With a week to go until America’s biggest racing holiday, Kentucky Derby 2024 and the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks are the focus of this week’s Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas discusses his Derby horse Just Steel and his Oaks filly Lemon Muffin. He also has some thoughts about how conservative rival trainers are in racing their horses less while he races his more.

Sports Illustrated writer Pat Forde discusses Fierceness, Sierra Leone and Forever Young, the big three coming into next Saturday’s Derby. He also has thoughts about the leftover issues from 2023, namely the horse deaths that happened last spring at Churchill Downs and the ongoing ban of trainer Bob Baffert.

Paddock Prince handicapper David Levitch has some early thoughts about the Derby and Oaks, especially the challenge of comparing and contrasting different styles and strengths of prep races as well as the angles he will pursue playing the two features next week.

John Cherwa and Ron review the new F/X documentary “Broken Horses,” especially the point of view it takes in addressing what ails horse racing.

The Ron Flatter Racing Pod via Horse Racing Nation is available via free subscription from Apple, Firefox, iHeart and Spotify as well as HorseRacingNation.com. This week’s episode is sponsored by Xpressbet.

For information on Saturday’s Santa Anita Park $500 Challenge, go to https://www.xpressbet.com/sap-500-4-27-24.