Rick Pitino Won't Attend Kentucky Oaks Derby Because of Louisville Firing

Former Louisville head coach Rick Pitino said he will not attend the Kentucky Oaks on May 4 to watch his filly, Coach Rocks, following his dismissal as the Cardinals' head coach in October after he was linked to a years-long FBI probe into corruption and bribery in college basketball.

"I'm not going to go to Kentucky for the Oaks, but my partners are," Pitino told reporters Saturday, according to ESPN news services. "But I feel absolutely awesome."

Pitino added the only way he would go to watch his horse in Louisville is if members of the school's board of trustees resign.

"I will not (go to Churchill Downs) unless (chairman) David Grissom and the pizza guy, Papa John (Schnatter), retire from the (university's) board of trustees," he said, per Blood Horse's Charlie McCarthy. "Then, I'll be there."

Coach Rocks booked a spot in the Kentucky Oaks on Saturday with a first-place run at Gulfstream Park Oaks.

The three-year-old, who is trained by Dale L. Romans, has now won consecutive races following a fifth-place run to start the year.