Neoequos

Neoequos began his career early in the 2-year-old season and won his maiden race in his second lifetime start in a five-furlong race on Aug. 10 at Gulfstream Park. He later earned his second win in his 3-year-old debut going six furlongs on a sloppy track in a Florida-bred allowance race at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 23, 2025. That effort was enough for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. to consider him for a start against stakes company in the Grade 2 $400,000 Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes going 1 1/16 miles at Gulfstream Park on March 1. In the Fountain of Youth, Neoequos outran the longest odds on the board to finish third in a field of six, losing by less than three lengths and earning 15 qualifying points on the road to the 2025 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve.

Neoequos returned in the next logical spot on the Gulfstream Park stakes calendar in the Grade 1 $1 million Curlin Florida Derby presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa and recorded another third-place finish. He earned 25 Kentucky Derby qualifying points for a total of 40.

Those accrued points put Neoequos on the also-eligible list for the May 3 Kentucky Derby, and he drew into the race April 25 after Built was withdrawn.