Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Secured Freedom steps forward

After a two-day delay due to rain, opening day at Santa Anita took place on Sunday under clear skies.

Six graded stakes served as the highlights of the action-packed card, but a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight for juveniles held early in the afternoon may prove just as influential.

The winner, Secured Freedom, prevailed in a manner suggesting he’s a budding 2026 Kentucky Derby (G1) contender.

Secured Freedom

Secured Freedom performed unremarkably when he debuted on Nov. 22 in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight at Del Mar. Facing nine rivals, the Tim Yakteen trainee raced in midfield on his way to finishing fourth, beaten 5 1/2 lengths.

Suffice to say, Secured Freedom improved sharply in his second start. At Santa Anita, he settled in fourth place as Captain Shreve and Commissioned dueled through intense fractions of :21.29 and :43.45. As the leaders decelerated down the homestretch, Secured Freedom rolled past and kicked clear to win by 4 1/2 lengths in 1:15.90.

As a son of three-time Grade 1-winning sprinter/miler Practical Joke, Secured Freedom is arguably bred more for speed than stamina. But Practical Joke stretched his speed to finish fifth in the 2017 Kentucky Derby, and he’s the sire of 1 1/8-mile Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Practical Move, so don’t dismiss Secured Freedom’s two-turn potential just yet. Look for him to join the Road to the Kentucky Derby sometime this winter.

Class President

Two-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Todd Pletcher unveiled a new candidate for the 2026 Run for the Roses when Class President debuted victorious in a one-mile maiden special weight on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

Winning a dirt route race on debut isn’t easy, but Class President found the task straightforward. The son of champion two-year-old and successful sire Uncle Mo tracked fractions of :24.50, :48.07, and 1:12.83 before taking over and kicking clear in the final furlong to romp by 3 1/4 lengths.

Class President ran his final furlong in a respectable :12.64 to reach the finish line in 1:38.33. With this promising first start under his belt, Class President has a clear path to improve throughout winter and make noise on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Waymark

The day after Class President found success at Gulfstream, Waymark won his debut in a six-furlong maiden special weight over the same track.

The $700,000 yearling acquisition entered off a series of five-furlong workouts at Payson Park and started as the 3-2 favorite. He delivered on expectations, tracking a :22.42 opening quarter-mile in fourth place before rallying to lead through half a mile in :45.87. Down the homestretch, he edged away through a :25.00 final quarter to prevail by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:10.87.

A son of Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner Liam’s Map, Waymark has the pedigree to stretch out over at least one mile, so there’s a good chance we’ll see him on the Road to the Kentucky Derby this winter.

Circle Tap

At Oaklawn Park, the fifth time was the charm for Circle Tap, a son of Twirling Candy from the Dallas Stewart barn.

Circle Tap lost his first four starts sprinting on the Kentucky circuit. Stretching out over 1 1/16 miles at Oaklawn made all the difference, as Circle Tap proved clearly best in a Saturday maiden special weight.

The bay colt rated in fifth place through splits of :23.57, :48.81, and 1:14.17, then overcame traffic trouble to swallow the leaders and win by three lengths in 1:46.31.

Produced by the Tapit mare Rattataptap, Circle Tap is a half-brother to Double Thunder, runner-up in the 1 1/16-mile Breeders’ Futurity (G1) on the 2021-22 Road to the Kentucky Derby. Circle Tap is bred to relish route racing, and he ran to his pedigree at Oaklawn.

Envision

We’ll conclude this week’s Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch with Envision, who debuted with a sharp victory in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight on Friday at Turfway Park.

Racing over the synthetic Tapeta track, the William Walden trainee showed early speed, tracking fractions of :22.40 and :45.45 in third place before taking over to score by 2 3/4 lengths in 1:18.08.

As a son of perennial leading sire Into Mischief (who has sired three Kentucky Derby winners) out of a mare by Tapit, Envision has the breeding to shine on dirt. He could certainly qualify for the Kentucky Derby by competing in Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifiers on Tapeta, like the John Battaglia Memorial and Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) at Turfway. Envision may also warrant a try on dirt this winter.

Top maiden winner of the week: Secured Freedom

Honorable mention: Class President