Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Big winners at Belmont and Kyoto
Hullabaloo Ray Ray breaks his maiden at Belmont Park. (Photo by Coglianese Photos/Chelsea Durand)
Eye-catching winners at Belmont Park in New York and Kyoto in Japan lead the latest edition of Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch.
American Soul
Japan-based trainer Yoshito Yahagi has enjoyed strong success in the United States with a limited number of starters. He’s won Breeders’ Cup races with Forever Young, Marche Lorraine, and Loves Only You, and Forever Young nearly gave Yahagi a triumph in the 2024 Kentucky Derby (G1), closing gamely between rivals to finish third by a head.
Perhaps American Soul, a $1.05 million yearling acquisition, can bring Yahagi back to the Kentucky Derby. The son of unbeaten 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline debuted on Monday in an 1,800-meter (about 1 1/2-mile) race for newcomers at Kyoto in Japan, and the result was a decisive victory.
With Forever Young’s regular rider Ryusei Sakai in the saddle, American Soul raced in second place through metric splits of :24.1, :49.7, and 1:15.8 before clocking his final 600 meters (about three furlongs) in a solid :37.7 to score by three lengths in 1:53.6.
Don’t be surprised if American Soul turns up on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby. He could potentially run once more in November and then target the Dec. 16 Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun, an important dirt race for juveniles that Forever Young won in 2023.
Hullabaloo Ray Ray
Through the years, Tom Proctor has trained the winners of more than 1,400 races and over $56 million in purse money. He’s won 72 graded stakes, including the 1994 Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) with One Dreamer. But so far, he hasn’t saddled a horse in the Kentucky Derby.
Will that change in 2027? At Belmont Park last Saturday, Proctor sent out a promising two-year-old named Hullabaloo Ray Ray to dominate a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight. Hullabaloo Ray Ray looks like an exciting prospect with a bright future, and the 2026-27 Road to the Kentucky Derby may beckon.
Bettors fully expected Hullabaloo Ray Ray to win Saturday’s sprint, sending him off as the 9-20 favorite based off a solid runner-up finish in his debut at Saratoga last month. At Saratoga, Hullabaloo Ray Ray overcame a bump at the start to rally and finish second, beaten only 2 1/4 lengths while pulling seven lengths clear of the third-place finisher.
At Belmont, Hullabaloo Ray Ray broke from the outside post in a seven-horse field and raced in second place as longshot Louisiana Baby set fractions of :23.15 and :46.05. Then in the homestretch, Hullabaloo Ray Ray seized command and pulled away to triumph by 4 1/4 lengths over a runner-up who finished 8 1/4 lengths clear of the rest.
All told, the field was strung out over nearly 30 lengths at the finish line. Hullabaloo Ray Ray’s dominant performance carried him to the finish line in the snappy time of 1:15.27, made possible by the fact he clocked his final three furlongs in :11.68, :11.39, and :11.83.
You can make a case that Hullabaloo Ray Ray is cut out for sprinting in the long-term since his sire, Jackie’s Warrior, was a high-class speedster who earned 2021 champion male sprinter honors. But Jackie’s Warrior also carried his speed over one mile to win the Champagne (G1) and Pat Day Mile (G2), and the fast finishing fractions Hullabaloo Ray Ray threw down at Belmont suggest he has potential to stretch out in distance.
Fleetfoot Mac
Trainer Kenny McPeek visited the Kentucky Derby winner’s circle in 2024, celebrating when his colt Mystik Dan upset the 150th edition of the Run for the Roses.
Perhaps McPeek can return to the Derby winner’s circle in 2027 with Fleetfoot Mac, who won his debut on Sunday in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight at Keeneland.
McPeek isn’t known for cranking his juveniles to win first-time out, but Fleetfoot Mac was plenty ready to succeed in his initial try. Favored at 3-2 to defeat seven rivals, the chestnut colt dashed to the lead through fractions of :22.90 and :46.58, then stayed on nicely in the homestretch to prevail by 1 3/4 lengths in 1:17.82.
Fleetfoot Mac is a son of Maclean’s Music, the sire of 2017 Preakness (G1) winner Cloud Computing and the above-mentioned champion sprinter Jackie’s Warrior. Fleetfoot Mac’s dam sire is Into Mischief, the sire of a record-equaling three Kentucky Derby winners. While there’s plenty of speed in this pedigree, there’s also potential to handle classic distances, stamping Fleetfoot Mac as a must-watch contender for the 2027 Kentucky Derby.
Kivo
Six-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Bob Baffert added another name to his roster of possible 2027 Kentucky Derby contenders when Kivo graduated in a six-furlong maiden special weight on Sunday at Santa Anita.
Coming off a fifth-place finish in his debut racing one mile on turf at Del Mar, Kivo appreciated switching to dirt at Santa Anita. The son of Omaha Beach rated 1 1/2 lengths behind quick fractions of :21.79 and :44.98 before taking over in the final furlong to win by 2 1/4 lengths, stopping the clock in 1:11.19.
Domenici
The third time was the charm for Domenici, a Tim Yakteen trainee who got the job done in a one-mile maiden special weight on Monday at Santa Anita.
Third and second in his first two starts sprinting, Domenici enjoyed stretching out over one mile for his third start. The son of 2022 Preakness winner Early Voting rated two lengths behind an opening quarter-mile in :22.63, edged closer through ensuing splits of :47.39 and 1:12.39, and pulled away in the homestretch to triumph by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:37.72.
