Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Trendsetter

Trendsetter wrapped up the 2025-26 Road to the Kentucky Derby with a 32-1 upset victory in the 1 1/16-mile Lexington (G3) at Keeneland.

After competing in dirt sprints, turf sprints, a synthetic sprint, and a synthetic route, Trendsetter made the most of his first opportunity in a dirt route, finishing nicely from just behind the Lexington leaders to triumph by 2 1/4 lengths. He was drawing off down the homestretch, and his pedigree suggests even longer distances—such as the 1 1/4-mile journey of the Kentucky Derby (G1)—are within reach.

Trendsetter is the second stakes winner from the first crop of foals sired by Modernist. The first, Talk to Me Jimmy, won the 1 1/8-mile Withers S. on the 2025-26 Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Modernist was a long-winded racehorse best known for winning the Risen Star (G2) and Excelsior S. over 1 1/8 miles. He also recorded top-three finishes in the Louisiana Derby (G2) and Pimlico Special (G3) over 1 3/16 miles.

The sources of Modernist’s stamina are easy to find. His sire, Uncle Mo, routinely passes on stamina to his best runners, among them Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist and 1 1/2-mile Belmont (G1) winner Mo Donegal. Meanwhile, Modernist’s dam—Symbolic Gesture, by champion and 1 3/16-mile Preakness (G1) winner Bernardini—is an unraced half-sister to champion two-year-old filly Sweet Catomine and 1 1/8-mile Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (G1) conqueror Life Is Sweet, both accomplished route racers.

There’s a good chance Modernist has contributed a strong dose of classic stamina to Trendsetter’s genetic makeup. And the bottom half of Trendsetter’s pedigree is geared in a similar direction.

Trendsetter is the second foal and the first winner produced by Suyapa. Suyapa wasn’t much of a racehorse, failing to win in six starts, but her pedigree is packed with class.

Suyapa’s sire, Astrology, won the one-mile Iroquois (G3) as a juvenile and later recorded top-three finishes in four other graded stakes. One of his best performances came in the Preakness, when he ran third by only 1 3/4 lengths against multiple Grade 1 winner Shackleford and Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom.

Astrology’s fine showing over 1 3/16 miles is perhaps owed to his sire, A.P. Indy, a legendary source of stamina. A.P. Indy earned 1992 Horse of the Year honors after winning the Belmont and 1 1/4-mile Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), and the majority of his top-tier sons and daughters starred running long on dirt, including the above-mentioned Bernardini.

Other accomplished runners sired by A.P. Indy include Belmont and 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Rags to Riches, 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft, and Kentucky Derby and Belmont runner-up Aptitude.

In contrast to A.P. Indy, Astrology hasn’t made much of a mark as a sire. However, his daughters have proven productive. In addition to Trendsetter, Astrology is the dam sire of 1 1/4-mile Pacific Classic (G1) winner Arabian Knight and 1 1/16-mile Cotillion (G1) third-place finisher Ourdaydreaminggirl.

Suyapa’s dam is Holy Fashion, a capable speedster who won three stakes sprinting six furlongs. She’s best known for foaling Above Fashion, winner of the six-furlong Letellier Memorial S. and a third-place finisher in the one-mile Delta Downs Princess (G3).

Holy Fashion, in turn, is a daughter of Holy Bull, the 1994 Horse of the Year who won half a dozen Grade 1 races over distances from seven furlongs to 1 1/4 miles. Holy Bull was known for his speed, but that didn’t stop him from passing on stamina to his son Giacomo, winner of the Kentucky Derby and a third-place finisher in the Preakness.

Holy Bull is also the sire of Macho Uno, the champion two-year-old male of 2000 after winning the 1 1/16-mile Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) and 1 1/16-mile Gray Breeders’ Cup (G1). Macho Uno went on to enjoy a successful stud career, siring Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and Kentucky Derby third-place finisher Mucho Macho Man, plus 1 1/8-mile Stephen Foster H. (G1) winner and Preakness runner-up Macho Again.

Modernist, Uncle Mo, Bernardini, Astrology, A.P. Indy, Holy Bull… with all these names in his immediate pedigree, Trendsetter is cut out for success over classic distances.