churchilldowns this morning 🌹✨ #KYDerby pic.twitter.com/4JvsNT4Yus

— Coady Photography (@CoadyPhoto) May 1, 2023

You can watch Two Phil’s win at Turfway Park here. [From Rich: You really gotta watch that race. Wow.]

* Thoroughbred Daily…

While Two Phil’s is now a serious Derby contender, he was once a horse that slipped through the cracks in the sales ring. He was a $150,000 RNA at Keeneland September and he failed to garner much interest the following spring at OBS. The Sagans decided to send the colt to Rivelli, hoping that the conditioner could get a win on his record as a juvenile and they could find a buyer from there. […]

Two Phil’s has never actually raced in Illinois, he has trained out of Rivelli’s barn at Hawthorne Park and shipped to six different tracks, collecting four wins and two more placings from eight career starts. Rivelli decided to keep the same routine for the Derby, with Two Phil’s putting in his final five-furlong prep in :59 flat on Mar 27. at Hawthorne before heading to Churchill Downs on Sunday. […]

Rivelli will readily admit that while Two Phil’s is already a winner at Churchill, having claimed the GIII Street Sense S. last October, the big question surrounding the colt is about just how strong his affinity for synthetic might be. His 101 Beyer Speed Figure at Turfway Park in the Jeff Ruby, which is the biggest number among the Derby contenders, is 13 Beyer points higher than his second-best figure from a second-place finish in the GIII Lecomte S. in January.

Now that Derby week is well underway and the Two Phil’s contingent is in Louisville, the dream is starting to become a reality for Rivelli as he represents his grandfather and uncle that went before him, his fellow Chicago horsemen back home and, perhaps in some ways, his beloved Arlington Park, where he won nine training titles before it closed two years ago.

* DRF…

For years, Arlington Park’s opening day coincided with Kentucky Oaks Day. Then COVID-19 struck, and Arlington didn’t begin a 2020 meeting until July. In 2021, the opener returned to the first Friday in May – a dark day, not a celebration. Churchill Downs Inc., Arlington’s owner, already had decided, strictly for financial reasons, to shed the track from its corporate portfolio. In May 2022, the massive Arlington grandstand, the vast tract of land upon which it rests, stood quiet as a remote Illinois prairie.

No one would have felt the closure more acutely than the trainer Larry Rivelli, the owner Vince Foglia, and the jockey Jareth Loveberry. Rivelli won every Arlington training title from 2014 through Arlington’s end. Foglia, who races as Patricia’s Hope LLC, was the perennial leading owner starting in 2015. Loveberry, late to the party, arrived in 2020, winning the riding title that year and the next.

“I grew up by Arlington Park. I went to the high school nearest Arlington Park,” Foglia said. “The whole thing feels tragic. I drive by it all the time and just say, ‘Wow, what a shame.’ ”

Let the first Friday in May 2023 rouse bittersweet memory. Rivelli, Foglia, and Loveberry have other business on Saturday.

Will you be watching the Derby?

* More…

* Star Tribune | Canterbury Park to Kentucky Derby: Two Phil’s, Jareth Loveberry run for the roses: Rivelli could have opted to replace Loveberry with a big-name rider for the Derby, but the jockey’s skill and his rapport with Two Phil’s kept him in the saddle. It’s still hard for Loveberry to believe where they will be Saturday.

* DRF | Beyer Figures say Two Phil’s shouldn’t be overlooked: Two Phil’s earned a 101 Beyer last out, the highest last-out figure in this year’s Derby field. He did it in a romping victory at Turfway Park, and therein lies the rub. Turfway has an all-weather surface. On dirt, Two Phil’s has never been close to the triple-digit fig he earned on synthetic.

* Gaming Today | Kentucky Derby Best Bets & Predictions: Vegas Horse Racing Oddsmaker Circles Two Phil’s: In our attempt to identify Kentucky Derby best bets, we’ve enlisted veteran horse racing oddsmaker Paul Zilm to provide his expert insights. Zilm, whos sets the horse racing odds at Circa Sports in Las Vegas, has No. 3 Two Phil’s on his radar.

* TRC | ‘Blood, sweat and tears’ – Jareth Loveberry takes on racing’s elite in Kentucky Derby with Two Phil’s: Trained by Illinois-based Larry Rivelli, Two Phil’s has won four out of eight starts. The son of Hard Spun already has a victory at Churchill Downs, landing the G3 Street Sense in October last year, and sealed fifth place in the Derby points standings with a 5¼-length success in the G3 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park.