Barra’s 2026 spot shall be all however confirmed by this time subsequent week, as the ultimate three main preparatory races for the Kentucky Derby Introduced by Woodford Reserve, which awards 100 qualifying factors every to the winner, are scheduled for Saturday in New York, Kentucky and California.
The final one scheduled is $500,000, Grade 1. santa anita derby Racing at Santa Anita Park has traditionally been an influential preparatory race for the Triple Crown and has been an essential addition to a 3-year-old racehorse’s resume.
Nineteen 3-year-old horses entered the Santa Anita Derby and went on to win the Kentucky Derby, together with Hill Gale (1952), Determin (1954), Swaps (1955), It consists of 10 racehorses gifted sufficient to win each, together with Fortunate Debonair (1965), Majestic Prince (1969), Affirmed (1978) and the filly Successful Colours. (1988), Sunday Silence (1989), I am going to Have One other (2012), and California Chrome (2014).
This yr’s race has seven entrants, and there’s no doubt there shall be not less than a number of contenders for the primary crown within the Triple Crown race, which shall be held Could 2 at Churchill Downs.
The Santa Anita Derby, together with different races at Santa Anita, shall be broadcast on FanDuel TV. Put up time for the Santa Anita Derby is about for 7:46 p.m. ET.
1. Cherokee Nation (morning line odds 5-2)
jockey: Florent Geroux
coach: Bob Baffert
proprietor: SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Bashor Racing, Decided Stables, Golconda Steady, Waves Edge Capital, Catherine Donovan
Work historical past: 6 begins – 1 win – 2 seconds – 0 third place
profession revenue: $86,605
Prime worth of equal base pace:103
kentucky derby factors:3
Pedigree: Not This Time – Consider in Charlie, by Indian Charlie
shade: Bay
operating model:Press Tempo/Stalker
Notable achievements and fascinating information:Final time, in his sixth profession begin, going the mile at Santa Anita and taking his first win by 10 lengths on an actual Equibase Velocity 103 (and Beyer Velocity 100), a light-weight bulb lastly went on for Cherokee Nation. Will he be capable to repeat such an effort once more towards a far superior degree of competitors? Now, coach Bob Baffert is the winningest coach in Santa Anita Derby historical past, with 9 wins (formally eight since Justify was disqualified from his 2018 win to 2024). That may positively enhance this horse’s possibilities. On the draw back, nonetheless, Cherokee Nation has tried the graded stakes twice up to now, ending an unthreatening fifth in each races. He raced twice this yr earlier than profitable his first Dynamite, however completed effectively behind Intrepid within the Robert B. Lewis Stakes and misplaced to Robusta within the first spherical. Jockey Florent Geroux is comparatively new to the California circuit, however Baffert has been attempting all winter to place him on a authentic Kentucky Derby contender. Possibly that is it.
2. Sturdy (2-1)
jockey: Juan Hernandez
coach: Bob Baffert
proprietor: Speedway Stables
Work historical past: 2 begins – 2 wins – 0 seconds – 0 thirds
profession revenue: $162,000
Prime worth of equal base pace:94
kentucky derby factors:50
Pedigree: Into Mischief – Candy Sting, Superior Once more
shade: Bay
operating model: Push Tempo/Stalker
Notable achievements and fascinating information: Potente has an unblemished 2-0 file to begin his profession, together with his first win at Santa Anita in January and his final stakes debut when he caught Robusta on the end line to win Santa Anita’s G2 San Felipe Stakes Introduced by DK Horse by a head. He wanted to finish your entire 1 1/16-mile distance of San Felipe to catch Robusta, however he’ll little question enhance additional in his third profession begin and can profit from the expertise gained from stakes wins on the barely longer racetrack. Bob Baffert’s success on this race is as described above, with eight official race wins. Though jockey Juan Hedrunandez has by no means received the Santa Anita Derby, he often rides First Name on the Baffert Barn, and the jockey and coach duo have been deadly at Santa Anita, posting an excellent mixed win charge of 43% since final yr. Potente’s sire, Into Mischief, has been North America’s main sire for seven consecutive years and is the sire of three Kentucky Derby winners, together with Genuine (2020), Mandalon (2021) and final yr’s Sovereignty.
3. Vitruvian human determine (15-1)
jockey: Antonio Fres
coach: Doug O’Neill
proprietor: Glenn Sorgenstein WC Racing
Work historical past: 5 begins – 1 win – 1 second – 1 third
profession revenue: $82,345
Prime worth of equal base pace:86
kentucky derby factors:0
Pedigree: Crimson Wine – by Caladini, Bernardini
shade: Bay
operating model: close by
Notable achievements and fascinating information: The gradual deep nearer has received one in all his 5 profession races up to now, profitable his first by a nostril three races in the past on the 1 1/16-mile Keeneland. He confronted the winner twice late final yr, his greatest consequence being a second-place end on the tough observe at Churchill Downs. After three months of relaxation, he’s making his 3-year-old debut on the hardest observe up to now, however he might want to make vital enhancements to have the ability to run competitively at this observe. Jockey Antonio Fres received the 2024 Santa Anita Derby using Stronghold from one other secure. Coach Doug O’Neill has received two Santa Anita Derbies in his profession with I am going to Have One other in 2012 and Golden Cents in 2013, however this horse is barely the second-best horse to enter Saturday’s subject.
4. Robusta (8-1)
jockey: Emisael Jaramillo
coach: Doug O’Neill
proprietor: Calumet Farm
Work historical past: 4 begins – 1 win – 1 second – 0 three innings
profession revenue: $83,000
Prime worth of equal base pace:93
kentucky derby factors:twenty 5
Pedigree: Speed up – Urbane Legend, Into Mischief
shade: darkish bay or brown
operating model: Pacesetter/Push the tempo
Notable achievements and fascinating information: He is a boy with a lady’s title, however that did not cease the Robusta jockey from flexing his muscle tissue as he got here so near profitable the G2 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita final day trip, till a surging Potente pinned him on the wire in a 67.30-1 longshot offered by DK Horse. Final time he added blinkers, which appeared to spur an enormous turnaround, the hassle was a basic instance of how 3-year-old horses enhance dramatically from race to race at the moment of yr. Every thing about that near-miss efficiency seems authentic, and there is no purpose to assume it is a full outlier that may’t be replicated. His first win three races in the past was a wire-to-wire victory over Cherokee Nation over the mile at Santa Anita, and that win is another excuse to be optimistic. Doug O’Neill, the coach of Vitruvian Man, has received the Santa Anita Derby twice, as talked about above. It is protected to say that Robusta’s odds won’t ever be 67-1 once more, however there’s nonetheless an opportunity he slips beneath the tote board’s radar, with a powerful likelihood for an upset at 8-1 on the morning line.
5. So Glad (7-2)
jockey: Mike Smith
coach: Mark Glatt
proprietor: Norman Stables and Saints or Sinners
Work historical past: 3 begins – 2 wins – 0 seconds – 1 3 minutes
profession revenue: $180,000
Prime worth of equal base pace:100
kentucky derby factors:15
Pedigree: Runhappy – So Crafty, written by Blame
shade: darkish bay or brown
operating model:Press the tempo
Notable achievements and fascinating information: So Glad was drained and really unhappy after operating a brief distance of 1 1/16 miles in his final race, the San Felipe Stakes hosted by DK Horse. The horse already has a confirmed observe file as a prizewinner and ran within the G2 San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita on January 10, however his victory got here within the first nook of seven furlongs. Final time he confirmed some pace operating alongside Potente and Robusta on his first stretch-out try as much as flip two, however he could not make the stretch and pale to 3rd place, unable to issue within the ends in the ultimate levels. Contemplating his loss as a result of fuel, his probabilities of doing any higher over this 1 1/8 mile stretch are fairly slim. His greatest likelihood in a spot like this might be to ascertain a solo lead, gradual the tempo and milk it for so long as attainable. However that is not more likely to occur in a race crammed with different potential pace horses or tactical pace horses. Coach Mark Glatt, who ranks second behind Doug O’Neill within the Santa Anita Event coach rankings, is aiming for his first profession Santa Anita Derby victory. He’ll staff up with jockey Mike Smith, who has already received the Santa Anita Derby 4 instances throughout his storied profession.
6. Begin the Experience (30-1)
jockey: Armando Ayuso
coach: Dan Blacker
proprietor: Harris Farms
Work historical past: 3 begins – 0 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds
profession revenue: $97,250
Prime worth of equal base pace:92
kentucky derby factors:0
Pedigree: Upstart – Elusive Experience, by Tiznow
shade: darkish bay or brown
operating model:Stalker/Nearer
Notable achievements and fascinating information: Credit score Begin The Experience with odds of 30-1 on the morning line, as he’s already a stakes winner in his younger profession. That occurred on Jan. 17, when he took the lead towards California colts within the $175,000 California Chrome Cal Cup Derby in his second profession submit. His subsequent victory in a subject that included Pavlovian, who received the Sunland Park Derby, was effectively deserved, however sadly he was unable to repeat that victory final day trip, ending sixth in a seven-horse subject behind most of the similar horses within the Grade 2 Solar in his solely begin since then. Felipe Stakes offered by DK Horse. He is definitely not the craziest lengthy shot ever, however he is clearly going to have to enhance on his final race. It must be famous that his Beyer pace numbers are effectively beneath the highest prospects on this subject, however based mostly on his Equibase pace numbers from his Cal Cup win, he is proper within the ballpark in comparison with most of those.
7. Intrepid (7-2)
jockey: Hector Berrios
coach: Jeff Mullins
proprietor: Dutch Lady Holdings and Irving Ventures
Work historical past: 5 begins – 2 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds
profession revenue: $312,800
Prime worth of equal base pace:99
kentucky derby factors:twenty three
Pedigree: Maximus Mischief – Overly Indulgent, Pleasantly Excellent
shade: bay
operating model: Presser/Stalker
Notable achievements and fascinating information: Intrepid received Santa Anita’s American Pharoah Stakes Introduced by DK Horse as a 2-year-old and have become a G1 winner, and that race led to him operating within the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Introduced by TAA, the place he completed fifth. The horse final returned with a 3-year-old debut within the G3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes, the place he had a strong run off the bench and completed second by lower than a size to final yr’s winner, Plutarch, who received the 2-year-old maiden. Intrepid missed the San Felipe Stakes after coach Jeff Mullins commented that he “ran an excessive amount of final time” within the Lewis Stakes, however has since been tipped to run on this race and seems to be again in gear based mostly on regular follow throughout March at Santa Anita. He clearly has the power to win races and get on the board on this subject, which shall be his second begin of the 2026 season. Mullins hasn’t received the Santa Anita Derby since Buzzards Bay in 2005, however he truly had success on this race, profitable three straight from 2003 to 2005.
