Three prep races for the 2026 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve contested in two different countries promised to shake up Week 4 of the Rookie Rankings. But the impact was smaller than expected. The two stateside qualifiers yielded intriguing results, but the winners weren’t quite strong enough to make the Top 10 cutoff.
Tag: The Sport
2026 Kentucky Derby Prospect Profile: Gun Runner Stakes Winner Chip Honcho
Welcome to Kentucky Derby Prospect Profiles, where we take a look each week at a recent winner of a race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve schedule offering qualifying points for the 1 ¼-mile Derby May 2, 2026, at Churchill Downs.
Express Kid Joins Kentucky Derby Trail with Springboard Mile Upset
Express Kid, a 2-year-old California-bred colt who was purchased for only $2,000 as a yearling, joined a growing group of prospects the road to the 2026 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve with a 34.50-1 upset win in the $300,000 Remington Springboard Mile Stakes during the late night of Dec.
Chip Honcho on Target in Gun Runner Stakes Win at Fair Grounds
Chip Honcho outran favored Liberty National and front runner Crown the Buckeye to win the $100,000 Gun Runner Stakes for 2-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles Dec.
