The 2025 Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown trail makes its seasonal unveiling Saturday with no less than 5 stakes of interest across the country. From east to west, there’s the Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream and Jerome at Aqueduct; the Turfway Prevue and Oaklawn’s Smarty Jones; and the San Vicente at Santa Anita.
To get an early season feel of the prospects, let’s meet the leading contenders for Saturday headliners:
Aqueduct: $150K Jerome Stakes | Race 8 | 3:39 pm ET
#6-Cyclone State: Chad Summers-trained McKinzie colt has won 2 straight, including a local allowance mile over rematched rival #3 Ican for Rick Dutrow.
#7-Studlydoright: Laurel-based Nyquist colt won the Tremont at Saratoga and Nashua at Aqueduct for trainer Jerry Robb. He’ll make his sixth NYRA road trip in eight starts, following a fourth-place fade in the 9-furlong Remsen.
#8-McAfee: Churchill debut winner for Rick Dutrow exits an allowance runner-up in late November in Louisville. Son of Preakness winner Cloud Computing outrunning his $40K yearling purchase price.
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Santa Anita: Grade 2 $200K San Vicente Stakes | Race 5 | 4:30 pm ET
#1-McKINZIE STREET: Stakes-placed in the Del Mar Futurity, American Pharoah and Bob Hope, son of McKinzie appears more successful sprinting. Trainer Tim Yakteen coming off Grade 1 win opening day with Johannes.
#2-Barnes: One of the most ballyhooed debuts in recent years, the $3.2 million Into Mischief colt was all-out to score by a head November 27 at Churchill Downs. Bob Baffert’s first starter in Louisville since his suspension was uplifted makes a natural rise in class off the win.
#5-Bullard: Gun Runner colt is 2-for-2 after winning Del Mar’s Bob Hope to go with his Del Mar summer maiden debut. Trainer Michael McCarthy also has Los Al Futurity winner Journalism in this crop.
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Gulfstream: $165K Mucho Macho Man Stakes | Race 10 | 4:52 pm ET
#1-Guns Loaded: Jose D’Angelo trainee exits a fast Churchill maiden win in his second start. Well-meant $800K Gun Runner colt debuted second last summer at Saratoga. The D’Angelo barn also sends out local maiden winner and Churchill allowance runner-up #3 McKellen and lures Irad Ortiz Jr. off a bullet Palm Meadows workout.
#2-Macho Music: Keeneland allowance sprint winner set the tone in the Bowman Mill Stakes in Lexington before fading to fourth as the favorite. Trainer Rohan Crichton stretches him out to a mile for the first time and lures Jose Ortiz as Luis Saez opts for Guns Loaded on Saturday.
#6-Septarian: X-factor privately purchased by Resolute Racing and moved to Chad Brown following victories at Charles Town and Laurel. Protonico colt gets tested for class off a series of Payson Park workouts for the new connections.
#8-Naughty Rascal: Proud Man and Armed Forces Stakes winner for Tampa-based Gerald Bennett. Exits a close runner-up in Tampa’s Inaugural, upping his rookie earnings to more than $158K after selling in March for just $39K.
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Oaklawn: $250K Smarty Jones Stakes | Race 9 | 4:55 pm ET
#1-Kale’s Angel: Peter Miller turfer found a home on dirt moving from California to Arkansas, winning Oaklawn’s Advent Stakes by nearly 6 lengths. Complexity colt was fourth on grass at Del Mar in the Grade 3 Zuma Beach.
#5-Mo Quality: Quick Churchill sprint winner in his second start for trainer Christopher Davis. Vastly improved from debut rallying second at Keeneland behind Touchy, who we’ll see later Saturday night in the Turfway Prevue.
#6-Hot Property: Cruised to a 3-3/4 length debut win at Fair Grounds on November 24 for Brad Cox. Son of Medaglia d’Oro and Milwaukee Appeal bred top and bottom for distance and may be the best “Triple Crown” type in any of the 5 stakes.
#8-Coal Battle (pictured): Seeks third straight stakes win after tallying the Jean Lafitte at Delta Downs and the Springboard Mile at Remington Park. Late-running Coal Front has bagged more than $307K, the most successful earner in the 30+ year career for trainer Lonnie Briley.
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Turfway Park: Turfway Prevue Stakes | Race 6 | 9:25 pm ET
#1-Touchy: Wesley Ward trainee was runner-up in the Tremont, fourth in the Saratoga Special and then broke his maiden at Keeneland by daylight in his third start. Nyquist home-bred for Three Chimneys Farm.
#2-Star’s Image: Two-for-two turf sprinting at Fair Grounds, this Larry Rivelli trainee has yet to trail in a race. $175K purchase as a 2YO by Carravaggio got a local work over the Tapeta on December 28.
#8-Warheart: Aqueduct’s Atlantic Beach Stakes winner comes off a dominant, 4-length victory for trainer Rodolphe Brisset. All 4 starts have been on turf, including a Kentucky Downs maiden breaker, for this son of Omaha Beach.
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