Kentucky Derby Roundup: Further Ado, Satono Voyage prevail

The 2026 Kentucky Derby (G1) is 151 days away. Catch up on the latest news and notes as the Road to the Kentucky Derby unfolds:

Further Ado battles to Kentucky Jockey Club triumph

Further Ado, a 20-length maiden winner at Keeneland, joined the Road to the Kentucky Derby with a tenacious triumph in Saturday’s Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs, a 1 1/16-mile qualifier worth 10-5-3-2-1 points.

The Brad Cox trainee rated off the pace in fourth place before launching a sustained outside rally to wear down Soldier N Diplomat and hold off Universe to prevail by 1 3/4 lengths in 1:43.33. He debuts in seventh place on the Kentucky Derby qualification leaderboard with 10 points.

Universe got up for second place by half a length over Soldier N Diplomat, while Very Connected and Cherokee Nation rounded out the top five. By virtue of previous top-three finishes in the Champagne (G1) and Street Sense (G3), Universe has accumulated 13 qualification points, ranking fourth on the leaderboard.

Satono Voyage wins the first Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier

The Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby kicked off on Saturday with the running of the Cattleya S. over 1,600 meters (about one mile) at Tokyo Racecourse. The race awarded 10-5-3-2-1 points to the top five finishers.

Satono Voyage, entering off a decisive win in the Oxalis Sho at Tokyo, brought his dirt record to 3-for-3 with a gate-to-wire triumph. The son of Into Mischief set a stiff pace, then dug down to hold off stretch-running longshot Don Erectus by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:37.4.

Arcadia Cafe, Every Possible, and Ho O Luxor finished third through fifth.

Cannoneer, Liberty National deliver runaway maiden wins

Second-time starters Cannoneer and Liberty National appear poised to join the Road to the Kentucky Derby after posting impressive maiden special weight wins on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Cannoneer was tons the best in a seven-furlong sprint, drawing off to win by 7 1/4 lengths in the fast time of 1:21.63. Liberty National romped over 1 1/16 miles, scoring by 4 1/4 lengths in 1:43.41, which compared favorably against Further Ado’s winning time of 1:43.33 in the Kentucky Jockey Club.

Read more about Cannoneer, Liberty National, and other notable maiden winners in this week’s edition of Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch.

Kentucky Derby Power Rankings

Five new names have joined the latest Kentucky Derby Power Rankings list on KentuckyDerby.com.

Satono Voyage (#15), Cannoneer (#18), Strategic Risk (#19), Liberty National (co-#20), and Stop the Car (co-#20) are the newcomers. Strategic Risk’s emergence is the result of dominating Saturday’s FTBOA Florida Sire In Reality S. at Gulfstream Park by nine lengths, while Stop the Car earned his place via a 3 3/4-length triumph in a $100,000 allowance optional claimer at Churchill Downs.

Meanwhile, several established names have climbed the rankings, including Kentucky Jockey Club 1-2 finishers Further Ado (#7, up from #10) and Universe (#13, up from #15).

Ted Noffey, Into Mischief draw support in Kentucky Derby Future Wagers

Ted Noffey remains the early favorite for the 2026 Kentucky Derby. When Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 2 closed on Sunday, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) winner was the only individual horse listed at single-digit odds, settling at 7-1.

Only “All Other Foals from the 2023 Foal Crop” offered shorter odds, closing at 2-1. Further Ado was the second favorite among individual horses at 13-1.

The Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager closed on Sunday as well. Ted Noffey’s sire, Into Mischief, who has sired a record-equaling three Kentucky Derby winners, wound up as the slim 9-2 favorite over Gun Runner (5-1), the sire of Further Ado.

Check out the full lists of betting interests and prospective payoffs here.

Talkin leads Remsen entries

Talkin, runner-up in the Champagne (G1), leads a 12-horse field entered in Saturday’s Remsen (G2) at Aqueduct.

The 1 1/8-mile Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier is worth 10-5-3-2-1 points to the top five finishers.

Talkin is joined by stakes winners Balboa and Probably Dreaming, maiden winners Paladin, Chambersville, Courting, Igniter, and Concarneau, Street Sense (G3) fourth-place finisher I Did I Did, the stakes-placed Day One Starter, and the maidens Grittiness and Renegade.

Latest Kentucky Derby contender workouts

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

Ganaas: Traveled half a mile in :50.60 on Sunday at Keeneland.

I Did I Did: Worked four furlongs in :48.60 on Monday at Churchill Downs.

Intrepido: Traversed half a mile in :50.20 on Monday at Santa Anita.

Litmus Test: Clocked six furlongs in 1:13.60 on Saturday at Santa Anita.

Maximus Prime: Worked five furlongs in 1:02.40 on Friday at The Thoroughbred Center.

Talkin: Breezed an easy half-mile in :50.25 over the Belmont Park training track on Saturday.

Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard top five

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

Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby top five

1. Satono Voyage (10 points)
2. Don Erectus (5 points)
3. Arcadia Cafe (3 points)
4. Every Possible (2 points)
5. Ho O Luxor (1 point)