Check out 20 of the top horses to watch on the trail for the 2022 Kentucky Derby
The road to the 2022 Kentucky Derby will kick into gear this weekend with the first major prep race in New Orleans.
Several low-point prep races already have taken place this year, but the first race in the Kentucky Derby Championship Series will be the $400,000, Grade 2 Risen Star on Saturday at Fair Grounds. That race will award 50 points to the winner, all but assuring a spot in the Kentucky Derby.
The championship series will run through mid-April, with the last major day of prep races coming April 9 with the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, the Blue Grass at Keeneland and the Santa Anita Derby – all awarding 100 qualifying points to the winner.
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Keeneland also will host the final points race – the Lexington – on April 16, with 20 points going to the winner.
Trainer Bob Baffert has several horses who have prospered in early prep races, but he has been banned from Churchill Downs for two years. It remains to see whether his top horses will be moved to other barns or skip the Kentucky Derby altogether.
The list of top Kentucky Derby contenders will inevitably change, but here are 20 horses to watch over the next few weeks, listed alphabetically. Included are three Baffert-trained horses – Corniche, Messier and Newgrange – that currently are ineligible to participate.
Chasing Time
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Owner: MyRacehorse
Jockey: Joel Rosario
Sire: Not This Time
Dam: Race Hunter, by Dixie Union
Price tag: $250,000 at the 2021 Spring Ocala Breeders’ Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training
Bred in: Kentucky
Career record: 2-2-0 in five starts
Career earnings: $179,640
Road to the Kentucky Derby points (ranking): 0
Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 final odds: 25-1 (No. 12 choice)
Last start: Won 1-mile allowance optional claiming race by 7 ¾ lengths Jan. 14 at Oaklawn Park
Possible next start: $1 million, Grade 2 Rebel on Feb. 26 at Oaklawn
Notable: Chasing Time is owned by MyRacehorse, which offers fractional ownership in horses to shareholders. Abbey Huffman, Midwest racing manger for MyRacehorse, estimated 55 of Chasing Time’s 3,220 owners were in the winner’s circle to celebrate the horse’s victory at Oaklawn on Jan. 14.
Classic Causeway
Trainer: Brian Lynch
Owners: Kentucky West Racing (Patrick O’Keefe) and Clarke Cooper
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
Sire: Giant’s Causeway
Dam: Private World, by Thunder Gulch
Price tag: Homebred
Bred in: Kentucky
Career record: 2-1-1 in four starts
Career earnings: $301,100
Road to the Kentucky Derby points (ranking): 16 (No. 1)
Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 final odds: 13-1 (No. 2 choice)
Last start: Won Grade 3 Sam F. Davis on Feb. 12 at Tampa Bay
Possible next start: $400,000, Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby on March 12
Notable: “We always thought he has obvious quality, and he took the step he needed to keep the dream alive,” Lynch said after the Sam Davis. “The way he won today, I don’t he was taxed. He was geared down late, and I think he’ll really move forward off this race.” … Classic Causeway closed his 2-year-old campaign with a runner-up finish to Smile Happy in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club on Nov. 27 at Churchill Downs.
Commandperformance
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Owners: Repole Stable (Mike Repole) and St. Elias Stable (Vincent Viola)
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
Sire: Union Rags
Dam: Smitten, by Tapit
Price tag: $220,000 at 2020 at Keeneland September Yearling Sale
Bred in: Kentucky
More horse racing: Louisville trainer Brad Cox wins second straight Eclipse Award
Career record: 0-2-0 in three starts
Career earnings: $220,000
Road to the Kentucky Derby points (ranking): 6 (No. 7)
Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 final odds: 33-1 (No. 15 choice)
Last start: Fourth in Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 5 at Del Mar
Possible next start: TBA
Notable: The record may not be overly impressive, but Commandperformance’s pedigree and second-place finish to Jack Christopher in last October’s Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont can’t be overlooked. It’s a bit disconcerting Pletcher hasn’t laid out a plan for the horse’s 2022 debut, but he has recorded a pair of breezes at Palm Beach Downs in recent weeks.
Corniche
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Owner: Speedway Stables (Peter Fluor and K.C. Weiner)
Jockey: Mike Smith
Sire: Quality Road
Dam: Wasted Tears, by Najran
Price tag: $1.5 million at the 2021 Spring Ocala Breeders’ Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training
Bred in: Kentucky
Career record: 3-0-0 in three starts
Career earnings: $1,262,000
Road to the Kentucky Derby points (ranking): 0
Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 final odds: Not included
Last start: Won Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 5 at Del Mar
Possible next start: TBA
Notable: Corniche would be the definitive Derby favorite right now if it wasn’t for the uncertainty surrounding Baffert. Also, the Daily Racing Form reported Feb. 4 that Corniche is training at WinStar Farm but is not ready to breeze, according to Speedway Stables racing manager Marette Farrell. “We’re not rushing him,” Farrell said. “We’re not forcing him to make the Derby. We’re not ruling out the Derby. We’re not ruling in the Derby. We are aiming for a major 3-year-old campaign.”
Early Voting
Trainer: Chad Brown
Owner: Klaravich Stables (Seth Klarman)
Jockey: Jose Ortiz
Sire: Gun Runner
Dam: Amour D’ete, by Tiznow
Price tag: $200,000 at 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale
Bred in: Kentucky
Career record: 2-0-0 in two starts
Career earnings: $181,500
Road to the Kentucky Derby points (ranking): 10 (No. 13)
Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 final odds: 19-1 (No. 7 choice)
Last start: Won Grade 3 Withers on Feb. 5 at Aqueduct
Possible next start: $300,000, Grade 3 Gotham on March 5 at Aqueduct
Notable: “This horse is a late-developing horse,” assistant trainer Dan Stupp said. “He needs experience. He needs each race to move him forward from a conditioning standpoint.”
Emmanuel
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Owners: WinStar Farm (Kenny Troutt) and Siena Farm (Anthony Manganaro, Ignacio Patino and David Pope)
Jockey: Pablo Morales
Sire: More Than Ready
Dam: Hard Cloth, by Hard Spun
Price tag: $350,000 at 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale
Bred in: Kentucky
Career record: 2-0-0 in two starts
Career earnings: $50,400
Road to the Kentucky Derby points (ranking): 0
Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 final odds: 15-1 (No. 4 choice)
Last start: Won 1-mile-and-40-yards allowance optional claiming race by 4 1/2 lengths on Jan. 30 at Tampa Bay
Possible next start: $400,000, Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby on March 12
Notable: Emmanuel was scheduled to make his 2022 debut Jan. 7 but spiked a temperature. “It felt like a workout for him,” Morales said after the Jan. 30 victory. “He acts like an old horse who has run 100 times, and he gives you what you ask out of him.”
Epicenter
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Owner: Winchell Thoroughbreds (Joan and Ron Winchell)
Jockey: Joel Rosario
Sire: Not This Time
Dam: Silent Candy, by Candy Ride
Price tag: $260,000 at 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale
Bred in: Kentucky
Career record: 2-1-0 in four starts
Career earnings: $170,639
Road to the Kentucky Derby points (ranking): 14 (No. 3)
Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 final odds: 24-1 (No. 11 choice)
Last start: Second behind Call Me Midnight in Grade 3 Lecomte on Jan. 22 at Fair Grounds
Possible next start: $400,000 Grade 2 Risen Star on Feb. 19 at Fair Grounds
Notable: Epicenter started his racing career at Churchill Downs, finishing sixth in his September debut and then breaking his maiden with a 3 1/2-length score at a mile on Nov. 13. He closed his 2-year-old campaign with a victory in the Gun Runner on Dec. 26 at Fair Grounds.
Forbidden Kingdom
Trainer: Richard Mandella
Owners: MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm (B. Wayne Hughes)
Jockey: Juan Hernandez
Sire: American Pharoah
Dam: Just Louise, by Five Star Day
Price tag: $300,000 at 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase
Bred in: Kentucky
Career record: 2-1-1 in four starts
Career earnings: $194,000
Road to the Kentucky Derby points (ranking): 0
Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 final odds: 18-1 (No. 6 choice)
Last start: Won Grade 2 San Vicente on Jan. 29 at Santa Anita
Possible next start: $400,000, Grade 2 San Felipe on March 5 at Santa Anita
Notable: “He’s as quick as they come,” Mandella said after the San Vicente. “In his last race (Nov. 14 at Del Mar), he tore a piece of his foot off (after stumbling at the start) and then we had a quarter crack. We had to fix it up, and it is good and we hope it stays good.”
In Due Time
Trainer: Kelly Breen
Owner: Edge Racing
Jockey: Paco Lopez
Sire: Not This Time
Dam: Sweet Sweet Annie, by Curlin
Price tag: $95,000 at 2021 Spring Ocala Breeders’ Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training
Bred in: Kentucky
Career record: 2-0-1 in three starts
Career earnings: $73,380
Road to the Kentucky Derby points (ranking): 0
Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 final odds: 37-1 (No. 16 choice
Last start: Won 1-mile allowance optional claiming race by 5 3/4 lengths on Feb. 4 at Gulfstream
Possible next start: TBA
Notable: In Due Time gained notice by upsetting a pair of Todd Pletcher trainees – American Icon and Iron Works – to win at Gulfstream earlier this month. “We have a nice horse,” Breen said. “I don’t know if he’s a Fountain of Youth, Florida Derby [horse] or what we are going to do with him. All options are open.”
Jack Christopher
Trainer: Chad Brown
Owners: Jim Bakker, Gerald Ibister, Coolmore Stud (John Magnier) and Peter Brant
Jockey: Jose Ortiz
Sire: Munnings
Dam: Rushin No Blushin, by Half Ours
Price tag: $135,000 at 2020 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale
Bred in: Kentucky
Career record: 2-0-0 in two starts
Career earnings: $330,000
Road to the Kentucky Derby points (ranking): 10 (No. 7)
Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 final odds: Not included
Last start: Won Grade 1 Champagne on Oct. 2 at Belmont
Possible next start: TBA
Notable: Jack Christopher would have been among the favorites in the Breeders’ Cup Classic but was scratched the day before the race by the track veterinarians. He later had a screw inserted in his left shin because of a stress fracture and has not recorded a workout since. Brown indicated last month Jack Christopher may not return to form in time to make the Kentucky Derby.
Major General
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Owners: WinStar Farm (Kenny Troutt) and Siena Farm (Anthony Manganaro, Ignacio Patino and David Pope)
Jockey: Javier Castellano
Sire: Constitution
Dam: No Mo Lemons, by Uncle Mo
Price tag: $420,000 at 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale
Bred in: Kentucky
Career record: 2-0-0 in two starts
Career earnings: $232,525
Road to the Kentucky Derby points (ranking): 10 (No. 11)
Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 final odds: 32-1 (No. 14 choice)
Last start: Won Grade 3 Iroquois on Sept. 18 at Churchill Downs
Possible next start: $300,000, Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on March 5 at Gulfstream or $400,000, Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby on March 12
Notable: Major General won his debut last August at Saratoga before winning the Iroquois by a neck over Tough to Tame. Major General has been working at Palm Beach Downs since January.
Messier
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Owners: SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital, Catherine Donovan, Golconda Stable, Siena Farm
Jockey: John Velazquez
Sire: Empire Maker
Dam: Checkered Past, by Smart Strike
Price tag: $470,000 at 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase
Bred in: Ontario
Career record: 3-2-0 in five starts
Career earnings: $285,600
Road to the Kentucky Derby points (ranking): 0
Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 final odds: Not included
Last start: Won Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis on Feb. 6 at Santa Anita
Possible next start: TBA
Notable: “He’s maturing,” Baffert said after Messier’s 15-length romp in the Robert B. Lewis. “I could tell today that he’s growing, he’s getting bigger. You could tell when I put the saddle on him. He looked incredible.” The horse is named for NHL Hall of Famer Mark Messier.
Mo Donegal
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Owner: Donegal Racing (Jerry Crawford)
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
Sire: Uncle Mo
Dam: Callingmissbrown, by Pulpit
Price tag: $250,000 at 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale
Bred in: Kentucky
Career record: 2-0-2 in four starts
Career earnings: $221,800
Road to the Kentucky Derby points (ranking): 12 (No. 5)
Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 final odds: 14-1 (No. 3 choice)
Last start: Third in Grade 3 Holy Bull on Feb. 5 at Gulfstream
Possible next start: TBA
Notable: Mo Donegal was the 8-5 favorite in the Holy Bull but broke slowly before rallying down the stretch to finish third. “The last hundred yards he was making up a lot of ground,” Pletcher said. “He just kind of ran out of real estate at the end. I was happy with the way he closed.” Mo Donegal won the Grade 2 Remsen at Aqueduct last December and could return to New York for his next Derby prep.
Newgrange
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Owners: SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital, Catherine Donovan, Golconda Stable, Siena Farm
Jockey: John Velazquez
Sire: Violence
Dam: Bella Chianti, by Empire Maker
Price tag: $125,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale
Bred in: Kentucky
Medina Spirit cause of death: Necropsy finds no definitive cause of Medina Spirit's death
Career record: 3-0-0 in three starts
Career earnings: $552,000
Road to the Kentucky Derby points (ranking): 0
Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 final odds: not included
Last start: Won Grade 3 Southwest on Jan. 29 at Oaklawn
Possible next start: TBA
Notable: Newgrange won his first two races in California – including the Grade 3 Sham at Santa Anita on New Year’s Day – before shipping to Arkansas for the Southwest. He’s returned to Santa Anita to prepare for his next race.
Pappacap
Trainer: Mark Casse
Owner: Rustlewood Farm (George Russell)
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione
Sire: Gun Runner
Dam: Pappascat, by Scat Daddy
Price tag: Homebred
Bred in: Florida
Career record: 2-2-1 in six starts
Career earnings: $596,000
Road to the Kentucky Derby points (ranking): 14 (No. 2)
Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 final odds: 31-1 (No. 13 choice)
Last start: Third in Grade 3 Lecomte on Jan. 22 at Fair Grounds
Possible next start: $400,000 Grade 2 Risen Star on Feb. 19 at Fair Grounds
Notable: Since winning his debut at Gulfstream last May, Pappacat had appeared in five straight graded stakes, including a victory in the Grade 2 Best Pal last August at Del Mar. He finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, 1 ¾ lengths behind Corniche.
Rattle N Roll
Trainer: Kenny McPeek
Owner: Lucky Seven Stable (Michael Mackin)
Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.
Sire: Connect
Dam: Jazz Tune, by Johannesburg
Price tag: $210,000 at 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale
Bred in: Kentucky
Career record: 2-0-1 in four starts
Career earnings: $379,460
Road to the Kentucky Derby points (ranking): 10 (No. 6)
Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 final odds: 19-1 (No. 8 choice)
Last start: Won Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity on Oct. 9 at Keeneland
Possible next start: $300,000, Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on March 5 at Gulfstream
Notable: Rattle N Roll had a minor foot injury that kept him out of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, and he resumed training in late January at Gulfstream. His maiden victory came Sept. 23 at Churchill Downs.
Slow Down Andy
Trainer: Doug O’Neill
Owner: Reddam Racing (Paul Reddam)
Jockey: Mario Gutierrez
Sire: Nyquist
Dam: Edwina E, by Square Eddie
Price tag: Homebred
Bred in: California
Career record: 2-1-0 in three starts
Career earnings: $249,850
Road to the Kentucky Derby points (ranking): 10 (No. 10)
Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 final odds: 23-1 (No. 10 choice)
Last start: Won Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity on Dec. 11
Possible next start: $400,000 Grade 2 Risen Star on Feb. 19 at Fair Grounds
Notable: Slow Down Andy entered the Derby conversation with his one-length victory over Messier in the Los Alamitos. California Chrome, the 2014 winner, was the last California-bred to compete in the Kentucky Derby.
Smile Happy
Trainer: Kenny McPeek
Owner: Lucky Seven Stable (Michael Mackin)
Jockey: Corey Lanerie
Sire: Runhappy
Dam: Pleasant Smile, by Pleasant Tap
Price tag: $185,000 at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase
Bred in: Kentucky
Career record: 2-0-0 in two starts
Career earnings: $284,810
Road to the Kentucky Derby points (ranking): 10 (No. 9)
Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 final odds: 8-1 (No. 1 choice)
Last start: Won Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club on Nov. 27 at Churchill
Possible next start: $400,000 Grade 2 Risen Star on Feb. 19 at Fair Grounds
Notable: If the Baffert-trained horses are eliminated, Smile Happy is the lukewarm Kentucky Derby favorite according to Las Vegas odds and the most recent Future Wager Pool. He’s won his two races at Keeneland and Churchill by a combined 8 ¾ lengths.
White Abarrio
Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr.
Owners: C2 Racing Stable (Clint Cornett) and La Milagrosa Stable (Antonio Pagnano)
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione
Sire: Race Day
Dam: Catching Diamonds, by Into Mischief
Price tag: $40,000 at March 2021 Ocala Breeders’ Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training
Bred in: Kentucky
Career record: 3-0-1 in four starts
Career earnings: $240,850
Road to the Kentucky Derby points (ranking): 12 (No. 4)
Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 final odds: 18-1 (No. 5 choice)
Last start: Won Grade 3 Holy Bull on Feb. 5 at Gulfstream
Possible next start: $1 million, Grade 1 Florida Derby on April 2 at Gulfstream
Notable: “We don’t have to decide now, but everyone was kind of on the same page to go straight to the Florida Derby,” Joseph said after the Holy Bull victory. “The spacing works well. He runs well fresh, and hopefully it will set him up for the Kentucky Derby to run his best.” A gray, White Abarrio finished his 2-year-old campaign with a third-place finish behind Smile Happy and Classic Causeway in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club on Nov. 27 at Churchill.
Zandon
Trainer: Chad Brown
Owner: Jeff Drown
Jockey: Jose Ortiz
Sire: Upstart
Dam: Memories Prevail, by Creative Cause
Price tag: $170,000 at 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale
Bred in: Kentucky
Career record: 1-1-0 in two starts
Career earnings: $99,500
Road to the Kentucky Derby points (ranking): 4 (No. 24)
Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 final odds: 21-1 (No. 9 choice)
Last start: Second behind Mo Donegal in Grade 2 Remsen on Dec. 4 at Aqueduct
Possible next start: $400,000, Grade 2 Risen Star on Feb. 19 at Fair Grounds
Notable: In preparation for the Risen Star, Zandon fired a bullet workout (four furlongs in 48.40 seconds) at Payson Park on Feb. 12.
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @KentuckyDerbyCJ.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Top 20 horses to watch on the trail for Kentucky Derby 2022
