Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: 3 at Fair Grounds and Turfway

The Lecomte (G3), a Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier at Fair Grounds, attracted widespread attention last Saturday. But a pair of maiden special weights held on the Lecomte undercard may also influence the 2026 Kentucky Derby (G1).

The flashiest win came courtesy of Knock It Off, a first-time starter from the Hall of Fame barn of Steve Asmussen. He tops this week’s edition of Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch.

Knock It Off

Purchased for $150,000 as a yearling, Knock It Off debuted in a six-furlong sprint and started as the 8-1 third choice in an 11-horse field. His odds may have been too high, considering he entered off fast five-furlong workouts at Fair Grounds, including one from the starting gate in :59 4/5.

If Knock It Off’s talent wasn’t apparent beforehand, it certainly was on Saturday. Breaking on top from post 6, the bay colt set pressured pace fractions of :22.51 and :46.28 before blazing his fifth furlong in :11.27 and his final furlong in :11.92 to edge clear of pace rival Trouble Calling and prevail by 1 1/4 lengths.

Knock It Off reached the finish line in a swift 1:09.47. As a son of top-tier sprinter/miler Vekoma, it’s possible that sprinting is Knock It Off’s forte. But his dam is a daughter of Kentucky Derby and Preakness (G1) runner-up Bodemeister—who is, in turn, a son of long-winded Belmont (G1) winner Empire Maker—so there’s stamina in the bottom half of Knock It Off’s pedigree.

Asmussen has gone winless with 28 starters in the Kentucky Derby, but three of his entrants (Nehro, 2011, Lookin At Lee, 2017, and Epicenter, 2022) have finished second. Perhaps Knock It Off has the talent to rise higher and deliver victory on the first Saturday in May.

Reagan’s Honor

The second notable maiden winner at Fair Grounds was Reagan’s Honor, a son of Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Honor A. P. out of a mare by multiple Grade 1 winner and elite sire Medaglia d’Oro.

Reagan’s Honor is bred to shine as a route racer, so it was unsurprising to see him finish fourth in his Dec. 20 debut sprinting six furlongs at Fair Grounds. He failed to show early speed and was beaten eight lengths by runaway winner Sockdolager.

Stretching out over 1 1/16 miles on Lecomte day made all the difference for Reagan’s Honor. This time, he raced to the front through slow fractions of :23.45, :47.88, and 1:13.49 before getting his final five-sixteenths of a mile in a solid :31.54 to turn back multiple challengers and score by 1 1/2 lengths.

Reagan’s Honor’s winning time of 1:45.03 was only 0.05 slower than the 1:44.98 posted by Golden Tempo in the Lecomte. Both Reagan’s Honor and Golden Tempo (as well as Lecomte runner-up Mesquite) were trained by Cherie DeVaux, who has a wealth of potential Kentucky Derby contenders in her barn this year.

Empire West

We must also highlight the maiden win of Empire West, a son of Medaglia d’Oro who graduated over the synthetic Tapeta track at Turfway Park on Saturday.

The gray colt started his career on turf at Churchill Downs, finishing second in a one-mile maiden special weight. Then he took his game on the road to Turfway Park, where he finished third in a 1 1/16-mile contest on Dec. 21.

The third time was the charm. Facing 11 rivals in another 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight, Empire West dropped well behind fractions of :24.06, :48.79, and 1:14.02 before gobbling up ground to win by half a length in a crowded finish.

The pace decelerated sharply through the final five-sixteenths of a mile (which elapsed in :34.08), and Empire West’s winning time of 1:48.10 is quite slow at first glance. But Turfway produced slow times throughout the Saturday card, so Empire West shouldn’t be judged too harshly. He’s progressing in the right direction and could potentially turn up in a race like the Feb. 21 John Battaglia Memorial S., a 1 1/16-mile Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier contested over the Turfway Tapeta.

Top maiden winner of the week: Knock It Off

Honorable mention: Reagan’s Honor