This is the time of year for new stars to rise in Thoroughbred racing. The final races preparing horses for the Kentucky Derby (G1) May 3 at Churchill Downs are being held around the country, and competition is intense as the best equine athletes attempt to gain a spot in the Derby with a good finish in their final prep race.
This Saturday, the Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream Park and Arkansas Derby (G1) at Oaklawn Park both offer points for the Kentucky Derby to the top five finishers, and there are enough points granted to the winners to ensure a spot, and runners-up to virtually ensure a spot, in the Kentucky Derby field.
Let’s look at three fast-rising colts that each sold for $1 million or more before they made an appearance on the racetrack who are entered in Saturday’s big races. Each needs to finish at least second to have a chance to compete for the first jewel of racing’s Triple Crown next month.
1. Cornucopian
Anticipation is sky-high for this runner, who was bought by members of his large ownership group for $1.1 million as a yearling in 2023. The son of multiple leading sire Into Mischief did not make his first start until just 4 1/2 weeks ago, when he was sent from trainer Bob Baffert’s Southern California base to Oaklawn Park in Arkansas to run in a six-furlong sprint.
But he unleashed a “wow” performance in his debut, drawing clear to win by 5 3/4 lengths, and that gave his owners confidence to enter him in a Kentucky Derby prep race despite the late start to his career. Cornucopian will move from a sprint race around one turn to a mile-and-an-eighth race around two turns and face some tough customers in the Arkansas Derby, but he’s so highly regarded—and his first race was so fast—that he’s been made the 7-5 morning-line favorite. Are we about to see racing’s next Justify , a Baffert trainee who also had a late start on the Derby trail? Find out Saturday at 7:48 p.m. ET on CNBC and FS1.
2. Disruptor
Here’s another expensive yearling owned by some of the top owners in Thoroughbred racing attempting to crash the Kentucky Derby party right before closing time. Disruptor was bought by two of his eight owners, Mike Repole and Spendthrift Farm, for $1.15 million as a yearling and, like Cornucopian, he did not start at age 2, debuting in late January of this year at Gulfstream.
Disruptor
He led early in a seven-furlong race but got tired in the stretch and finished third. He then took a little more than a month off before trying again at the same track and distance. This time, bingo! Disruptor rolled to a dominant 9 1/4-length victory. Now the son of Gun Runner will try two turns and 1 1/8 miles in the Florida Derby, where he faces a horse in Sovereignty who tops BloodHorse’s Derby Dozen. Safe to say this colt hopes to live up to his name Saturday when the Florida Derby commences at 6:42 p.m. on CNBC.
Unlike Cornucopian and Disruptor, Tappan Street already has earned some Kentucky Derby qualifying points. He did so in his second of two career starts, which came in the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) Feb. 1 at Gulfstream. The colt, who sold for $1 million as a yearling, turned heads back in December when winning a seven-furlong race at Gulfstream by 1 3/4 lengths, and so his owners and trainer Brad Cox decided to move him up in class (just as Cornucopian’s owners are now) in career start number 2. Tappan Street ran very well in the Holy Bull Stakes held around two turns at 1 1/16 miles and almost won, but Burnham Square rallied in the stretch to defeat him.
Tappan Street
His runner-up finish netted 10 Kentucky Derby points, and now Tappan Street returns for a last-ditch Kentucky Derby bid in the Florida Derby. The son of Into Mischief needs to show improvement after nearly two months away in order to finish first or second. A third-place finish likely would put him on the Derby bubble with 35 points.
