Kentucky Derby Roundup: Further Ado makes stakes debut

The 2026 Kentucky Derby (G1) is 158 days away. Catch up on the latest news and notes as the Road to the Kentucky Derby unfolds:

Further Ado, Spice Runner lead Kentucky Jockey Club field

The Road to the Kentucky Derby resumes on Saturday with the running of the $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs, a 1 1/16-mile qualifier worth 10-5-3-2-1 points to the top five finishers.

The seven-horse field is led by Further Ado, a 20-length maiden winner at Keeneland, and Spice Runner, conqueror of the Iroquois (G3) on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Universe and Very Connected, the 2-3 finishers from the Street Sense (G3) at Churchill, add further depth to the lineup. Churchill allowance winner Soldier N Diplomat, Keeneland maiden winner Dr. Kapur, and promising California maiden Cherokee Nation complete the field.

It’s Our Time drops in class for Churchill allowance

It’s Our Time, the runaway maiden winner who finished fourth as the favorite in the Champagne (G1), is dropping in class for a one-mile $100,000 allowance optional claimer on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

The speedy son of Not This Time is facing eight rivals, none with experience competing at the stakes level. It’s Our Time appears to have found a favorable spot to rebound before rejoining the Road to the Kentucky Derby at a later date.

Stradale, Ganaas meet in Ed Brown Stakes

Another highlight of the Saturday card at Churchill is the Ed Brown S., a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for juveniles featuring a couple of Road to the Kentucky Derby points earners.

Stradale, who earned one point when finishing fifth in the Champagne, recently secured his first victory in a six-furlong maiden special weight at Churchill Downs. Sprinting appears to be a strong suit for the son of Yaupon, so the Ed Brown distance ought to be a good fit.

Ganaas earned one point via a fifth-place finish in the Street Sense (G3), his first defeat from three starts. The bay colt is 2-for-2 sprinting and dominated a Churchill allowance two starts back, so cutting back to 6 1/2 furlongs for the Ed Brown should help him bounce back.

The remainder of the small but strong field is comprised of Skidmore S. winner Bobrovsky, Bowman Mill S. conqueror Gallivant, Breeders’ Futurity (G1) sixth-place finisher Big Dom, and Del Mar maiden winner Boyd.

Chip Honcho, Mob post Churchill Downs maiden wins

Last week, Chip Honcho and Mob emerged as potential Road to the Kentucky Derby contenders with sharp maiden wins at Churchill Downs.

Chip Honcho entered off a runner-up debut against Dr. Kapur and graduated nicely in his second start, winning a one-mile maiden special weight by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:37.60.

Mob debuted in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight and led all the way to triumph by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:17.34. The son of Gun Runner is bred to improve with distance and maturity.

Read more about Chip Honcho, Mob, and other notable maiden winners in this week’s edition of Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch.

Nearly joins Kentucky Derby Power Rankings

The latest name to join the Kentucky Derby Power Rankings on KentuckyDerby.com is Nearly. The Todd Pletcher trainee impressed when breaking his maiden by 9 1/4 lengths in a six-furlong maiden special weight for Florida-breds on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

Nearly joins the Power Rankings in the #20 spot, knocking out recent Churchill Downs maiden winner Project Ace. Otherwise, the Power Rankings are unchanged from last week.

Ted Noffey 6-1 individual favorite in Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 2

Undefeated Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) winner Ted Noffey is the clear individual favorite in 2026 Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 2, which opens for betting at 12:00 p.m. ET on Thursday.

The three-time Grade 1 winner is listed at 6-1 on the morning line, trailing only the “All Others Foaled in 2023” option at 9-5. Del Mar Futurity (G1) winner Brant (10-1) and Kentucky Jockey Club entrant Further Ado (20-1) are the only other horses listed at 20-1 or less.

The lone 2026 Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager pool also opens on Thursday. Into Mischief, the sire of Ted Noffey as well as past Kentucky Derby winners Sovereignty, Mandaloun, and Authentic, is the 4-1 favorite.

Check out the full list of betting interests for both future wagers here.

Cattleya Stakes kicks off Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby

Saturday’s Cattleya S. at Tokyo Racecourse is the first leg of the 2025-26 Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Final entries for the 1,600-meter (about one-mile) race have not been confirmed, but one of the most interesting horses among the dozen early entrants is Arcadia Cafe, a half-brother to multiple Group 1 winner Cafe Pharoah and 2025 Kentucky Derby starter Luxor Cafe. Arcadia Cafe posted a sharp debut win over the Cattleya track and distance and looks like a possible star in the making.

Latest Kentucky Derby contender workouts

Here are some of the latest workouts recorded by Road to the Kentucky Derby points earners:

Balboa: In his first workout since winning the James F. Lewis III S., Balboa clocked half a mile in :49.60 over a good track at Laurel Park on Friday.

Ganaas: The Street Sense fifth-place finisher posted a bullet workout at Keeneland on Thursday, getting five furlongs in :59.00 over a good track.

I Did I Did: Street Sense fourth-place runner I Did I Did returned to the work tab with half a mile in :48.00 on Monday at Churchill Downs, his first timed exercise in 16 days.

Intrepido: The American Pharoah (G1) winner shrugged off his fifth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and rejoined the work tab with four furlongs in :51.80 on Monday at Santa Anita.

Litmus Test: Back in serious action for the first time since finishing fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Litmus Test clocked five furlongs in 1:00.00 on Sunday at Santa Anita.

Plutarch: In his first timed workout since running third in the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance S. on turf, American Pharoah third-place finisher Plutarch went five furlongs in 1:00.00 on Sunday at Santa Anita.

Spice Runner: The Iroquois winner wrapped up his preparations for the Kentucky Jockey Club by working a slow half-mile in :51.20 on Monday at Churchill Downs.

Stradale: Champagne fifth-place finisher Stradale worked an easy three furlongs in :37.40 over a good track at Churchill Downs on Sunday.

Talkin: In stark contrast to his slow workouts in previous weeks, Champagne (G1) runner-up Talkin blazed half a mile over the Belmont Park training track in :47.80 on Thursday.

Universe: The Street Sense runner-up completed his serious training for the Kentucky Jockey Club by traveling half a mile over a sloppy Churchill Downs main track in :50.80 on Saturday.

Very Connected: Working toward a start in the Kentucky Jockey Club, Street Sense third-place finisher Very Connected worked half a mile in :48.40 over a sloppy track on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard top five

1. Ted Noffey (40 points)
2. Mr. A. P. (15 points)
3. Intrepido (13 points)
4. Spice Runner (11 points)
5. Napoleon Solo (10 points)

European-Middle East Road to the Kentucky Derby top five

1. Hawk Mountain (20 points)
2. Puerto Rico (10 points)
3. Bow Echo (10 points)
4. Action (8 points)
5. Nighttime (5 points)