Welcome to the Kentucky Derby Prospect Profile. Every week, right here we spotlight current winners of the Street to the Derby schedule that may qualify for the 1 1/4-mile traditional race on Could 2, 2026 at Churchill Downs.
This week we’ll take a better look paladina half-length winner of the $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes on February 14 on the Fairgrounds. He racked up 50 factors en path to the win and moved into first place on the Street to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with a complete of 60 factors.
Race abstract: Paladin gained the Risen Star Stakes by a transparent margin of half a size, enhancing his report to 3 wins in three races. Final yr, he made his profession debut by disqualifying Renegade, defeating Renegade by two lengths within the 1 1/8-mile Remsen Stakes ($250,000 prize cash) on Dec. 6 in New York.
Though the stallion Gun Runner didn’t run till Risen Star, Remsen’s victory was a praise when Renegade gained by three-quarters of a size within the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on February seventh.
Paladin adopted go well with, choosing up the tempo from fourth place led by Tyler Gaffalione and making a deep stretch to reel in second place Chip Honcho, finishing the ultimate quarter mile in 24.82 seconds and the ultimate eighth mile in 12.52 seconds.
Paladin is scheduled to race within the Toyota Bluegrass Stakes at Keeneland on April 4th.
“He is an extremely gifted horse,” co-owner Brooke Smith mentioned. “Hopefully we will get him again to Kentucky in April and be within the Derby a month later.”
Velocity numbers: Paladin earned a brand new career-best Beyer Velocity score of 93 at Risen Star, enhancing six factors from his finest score as a 2-year-old. His Equibase pace determine of 93 was three factors lower than the 96 factors he scored when successful at Remsen. Maybe probably the most promising is the 6 ¾ he earned on the Ragozin sheet (the decrease the higher).
Working fashion: Paladins have sufficient tactical pace to race inside a couple of horse lengths of the tempo and nonetheless stalk simply sufficient to complete shortly. That ought to give him a great place early on within the races main as much as and probably together with the Kentucky Derby and keep away from bother beginning the rally.
Pedigree notes: Paladin is the fifth offspring of 2017 Horse of the Yr Gun Runner, 2024 Breeders’ Cup Basic winner and champion Sierra Leone sire, and sire of champion 2-year-old fillies Echo Zulu and Tremendous Corredora.
Paladin’s dam is the unraced Secret Say, and his offspring is Tapit, a number one sire who influences stamina. Paladin’s grandmother (maternal grandmother) was Indian and gained the 1 1/16-mile Cotillion Stakes at Parkes Racing in 2006.
Derby prospects: Skilled by Chad Brown, he has gained the Preakness twice and completed second within the Kentucky Derby twice (2018 Good Magic, 2024 Sierra Leone). Jockey Brown has an incredible probability to win his first Derby towards Paladin, who ran an enormous race in his season debut, and needs to be in good condition with seven weeks of relaxation earlier than the Blue Grass Stakes. He has been bred to take pleasure in operating the gap and is quick sufficient to point out guts within the closing levels of Risen Star and be a severe contender.
