As 2025 attracts to a detailed, the highest 10 for Week 5 of the Rookie Rankings stays largely unchanged from Week 4. Nevertheless, there’s one small change value noting because the collection ends.
The primary 9 rankings stay unchanged. Ted Nophy Cleared the path. Thanks to a few G1 wins within the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Offered by TAA, Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity, and Spendthrift Farm Hopeful Stakes, the horse is nearly assured to be named the 2025 Champion 2-12 months-Previous Stallion and is definitely a front-runner for the 2026 Kentucky Derby Offered by Woodford Reserve.
However issues have modified on the backside of the rankings. If you concentrate on it, he was changed by Japan’s All Japan Nisai Yushun champion. pyromancer (#10 in week 4) golden timea flashy debut winner on the Fairgrounds on December twentieth.
At first look, it appeared unlikely that Golden Tempo would win his first six-furlong maiden particular class race. His sire is two-time Horse of the 12 months Curlin, an elite basic distance runner who has produced Group 1 winners over distances of 1 1/8 miles. Moreover, Golden Tempo’s dam is the 1 1/8-mile Grade 3 Prime Flight Invitational Handicap winner Calamba, a daughter of Bernardini, the 2006 champion 3-year-old colt who gained the basic distance Grade 1 Preakness Stakes, Grade 1 Travers Stakes, and Grade 1 Jockey Membership Gold Cup.
Regardless of how you narrow it, Golden Tempos are bred to compete in races longer than 1 1/8 miles. Moreover, horses are bred to succeed in their peak after age 3, fairly than at age 2.
Nonetheless, Golden Tempo gained their debut match with an incredible efficiency. He was unable to display his early velocity and fell again to final place with a distinction of over 9 horse lengths. He was nonetheless in final place, seven lengths behind, with solely 400 meters to go. Victory appeared unattainable, however Golden Tempo ran the ultimate quarter mile in 23.67 seconds, holding off 9 rivals to win by a size and a half in 1:10.66.
Golden’s fast-paced end is constant along with his pedigree and suggests he’ll enhance considerably over lengthy distances. He’s included within the ultimate Rookie rankings as a result of he’s an thrilling candidate for the 2026 Kentucky Derby.
The ultimate prime 10 consists of:
1. Ted Nophy: The colt has already crushed graded stakes winners Litmus Take a look at, Blunt, Intrepid and Spice Runner. That is a powerful file.
Proprietor: Spendthrift Farm
coach: tod plecher
Remaining race: 1centFanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Offered by TAA, October 31 Del Mar
2. Paladin: After profitable the Remsen Stakes, Paladin was shipped from New York to Florida and ran the half mile in 50.80 seconds on December 28.
Proprietor: Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Peter Brandt, Brooke Smith, Summer time Wind Equine
coach: chad brown
Remaining race: 1centRemsen Stakes, December 6 Suidobashi
3. Plus bonus: Addo additionally goals to win the Kentucky Derby because the eldest son of Gun Runner. Gun Runner’s father, Sierra Leone, completed a detailed second within the 2024 Derby.
Proprietor: Spendthrift Farm
coach: brad cox
Remaining race: 1centKentucky Jockey Membership Stakes, Nov. 29 at Churchill Downs
4. Satono Voyage: If Satono Voyage runs within the Kentucky Derby, he would be the second horse from the Cattleya Stakes, following Lani 10 years in the past.
Proprietor: Hajime Satomi
coach: Hiroyasu Tanaka
Remaining race: 1centCattleya Stakes, November twenty ninth Tokyo Racecourse
5.Energy outage time: Blackout Time hasn’t posted any timed coaching in over two months, however coach Kenny McPeek acknowledged in a current publish on X that the Kentucky Derby stays his objective.
Proprietor: Brookdale Racing, Lance Gasaway, Magdalena Racing
coach: kenny mcpeak
Remaining race: 2n.d.Claiborne Breeders Futurity, Oct. 4, Keeneland Racetrack.
6. litmus paper: The litmus check improves with every race, so even when he runs within the graded stakes 4 instances, he nonetheless has the potential to do even greater issues in 2026.
Proprietor: SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stone Road Stables, Diane Bashor, Decided Stables, Golconda Stables, Waves Edge Capital, Katherine Donovan
coach: bob baffert
Remaining race: 1centLos Alamitos Futurity, December 13, Los Alamitos Racetrack
7. Napoleon Solo: Napoleon Solo is understood for his abundance of velocity, however can he keep 1 1/4 miles within the Kentucky Derby? His sire (Liam’s Map), dam (Atomic Blonde) and dam (Scat Daddy) all had their greatest wins in races underneath 1 1/8 miles.
Proprietor: gold sq.
coach: chad summers
Remaining race: 1centChampagne Stakes, October 4th Belmont Massive A
8. Gunner: Cannonier was not too long ago transported from Kentucky to Florida and ran a half-mile in 50 seconds on the Payson Park Coaching Middle on Dec. 24.
Proprietor: St. Elias Stables and Stonestreet Stables
coach: brad cox
Remaining race: 1centFirst Particular Weight, November twenty ninth at Churchill Downs
9. Iron Honor: Iron Honor is certainly one of a number of proficient Kentucky Derby hopefuls educated by Chad Brown, who has ridden three top-three horses within the Rose race.
Proprietor: St. Elias Stables, William Lawrence, Kathy Glassman
coach: chad brown
Remaining race: 1centVirgin Particular Weight, December thirteenth Suidobashi
10. Golden time: The sky is the restrict for Golden Tempo as he grows and challenges longer distances.
Proprietor: Phipps Stables and St. Elias Stables
coach: Shelley Deveaux
Remaining race: 1centFirst Particular Weight, Dec. 20, on the Fairgrounds.
