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The Kentucky Derby Preview: And the Winner Is..

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The field for the GI Kentucky Derby, ranked in “likeliest winner” order followed by program number. On Wednesday #13 Silent Tactic (Tacitus) scratched with a foot bruise, allowing #21 Great White (Volatile) to draw in off the also-eligible list.

1) #6 COMMANDMENT (c, Into Mischief–Sippican Harbor, by Orb) O-Wathnan Racing; B-Lee Pokoik (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. Sales history: $485,000 RNA Wlg ’23 FTKNOV; $475,000 RNA Ylg ’24 FTSAUG; $500,000 Ylg ’24 KEESEP. Lifetime record: GISW, 5-4-0-0, $1,017,339. Last start: WON Mar. 28 GI Florida Derby.

Commandment rides a four-race win streak into the Derby, having closed out his prep campaign with three straight stakes victories at Gulfstream Park that cemented his status as the most reliable and durable sophomore contender.

Commandment’s Beyer Speed Figures-a 101 from the GII Fountain of Youth Stakes and a 100 in the GI Florida Derby-represent the only pairings of triple-digit Beyers by any entrant in this year’s Derby.

This son of Into Mischief ($485,000 RNA FTKNOV; $475,000 RNA FTSAUG; $500,000 KEESEP) has demonstrated he can make his own in-race breaks, even when tactically disadvantaged. He’s closed with a rush after racing covered up at the fence, after bulling his way through traffic, and while circling the field wide and driving.

This Brad Cox trainee also has a 5 ½-length maiden win over Churchill’s main track.

Given all of that, why isn’t Commandment the morning-line choice for the Derby?

The answer has to do with the betting public’s preference for flash and panache, which often trumps consistency and competency.

Also, Flavien Prat and Irad Ortiz, Jr., the high-profile jockeys who rode Commandment in each of his last two victories, both opted for other Derby mounts (Nos. 2 and 4 on this list).

But Luis Saez, a fully capable big-race rider (he crossed the wire first in the 2019 Derby with Maximum Security but got DQ’d for interference), is by no means a downgrade.

Commandment will be an appealing overlay if he drifts above his 6-1 morning-line odds.

2) #15 EMERGING MARKET (c, Candy Ride {Arg}–Wild Empress, by Empire Maker) ‘TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard’. O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Stoneriggs Farm (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. Sales history: $185,000 Ylg ’24 KEESEP. Lifetime record: GSW, 2-2-0-0, $618,880. Last start: WON Mar. 21 GII Louisiana Derby.

To fully appreciate the value Emerging Market offers as a 15-1 shot, you have to buy into the idea that he’s a rising phenom who has accrued experience beyond just two lifetime starts.

This handy, nimble Chad Brown-trained son of Candy Ride (Arg) will try to outrun history by becoming the first horse to win the Derby in lifetime start number three since Leonatus in 1883.

Only six two-start horses since 1937 (plus another with just one start) have tried that angle in the Derby, with none faring better than fifth.

This $185,000 KEESEP colt had been expected to start way back at last summer’s Saratoga meet, but the combination of an accidental laceration and a case of pneumonia pushed his debut all the way back to Feb. 7 at Tampa Bay Downs.

In that one mile 40 yards race, Flavien Prat tasked Emerging Market with conceding the lead, saving ground, then reeling in rivals with a mid-race inside run before bumping soundly and repeatedly with the favored leader in the stretch. He prevailed by three-quarters of a length, leaving the rest of the field 13 ½ lengths behind and stopping the timer .97 seconds off the track record before galloping out long and strong.

Breaking from the nine post for the Louisiana Derby as the 2-1 favorite, Emerging Market stalked from fifth, advanced in hand through the far turn, catapulted to the front at the quarter pole, then was the main aggressor in a shoulder-to-shoulder tilt with the much more experienced Pavlovian (Pavel). Emerging Market lost the lead but clawed it back, winning by a head.

I’m not sure how to interpret Emerging Market’s two Beyers, which started out at 97 then dipped to 90. He’ll need to improve to the 100-105 level that has been the winning range for the last 10 Derbies.

3) #18 FURTHER ADO (c, Gun Runner–Sky Dreamer, by Sky Mesa) ‘TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard’. O-Spendthrift Farm LLC; B-John C. Oxley (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. Sales history: $275,000 Ylg ’24 KEESEP; $550,000 2yo ’25 OBSAPR. Lifetime record: GISW, $1,146,328. Last start: WON Apr. 4 GI Blue Grass Stakes.

This Brad Cox trainee by Gun Runner ($275,000 KEESEP; $550,000 OBSAPR) could be cycling into top form after starting his sophomore season with a game second, beaten only three-quarters of a length in the GIII Tampa Bay Derby.

He was the only forwardly placed horse in that race to stick around in a closer-dominated stretch run, and he was not fully cranked for that prep coming off a 3 ½-month layoff.

Further Ado showed what a “tighter” version of his best self could do when he demolished the seven-entrant GI Blue Grass Stakes by 11 lengths (106 Beyer), running up the score without being challenged in the stretch.

John Velazquez will be aboard for the first time Saturday, and being parked in post 17 (moving in one spot because of the scratch of Silent Tactic), with the Derby’s two projected early speed threats directly to his inside, should allow him to work out a stalking trip not too far off the leading flight.

The big question about Further Ado is “Who has he beaten?”

Despite a 3-1-1 record that includes two wins and one second in graded stakes, the most accomplished horse Further Ado has ever finished ahead of is a Grade III winner, and that happened only once, more than five months ago in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes.

4) #1 RENEGADE (c, Into Mischief–Spice Is Nice, by Curlin) O-Robert Low, Lawana L. Low, and Repole Stable; B-Robert Low & Lawana Low (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. Sales history: $975,000 Ylg ’24 KEESEP. Lifetime  record: GISW, 5-2-2-1, $1,031,500. Last start: WON Mar. 28 GI Arkansas Derby.

Post one hasn’t yielded a Derby winner in 40 years, and no horse has won the Derby as the favorite breaking from the rail since Needles in 1956.

If you want the full-blown historical perspective on how that post might affect the Derby’s 4-1 morning-line choice, check out my Apr. 27 column here about the perils of drawing gate one.

Otherwise, let’s talk about why Renegade just might be gifted enough to overcome getting buried down at the fence.

Before starting his sophomore campaign, Renegade was third behind a 17 ¾-length winner at Saratoga, then finished a head better than the highly regarded Paladin (Gun Runner) in a one-turn-mile MSW at Aqueduct, although Renegade was DQ’d from that victory because of stretch interference.

This $975,000 KEESEP son of Into Mischief next finished second, beaten two lengths by Paladin, in the GII Remsen Stakes, a race for which Renegade wasn’t ideally prepped because he missed training to heal a quarter crack.

Breaking his maiden in the Sam F. Davis Stales at Tampa off a two-month freshening, this Todd Pletcher trainee circled the field five wide on the far turn, opening up by 3 ¾ lengths. His final sixteenth, clocked in 5.97 seconds, was the fastest among all points-awarding Derby preps at 1 1/16 miles in the 2025-26 season.

In the GI Arkansas Derby, the back-of-the-pack Renegade again blasted off five deep on the far turn and kicked away with a devastating turn of foot to win by four lengths. His last furlong in 11.84 seconds was the fastest final eighth in any Derby qualifying prep in at least the last four years.

An apprehension is that those visually arresting stretch runs might be deceiving: Renegade was padding his margins without any A-list competitors giving him a serious test in those two stakes.

Still, Renegade’s far-turn torque gives the impression he might be able to produce an unmatchable late gear over 10 furlongs.

Renegade | Coady Media

5) #9 THE PUMA (c, Essential Quality–Eve of War, by Declaration of War) O-OGMA Investments LLC, JR Ranch, High Step Racing LLC, OGMA Investments LLC, JR Ranch, High Step Racing LLC, TCC Stables LLC and Zoldan, Bruce; B-Hidden Brook Farm & Brian Kahn (KY); T-Gustavo Delgado. Sales history: $95,000 RNA Ylg ’24 KEESEP; $150,000 2yo ’25 OBSAPR. Lifetime record: GSW, 4-1-2-1, $442,280. Last start: 2nd Mar. 28 GI Florida Derby.

The Puma has a knack for delivering outsized performances relative to his odds.

This son of Essential Quality ($95,000 RNA KEESEP; $150,000 OBSAPR) was 7-1 when he won the GIII Tampa Bay Derby by three-quarters of a length over Further Ado.

In the Florida Derby, again at a 7-1 mutuel, The Puma had his nose down in front one head bob before the wire and one after it when second behind Commandment.

I can’t say I’m enthused that The Puma’s preferred running style is to swoop around the track way out in the clear, then launch one big run four wide through the far turn. That maneuver has halted many a talented Derby closer over the decades, be it from getting blocked or having to give up too much ground to avoid traffic.

The most overlooked in-race move of the entire prep season might have been when The Puma polished off Nearly (Not This Time), the favorite in the Florida Derby, then immediately had to brace for the two-pronged, off-the-turn challenge of Commandment and ‘TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard’ Chief Wallabee (Constitution).

The Puma first intimidated Chief Wallabee from ranging up to his direct outside in upper stretch, then slugged it out with the onrushing Commandment, just barely getting out-nosed after a full-throttle stretch run.

6) #16 PAVLOVIAN (Pavel–Mandy’s Grace, by Bellamy Road) O/B-Reddam Racing, LLC (CA); T-Doug F. O’Neill. Lifetime record: GSP, 10-2-4-1, $613,450. Last start: 2nd Mar. 21 GII Louisiana Derby.

Pavlovian projects to be a pacemaker from post 15 (moving in one gate after Silent Tactic’s scratch).

He has 10 lifetime races-the most starts in a year when no other Derby entrant has more than seven-and six of them were in sprints.

If you fancy Emerging Market based on his tenacious battle in the Louisiana Derby, it stands to reason that you have to like Pavlovian a little, too.

This homebred for Reddam Racing-which has twice won the Derby with trainer Doug O’Neill, with I’ll Have Another in 2012 and Nyquist in 2016-could be finding his groove at just the right time.

Pavlovian spent seven of his first eight starts competing at the California-bred level. But since O’Neill put blinkers back on and entered him in open-stakes routes, this gray has markedly improved, catching the eye as both the chaser and leader in rugged, length-of-stretch showdowns.

Chief Wallabee at Churchill Downs | Horsephotos

7) #12 CHIEF WALLABEE (c, Constitution–A La Lucie, by Medaglia d’Oro) ‘TDN Rising Star presented by Hagyard’. O/B-Mike Ball & Katherine Ball (KY); T-William I. Mott. Lifetime record: GSP, 3-1-1-1, $216,600. Last start: 3rd Mar. 28 GI Florida Derby.

This homebred son of Constitution from Bill Mott’s stable is brimming with potential but needs to learn how to close out his late-race runs. To try and achieve that, Mott will be adding blinkers for the Derby.

Over the last five years Mott is 29-for-139 (21% win rate) adding blinkers to all horses. Over that same time frame he is 8-for-40 (20%) with blinkers on 3-year-old colts at any class level, and 1-for-4 with blinkers on 3-year-old colts in graded stakes. He tried it in the 2023 Derby with Rocket Can, who finished ninth.

In the Florida Derby, Chief Wallabee was covered up behind the leaders through the first turn. By the half-mile pole Junior Alvarado’s commitment to the inside left him boxed at the fence for an entire furlong.

Chief Wallabee eventually came with a four-wide run off the final turn. But when the colt had to switch off heels in upper stretch he lost momentum and focus, and didn’t re-engage until he sensed Commandment barreling past on the outside at the sixteenth pole. He finished third, but galloped out spiritedly with the winner.

8) #14 POTENTE (c, Into Mischief–Sweet Sting, by Awesome Again) O-Speedway Stables LLC; B-Pam & Martin Wygod (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $2,400,000 Ylg ’24 FTSAUG. Lifetime record: GSW, 3-2-1-0, $262,000. Last start: 2nd Apr. 4 GI Santa Anita Derby.

In his final pre-Derby workout, Potente blazed five furlongs in :57 4/5 at Churchill on Sunday, the fastest of 23 works at that distance.

While trainer Bob Baffert acknowledged the in-company move was two seconds quicker than what he expected, he rationalized this $2.4 million FTSAUG colt by Into Mischief seemed to do it without over-exerting himself, and that it could be a positive sign of how Potente might skip over the surface on race day.

The three-start Potente is coming off a beaten-fave, second-place try in the GI Santa Anita Derby. He took constant pressure at the rail, lost and snatched back the lead several times down the backside, then hung with the eventual winner for a furlong into the stretch.

Considering that Potente had not been expected to be the pacemaker in the Santa Anita Derby, you have to wonder how that fast a workout six days before the Kentucky Derby is going to set him up for 10 furlongs.

Another way to consider Potente’s bettability is to remove both the colt’s form and the workout from the equation and ask yourself this: Are you willing to pass up 20-1 odds on a speed-centric prospect sired by a stallion who has produced three Derby winners in the last six years and is trained by a Hall-of-Famer whose colts have crossed the finish wire first in seven Derbies (with one DQ)?

9) #7 DANON BOURBON (c Maxfield–Wild Ridge, by Tapit) O-Danox Co Ltd; B-Blue Heaven Farm (KY); T-Manabu Ikezoe. Sales history: $450,000 Ylg ’24 KEESEP. Lifetime record: 3-3-0-0, $222,733. Last start: WON Mar. 28 Fukuryu Stakes (allowance).

Danon Bourbon, $450,000 KEESEP colt by Maxfield, will try the Derby off a 3-for-3 campaign in Japan in which he rolled home by a combined 18 ½ lengths without being fully extended.

Trainer Manabu Ikezoe had him ready to win first time out at 9-2 odds Oct. 26 over 1800 meters (8.95 furlongs) at Kyoto. Danon Bourbon took charge at the start in a field of 16, was confidently handled through the far turn, then widened his lead with ease to score by 10 lengths.

Trying 1900 meters (9.44 furlongs) against one-win allowance company for a $102,224 purse at Kyoto Feb. 15, Danon Bourbon was favored at 9-10. He stalked menacingly from third behind two pacemakers, edged up in hand on the far turn, responded willingly when cued to quicken, then powered past 200 meters out to win by five lengths.

A similar prowl-and-pounce move over 1800 meters in a muddy Mar. 28 $227,900 Fukuryu Stakes (allowance) at Nakayama resulted in a 3 ½-length victory as the 11-10 fave.

10) #11 INCREDIBOLT (c, Bolt d’Oro–Sapphire Spitfire, by Awesome Again) O-Pin Oak Stud LLC; B-Deann Baer & Greg Baer DVM (KY); T-Riley Mott. Sales history: $75,000 Ylg ’24 KEESEP. Lifetime record: GSW, 5-3-0-0, $498,681. Last start: WON Mar. 14 Virginia Derby.

This lean, athletic $75,000 KEESEP son of Bolt d’Oro from Riley Mott’s stable owns two stakes wins with a last-place stakes try sandwiched in between.

He was wide on both turns when scoring in the GIII Street Sense Stakes (82 Beyer), then ran sixth, beaten 25 ¼ lengths, in the GIII Holy Bull Stakes. This colt’s win in the Virginia Derby (88 Beyer) was accomplished by stalking the pacemakers and firing up the fence.

Incredibolt has two wins over Churchill’s main track, which should be a plus.

Even though he’s won at one mile, 1 1/16 miles, and nine furlongs, only the middle distance was a two-turn race.

11) #10 WONDER DEAN (JPN), (c, Dee Majesty (Jpn)–Wonder Siang Praw (Jpn), by Wonder Acute (Jpn) O/B-Yoshinari Yamamoto; T-Daisuke Takayanagi. Lifetime record: GSW, 6-2-2-0, $770,541. Last start: WON Mar. 28 G2 UAE Derby.

Wonder Dean, a 2-for-6 Japanese homebred by Group 1-winning turfer Dee Majesty (Jpn), is out of a mare who grandsire was the 1999 Kentucky Derby upsetter Charismatic. His paternal grandsire is Sunday Silence, the 1989 Derby winner.

This smaller-framed colt with a distinctive white nose built momentum from a half-mile out to reel in lone pacemaker Six Speed (Not This Time) over 1900 meters in the Mar. 28 G2 UAE Derby.

Trainer Daisuke Takayanagi, who was fifth in the 2024 Derby with T O Password (Jpn) at 48-1 odds, will switch jockeys to Ryusei Sakai, who rode Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) to a third-place effort in that same Derby.

12) #20 FULLEFFORT (c, 3, by Liam’s Map–Callmethesqueeze, by Awesome Again) O-St. Elias Stable & Starlight Racing; B-Athens Woods LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. Sales history: $425,000 Ylg ’24 FTSAUG. Lifetime record: GSW, 7-3-2-1, $694,115. Last start: WON Mar. 21 GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks.

It’s always a wild-card proposition when a horse with zero experience racing on dirt takes a shot at the Derby. Fulleffort, a 3-for-7 gray son of Liam’s map, is giving it a go this year off a 94-Beyer rallying win in the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks.

Last year trainer Brad Cox brought another gray with a turf-and-Tapeta-only profile to the Derby after winning the Jeff Ruby. Final Gambit went off at 17-1 and ran fourth, beaten only 4 1/4 lengths.

Like Final Gambit, this $425,000 FTSAUG colt is an off-the-tailgate type who can be counted on to drop back and attempt one sustained run.

13) #8 SO HAPPY (c, Runhappy–So Cunning, by Blame) O-Norman Stables LLC and Saints or Sinners; B-Leverett S. Miller (KY); T-Mark Glatt. Sales history: $12,000 Wlg ’23 KEENOV; $20,000 Ylg ’24 FTKOCT; $150,000 2yo ’25 OBSMAR. Lifetime record: GISW, 4-3-0-1, $480,000. Last start: WON Apr. 4 GI Santa Anita Derby.

So Happy has the type of tactical speed that lends itself well to carving out a stalking trip in the front flight of the 20-horse Derby.

That could be an emboldening advantage for a colt with a unique speed-over-stayers pedigree. He’s by 2015 sprint champion Runhappy, with Blame and Seeking the Gold influences in his female family.

This Mark Glatt trainee ($12,000 KEENOV; $20,000 FTKOCT; $150,000 OBSMAR) upset the nine-furlong Santa Anita Derby at 7-1 odds.

14) #4 LITMUS TEST (c, Nyquist–Study Hard, by Malibu Moon) O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Bashor, Dianne, Determined Stables, Golconda Stable, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Donovan, Catherine; B-Machmer Hall (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $875,000 Ylg ’24 FTSAUG. Lifetime record: GSW, 7-2-0-2, $477,688. Last start: 7th Mar. 28 GI Arkansas Derby.

This $875,000 FTSAUG son of Nyquist put together a broad foundational base at age two, including three races at two turns and two in Grade I stakes.

He was third, then fourth, behind the now-sidelined juvenile champ and ‘TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard’ Ted Noffey (Into Mischief), in both the GI Breeders’ Futurity Stakes and GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Then he closed out his season with a 1 ¼-length reclaim-the-lead win  over five rivals in the GII Los Alamitos Futurity Dec. 13.

At age three though, this strapping colt has tailed off in form.

After Litmus Test ran a subpar third contesting the pace from the one hole in the GII Rebel Stakes, trainer Bob Baffert said he would be more comfortable rating from farther back.

Blinkers got removed for the Arkansas Derby, but Litmus Test was a no-impact seventh, beating only one horse.

Blinkers are back on for the Kentucky Derby, and Litmus Test gets a new rider, Martin Garcia, his sixth different jockey in what will be his eighth start.

Albus | Coady Media

15) #2 ALBUS (c, Yaupon-Adream, by Bernardini) O-Pin Oak Stud LLC; B-Susan Casner (KY); T-Riley Mott. Sales history: $320,000 Ylg ’24 KEESEP. Lifetime record: GSW, 4-2-0-1, $436,288. Last start: WON Apr. 4 GII Wood Memorial Stakes.

Albus, a May 15 foal, regressed one Beyer point from his Tampa maiden win (84) when he won the GII Wood Memorial Stakes (83).

Now he’ll have to find another 20 points of improvement to be in the range of a winning Beyer for the Derby, which will be run 13 days before his actual third birthdate.

This $320,000 KEESEP son of GISW sprinter Yaupon rallied from eighth to capture the 12-horse Wood. Expect similar tailgate tactics in the Derby.

16) #19 GOLDEN TEMPO (Curlin–Carrumba, by Bernardini) ‘TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard’. O/B-Phipps Stable & St. Elias Stable, LLC (KY); T-Cherie DeVaux. Lifetime record: GSW, 4-2-0-2, $333,000. Last start: 3rd Mar. 21 GII Louisiana Derby.

Trainer Cherie DeVaux disclosed to DRF’s David Grening on Tuesday that Golden Tempo is dealing with cracked heels on both front feet, but she said the issue is “not a big deal” and will be treated by soaking the feet in hot water and Epsom salt.

This Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stables homebred son of Curlin (out of a Bernardini mare) wintered in New Orleans.

Golden Tempo won the GIII Lecomte Stakes in last-to-first fashion and was third in both the GII Risen Star Stakes and the Louisiana Derby, races that were won emphatically by favorites Paladin and Emerging Market.

17) #5 RIGHT TO PARTY (c, Constitution-Havin’ a Party, by Emcee) O-Chester Broman, Sr.; B-Tony Holmes & Timothy C. Thornton (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek. Sales history: $325,000 Ylg ’24 KEESEP. Lifetime record: GSP, 4-1-1-2, $230,200. Last start: 2nd Apr. 4 GII Wood Memorial Stakes.

Right to Party, a $325,000 KEESEP colt by Constitution from Kenny McPeek’s barn, rallied from next-to-last to get second by a nose in the Wood Memorial. Prior to that he was a trip-troubled third in the GIII Gotham Stakes.

This late runner has never been off the board from four lifetime starts but is going to have to adapt to a much more up-tempo late-race environment alongside closers who have already proven themselves at the Grade I level.

18) #17 SIX SPEED (c, Not This Time–Browse, by Medaglia d’Oro) O-Brunetti Dugan Stables, Black Type Thoroughbreds, Steve Adkisson, Swinbank Stables; B-KatieRich Farms (KY); T-Bhupat Seemar. Sales history: $50,000 Ylg ’24 KEESEP; 220,000gns 2yo ’25 TATBRE. Lifetime record: GSW, 5-3-1-1, $402,183. Last start: 2nd Mar. 28 G2 UAE Derby.

Most Derby prognosticators are penciling in the Meydan-based Six Speed ($50,000 Ylg ’24 KEESEP; 220,000gns 2yo ’25 TATBRE) as a sacrificial pacemaker in a Derby that is unusually light on early speed.

That notion was underscored by the colt’s trainer, Bhupat Seemar, who said after Six Speed got reeled in as the lone leader in the UAE Derby that, “He doesn’t help himself. He’s got so much speed, but he needs to learn to relax.”

One possible scenario is that new jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr.-who won the 2024 Derby by backing off with another reformed speedster, the 18-1 Mystik Dan-decides to opt out of dueling for the lead, and instead takes a chance with an unexpected stalking strategy.

19) #21 GREAT WHITE (g, Volatile-Kelly Bag, by Uncle Mo) O-Three Chimneys Farm and Ennis, John; B-Stud TNT, LLC (KY); T-John Ennis. Sales history: $55,000 Ylg ’24 FTDDE. Lifetime record: SW, 4-2-0-0, $202,495. Last start: 5th, Apr. 4 GI Blue Grass Stakes.

This towering (17.2 hands) son of Volatile will be trying to replicate the 80-1 shocking success of Rich Strike in the 2022 Derby, who, like Great White, drew in off the also-eligible list after running earlier in the winter at Turfway.

This John Ennis-trained gelding ($55,000 FTDDE) won his maiden sprinting over Tapeta and then scored in the Battaglia Stakes while pressing the pace. He was fifth, beaten 22 ¼ lengths in the Blue Grass, his lone attempt on dirt.

20) #3 INTREPIDO (r, Maximus Mischief-Overly Indulgent, by Pleasantly Perfect) ‘TDN Rising Start, presented by Hagyard’. O-Dutch Girl Holdings LLC and Irving Ventures LLC; B-Sierra Fria Farm LLC (KY); T-Jeff Mullins. Sales history: $30,000 Ylg ’24 KEESEP; $385,000 2yo ’25 OBSAPR. Lifetime record: GISW, 6-2-1-0, $342,800. Last start: 4th Apr. 4 GI Santa Anita Derby.

This ridgling by Maximus Mischief (30,000 KEESEP; $385,000 OBSAPR) will try to regain the form that put him in the winner’s circle for the GI American Pharoah Stakes last October. He was most recently fourth, beaten 10 lengths in the Santa Anita Derby, and is capable of Beyers in the 80s range.

The following also-eligibles can draw into the Derby if additional scratches occur before 9 a.m. Friday, May 1:

22AE) Ocelli (Connect): Still a maiden coming off a third-place try at 28-1 in the Wood Memorial.

23AE) Robusta (Accelerate): West Coaster whose standout race was a 67-1 second, beaten a head, in the GII San Felipe Stakes.

24AE) Corona de Oro (Bolt d’Oro): Maiden-breaker at Fair Grounds who was third in the GIII Lexington Stakes.

The post The Kentucky Derby Preview: And the Winner Is.. appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Godspeed Targets Just A Game

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Group 2 winner Godspeed (Fr) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}) is targeting the GI Just A Game Stakes at Belmont Park on June 6, co-owner Peter Bradley told Jour de Galop on Wednesday. Trained by Carlos and Yann Lerner, the filly is owned by Bradley, F & O Hinderze Racing and Ecurie JML Racing.

Since taking the G2 Prix de Sandringham in June of 2025, the daughter of Mary’s Precedent (Storming Home) ran fourth in the G1 Prix Rothschild in August and seventh in her three-year-old finale–the G1 Prix de la Foret in October. She resumed with a second-place finish in the Listed Prix Maurice Zilber to Mandanaba (Fr) (Ghaiyyath {Ire}) at ParisLongchamp April 23.

“The filly finished fourth in the Rothschild last year, facing some of the best European milers. In her seasonal debut-as you saw–she finished second, I believe to a very good filly, Mandanaba, who–if I’m not mistaken–is headed to Royal Ascot. So, I would say her form lines over the mile are quite solid. I think her turn of foot and running style will suit the tracks we have here in the United States. Godspeed likes firm ground, which is a plus.

“The Just A Game Stakes carries a purse of $500,000. That can pay for a plane ticket pretty quickly if you finish first or second! So, I think it’s a calculated gamble that is well worth taking. However, the standard of competition on turf has really strengthened here in the United States. A large part of that is likely linked to Chad Brown and the face that he has gone out and purchased European horses. Obviously, Coolmore and Darley have also sent top-class horses here. So, in a way, that has made us better on turf.”

Godspeed, if all goes well in the Just A Game, would return to France. However, there are multiple international targets under consideration for the filly, both in Europe and back in the U.S.

“As for Godspeed, the plan is to return to France afterwards,” added Bradley. “We would like to target the Rothschild again. I think that, depending on how her next two races unfold, we will finalize her program for the rest of the year. That will give us a better idea. But obviously, there are a few races in the United States that might suit her–such as the First Lady Stakes or the Matriarch Stakes. If she were to achieve something truly remarkable in the Rothschild, we would look toward some autumn races in Ireland and England for her.”

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