Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Express Kid

Express Kid, the gate-to-wire winner of the Remington Springboard Mile S. on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, was purchased for only $2,000 as a yearling.

You might assume a $2,000 yearling lacks the pedigree to compete effectively in the Kentucky Derby (G1). But that’s not necessarily true. Mine That Bird, the 2009 Kentucky Derby winner, sold for just $9,500 as a yearling even though he was bred top and bottom to shine in the Run for the Roses.

Only time will tell if Express Kid can emulate Mine That Bird. But just like Mine That Bird, Express Kid boasts a pedigree geared toward success in the Kentucky Derby.

Express Kid hails from the second crop of foals sired by Bodexpress. As a racehorse, Bodexpress compiled an unusual racing record. He lost each of his first seven starts, but three of those were Grade 1 races. By finishing second as a 71-1 longshot in the Florida Derby (G1), Bodexpress qualified to compete in the 2019 Kentucky Derby (G1), becoming one of only 13 maidens since 1937 to contest Louisville’s legendary race.

Bodexpress failed to factor in the Derby, finishing 13th, and two weeks later, he lost his rider at the start of the Preakness (G1). But the second half of his career yielded better results. He matured to win a trio of minor races before closing out his racing record with a triumph in the Clark (G1) at Churchill Downs.

Retired to stud in California, Bodexpress is carving out a productive career as a sire of California-breds. His first crop of foals yielded Hot Girl Walk, winner of the six-furlong Generous Portion S. at Del Mar; Just Trust Me, who dominated the five-furlong Fancy As S. at Assiniboia Downs; and Going Deep, close runner-up in the 1 1/16-mile Melair S. at Santa Anita.

Bodexpress has the potential to continue a highly productive sire line. His own sire, Bodemeister, won the 2012 Arkansas Derby (G1) before finishing second in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. His first crop of foals yielded Always Dreaming, winner of the 2017 Kentucky Derby.

Going back further, Bodemeister is a son of Empire Maker, the 2003 Belmont (G1) winner and runner-up in the Kentucky Derby. Empire Maker is also the sire of 2009 Kentucky Derby runner-up Pioneerof the Nile, who achieved lasting renown through his son American Pharoah, conqueror of the 2015 Triple Crown.

Empire Maker, in turn, is a son of 1990 Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness runner-up Unbridled. Unbridled’s other top runners included 1996 Kentucky Derby winner Grindstone, the sire of 2004 Belmont winner Birdstone, who extended the streak of classic success by siring Mine That Bird and 2009 Belmont winner Summer Bird.

It’s safe to say Bodexpress hails from a Triple Crown-focused sire line. That bodes well for Express Kid, and the rest of his pedigree is encouraging as well.

Express Kid’s dam is Sensationalize, who scored maiden and allowance wins competing on turf at Hollywood Park. While not a remarkable racehorse, Sensationalize brings another dose of classic influence into Express Kid’s pedigree since she’s a daughter of Street Sense.

Street Sense earned 2006 champion two-year-old male honors after dominating the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Churchill Downs. The following year, he returned to Churchill to defeat a stellar field in the Kentucky Derby. He also finished second in the Preakness, beaten only a head by eventual two-time Horse of the Year Curlin.

Street Sense has enjoyed a long and productive stud career. While he’s yet to sire any winners of Triple Crown races, he’s responsible for a bevy of top-level winners over a wide variety of distances, including multiple Grade 1 winners Maxfield, McKinzie, Sweet Reason, and Wedding Toast.

Meanwhile, daughters of Street Sense have foaled Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Good Cheer, multiple Grade 1 winner Mindframe (runner-up in the 2024 Belmont), and Roaring Lion, a European grass star who rattled off four straight Group 1 wins over distances from one mile to 1 5/16 miles.

A $2,000 sales price isn’t much when many racehorses sell for over $1 million at auction. But $2,000 was enough to acquire Express Kid, a Kentucky Derby contender with the pedigree to factor on the first Saturday in May.