Kentucky Derby Roundup: Commandment among weekend winners

The 2026 Kentucky Derby (G1) is 60 days away. Catch up on the latest news and notes as the Road to the Kentucky Derby unfolds:

Commandment edges Chief Wallabee in Fountain of Youth

Commandment joined the Road to the Kentucky Derby in a big way on Saturday, outkicking flashy maiden winner Chief Wallabee to take the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park.

Coming off a win in the Mucho Macho Man S. at Gulfstream, Commandment handled tougher competition with aplomb. After rating in fifth place behind fractions of :23.16, :46.89, and 1:11.47, the Brad Cox trainee launched an inside bid and battled past the wide-rallying Chief Wallabee to prevail by a neck in 1:43.33.

RELATED: Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Commandment

Solitude Dude, Bravaro, and Napoleon Solo secured the last of the 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualification points up for grabs. At the close of the weekend, Commandment ranks fourth on the points leaderboard, while Chief Wallabee sits in 10th place, Bravaro ranks 18th, and Napoleon Solo—winner of the Champagne (G1) on the Derby trail last fall—rounds out the top 20.

Class President scores by a nose in Rebel

Sunday’s Rebel (G2) at Oaklawn, a 1 1/16-mile qualifier worth 50-25-15-10-5 points, produced an even closer finish than the Fountain of Youth as Class President held off Silent Tactic by a nose.

Stepping up in class off a runner-up finish in the seven-furlong Swale S., Class President conquered a bevy of more accomplished rivals in his two-turn debut. He pressed Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) winner Litmus Test in second place through splits of :23.06, :46.62, and 1:11.77, took over a narrow lead, and turned back Southwest (G3) winner Silent Tactic in a long stretch battle, reaching the wire in 1:43.21.

RELATED: Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Class President

Litmus Test held on for third place, 5 1/4 lengths behind Silent Tactic, followed by Breeders’ Futurity (G1) runner-up Blackout Time, Southwest runner-up Soldier N Diplomat, and Smarty Jones S. winner Strategic Risk. Longshots Honey’s to Blame, Rancho Santa Fe, and Time for Music trailed the field.

Class President debuts in third place on the Kentucky Derby qualification leaderboard with 50 points. Silent Tactic has likewise accumulated 50 points and ranks second due to a tiebreaker based on earnings in non-restricted stakes. Soldier N Diplomat occupies 19th place.

Iron Honor handles class, distance challenge in Gotham

Jumping from a maiden special weight into graded stakes company, and stretching out from six furlongs to one mile, didn’t stop Iron Honor from securing victory in Saturday’s Gotham (G3) at Aqueduct.

The Gotham awarded 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualification points to the top five finishers. Iron Honor secured the lion’s share by winning a race-long duel with Crown the Buckeye. The two colts exchanged the lead through splits of :23.09, :46.30, 1:11.45, and 1:24.25 while never more than half a length apart. In the final furlong, Iron Honor edged away to win by one length in 1:37.94.

RELATED: Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Iron Honor

Crown the Buckeye pulled 6 1/2 lengths clear of third-place finisher Right to Party, while Exhibition Only and Balboa rounded out the top five.

Iron Honor ranks fifth on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard. Crown the Buckeye would rank ninth, but he’s not currently nominated to the Triple Crown.

Hidden Force, Blanc de Blance win European qualifiers

Two legs of the European/Middle East Road to the Kentucky Derby took place last week, though it remains to be seen whether they’ll impact the Run for the Roses.

Wednesday’s Road to the Kentucky Derby Condition Stakes at Kempton in England went, as expected, to Hidden Force. The Godolphin homebred rallied to beat Venetian Prince, Tadej, and Utmost Good Faith by 1 1/2 lengths, completing one mile over the synthetic Polytrack course in 1:39.44. The four starters earned 20-10-6-4 qualification points, but none have been nominated to the Triple Crown.

The same applied to Friday’s Patton over the Polytrack at Dundalk in Ireland. The filly Blanc de Blanc tracked the pace in second place before taking over to beat eight rivals by three lengths, with Whatchadoin, Redemption Road, Flanker Jet, and Outlaw Man her closest pursuers. The race awarded 20-10-6-4-2 points, but none of the contestants are currently nominated to the Triple Crown, and Blanc de Blanc is slated to target a European classic on turf rather than the Kentucky Derby.

Brant returns in San Felipe

Brant, winner of the Del Mar Futurity (G1) and runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) last year, will make his three-year-old debut in Saturday’s San Felipe (G2) at Santa Anita.

The Bob Baffert trainee leads a seven-horse field for the 1 1/16-mile Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier, which is worth 50-25-15-10-5 points. He’s joined by unbeaten San Vicente (G2) winner So Happy, Robert B. Lewis (G3) third-place finisher Secured Freedom, California Chrome Cal Cup Derby winner Start the Ride, and maiden winners Flashy Fritz, Potente, and Robusta.

Eight horses expected to enter Tampa Bay Derby

Entries for Saturday’s 1 1/16-mile Tampa Bay Derby (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs won’t be finalized until Wednesday, but eight horses are expected to vie for the 50-25-15-10-5 points up for grabs.

The prospective field includes Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) winner Further Ado, Champagne (G1) runner-up Talkin, Sam F. Davis S. third-place finisher The Puma, Kitten’s Joy S. runner-up Redlands Rebel, Mucho Macho Man S. runner-up Roger That Dana, maiden winners Canaletto and Hulkamania, and the maiden Powershift.

Plutarch off the Derby trail

Plutarch has been removed from Kentucky Derby consideration after coming out of his win in the Robert B. Lewis a bit body sore.

The Daily Racing Form reports Plutarch will remain in light training, but won’t have enough time to regroup for Derby Day.

Cherokee Nation posts huge maiden win at Santa Anita

Cherokee Nation, the fifth-place finisher from the Kentucky Jockey Club and Robert B. Lewis, thrived when dropping in class for a one-mile maiden special weight on Friday at Santa Anita.

The Bob Baffert trainee crushed his rivals by 10 lengths in the fast time of 1:34.50, and the Daily Racing Form reports he’s aiming for the Santa Anita Derby. Read more about Cherokee Nation and other prominent maiden winners in the latest edition of Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch.

Kentucky Derby Power Rankings

A big shakeup has come to the Kentucky Derby Power Rankings on KentuckyDerby.com.

Bolstered by their weekend wins, Commandment has climbed 14 spots to second place, while Class President and Iron Honor are new to the rankings in seventh place and 12th place, respectively. Chief Wallabee (fifth place) and Cherokee Nation (18th place) are likewise newcomers to the Top 20.

Meanwhile, Canaletta rejoins the list in 20th place.

Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard top five

1. Paladin (60 points)
2. Silent Tactic (50 points)
3. Class President (50 points)
4. Commandment (50 points)
5. Iron Honor (50 points)

European-Middle East Road to the Kentucky Derby top five

1. Six Speed (20 points)
2. Puerto Rico (10 points)
3. Lino Padrino (10 points)
4. Wonder Dean (6 points)
5. Keiai Agito (3 points)

Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby top five

1. Lucky Kid (30 points)
2. Pyromancer (20 points)
3. Itterasshai (9 points)
4. Best Green (6 points)
5. Arcadia Cafe (3 points)