Kentucky Derby Roundup: Silent Tactic among four new winners

The 2026 Kentucky Derby (G1) is 81 days away. Catch up on the latest news and notes as the Road to the Kentucky Derby unfolds:

Silent Tactic rallies late for Southwest upset

Silent Tactic scored a 12-1 upset in the 1 1/16-mile Southwest (G3) at Oaklawn Park, earning the lion’s share of the 20-10-6-4-2 Road to the Kentucky Derby qualification points awarded to the top five finishers.

Silent Tactic was compromised by a slow pace when second in last month’s Smarty Jones S. at Oaklawn. The Southwest unfolded with a contested pace, and that made all the difference for the Mark Casse trainee. Silent Tactic stormed from 11th place to dominate by 3 1/4 lengths over Soldier N Diplomat, Buetane, Rancho Santa Fe, and Circle Tap.

Strategic Risk, winner of the Smarty Jones, ran below expectations, finishing 10th.

Silent Tactic has accumulated 25 Kentucky Derby qualification points, placing him first on the latest leaderboard.

Renegade romps in the Sam F. Davis

Renegade, runner-up in the Remsen (G2) last fall, made his sophomore debut a winning one in the 1 1/16-mile Sam F. Davis S. at Tampa Bay Downs, a Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier worth 20-10-6-4-2 points.

The Todd Pletcher trainee rated in eighth place for the first half-mile before launching a strong homestretch rally to beat pacesetter Wayne’s Law by 3 3/4 lengths in 1:43.54. The Puma, Game for It, and Epic Desire rounded out the top five.

The win propelled Renegade into second place on the Kentucky Derby qualification leaderboard with 25 points, trailing only Silent Tactic via a tiebreaker.

Plutarch edges Intrepido in Robert B. Lewis

In a rematch of last year’s American Pharoah (G1), which saw Intrepido, Desert Gate, and Plutarch run 1-2-3 in a close finish, Plutarch turned the tables on his rivals in the one-mile Robert B. Lewis (G3) at Santa Anita.

Switch back to dirt following a maiden win on turf, Plutarch dueled for the lead throughout and tenaciously edged away from Intrepido to prevail by three-quarters of a length in 1:37.02. Secured Freedom closed for third place, while Desert Gate and Cherokee Nation claimed the last of the 20-10-6-4-2 Road to the Kentucky Derby qualification points up for grabs.

Plutarch gave six-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Bob Baffert an eighth consecutive win in the Robert B. Lewis.

Talk to Me Jimmy dominates Withers by 11 lengths

Talented New York-bred Talk to Me Jimmy stepped outside the state-bred ranks for the 1 1/8-mile Withers S. at Aqueduct and had no trouble defeating half a dozen rivals.

The Rudy Rodriguez trainee led from the start and widened his advantage at every call, ultimately scoring by 11 lengths over Remsen's fifth-place finisher Grittiness. Ottinho, Schoolyardsuperman, and Star Sweeper rounded out the top five in a race worth 20-10-6-4-2 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Paladin to make sophomore debut in Risen Star

Paladin, who defeated Renegade by two lengths in the Remsen last fall, will kick off his three-year-old season in Saturday’s Risen Star (G2) at Fair Grounds.

As for the first leg of the Road to the Kentucky Derby Championship Series, the Risen Star is worth 50-25-15-10-5 points to the top five finishers, likely guaranteeing the winner a spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate.

Paladin is joined in the entries by Golden Tempo, Carson Street, Chip Honcho, and Quality Mischief, who ran 1-3-4-5 in the Lecomte (G3) at Fair Grounds; Courting, the fourth-place finisher from the Remsen; Universe, who has placed three times on the Road to the Kentucky Derby; and Colt Forty Seven, runner-up in a $125,000 allowance optional claimer at Fair Grounds.

Express Kid leads Sunland Park Derby field

Express Kid, who dominated the Remington Springboard Mile S. on the Road to the Kentucky Derby by 6 1/4 lengths, is slated to make his 2026 debut in Sunday’s Sunland Park Derby at Sunland Park.

The race is worth 20-10-6-4-2 points. Others in the field include Daneyko and Way Beyond, the top two finishers from the Riley Allison Derby at Sunland; Bricklin, the decisive winner of a $125,000 allowance optional claimer at Oaklawn; California Cup Derby third-place finisher Pavlovian; runaway maiden winner Forty Twenty; and the maidens Sharons Beach and Buntus Foclora.

Strong field expected for Saudi Derby

A bevy of talented horses are expected to participate in Saturday’s Saudi Derby (G3) in Saudi Arabia, a 1,600-meter (about one-mile) European Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier worth 30-15-9-6-3 points.

The prospective lineup includes Satono Voyage, winner of the Cattleya S. on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby, and My World, an American colt exiting a triumph in the Jerome S. at Aqueduct.

Emerging Market scores fast debut win at Tampa

Emerging Market won his debut in a fast maiden special weight racing one mile and 40 yards on Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs, in the process emerging as a possible Kentucky Derby contender for trainer Chad Brown.

Emerging Market rallied gamely from four lengths back to defeat fellow first-time starter Powershift by three-quarters of a length in 1:39.11.

Read more about Emerging Market and many other promising maiden winners in the latest edition of Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch.

Renegade makes big move in Kentucky Derby Power Rankings

Renegade’s big win in the Sam F. Davis helped him climb 10 spots in this week’s Kentucky Derby Power Rankings on KentuckyDerby.com.

Previously ranked 14th, Renegade advanced to fourth place. Paladin, who beat Renegade in the Remsen, climbed six spots to second place, trailing only Holy Bull (G3) winner Nearly.

New or returning names in the Power Rankings are Silent Tactic (eighth place). Talk to Me Jimmy (11th place), and Plutarch (13th place).

Latest Kentucky Derby contender workouts

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

Balboa: Four furlongs in :49.80 on Friday at Laurel Park.

Blackout Time: Five furlongs in 1:00.80 on Thursday at Fair Grounds.

Blacksmith: Five furlongs in 1:00.40 on Saturday at Santa Anita.

Brant: Five furlongs in 1:01.80 on Thursday at Santa Anita.

Carson Street: Four furlongs in :48.80 on Saturday at Fair Grounds.

Chip Honcho: Five furlongs in 1:01.80 on Sunday at Fair Grounds.

Courting: Four furlongs in :48.32 on Saturday at Palm Beach Downs.

Express Kid: Five furlongs in :47.90 on Sunday at Sunland Park.

Further Ado: Four furlongs in :49.00 on Saturday at Payson Park.

Golden Tempo: Four furlongs in :48.80 on Friday at Fair Grounds.

Litmus Test: Four furlongs in :48.40 on Saturday at Santa Anita.

Napoleon Solo: Four furlongs in :48.00 on Thursday at Palm Meadows.

Paladin: Four furlongs in :49.60 on Saturday at Payson Park.

Talkin: Four furlongs in :49.75 on Thursday at Palm Meadows.

Universe: Five furlongs in 1:01.60 on Sunday at Fair Grounds.

Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard top five

1. Silent Tactic (25 points)
2. Renegade (25 points)
3. Intrepido (23 points)
4. Plutarch (23 points)
5. Nearly (20 points)

European-Middle East Road to the Kentucky Derby top three

1. Six Speed (20 points)
2. Puerto Rico (10 points)
3. Lino Padrino (4 points)

Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby top three

1. Pyromancer (20 points)
2. Best Green (6 points)
3. Arcadia Cafe (3 points)