The Puma

The Puma made his career debut as a 3-year-old at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 10, 2026, and finished second by 1 1/2 lengths in a solid effort while 8 1/4 lengths ahead of the third-place horse. The runner-up effort in the debut was enough of a head turner for The Puma to be sent out against stakes company while still a maiden in his second start in the $210,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes going 1 1/16 miles at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 7, 2026. The Puma was live on the tote board in a nine-horse field in the Sam F. Davis where he was sent off at odds of 5-2, and he responded with a third-place finish. The Sam F. Davis was a points race on the road to the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve, and with his third-place finish he earned six Derby qualifying points.

The Puma returned to Tampa Bay Downs for his following start which came in the Grade 3 $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby going 1 1/16 miles at Tampa Bay Downs on March 7, and he earned a major 50-point win on the road to the Kentucky Derby. Sent off as the 7.40-1 fourth-choice in a nine-horse field in the Tampa Bay Derby as the bandwagon from the Sam F. Davis Stakes the race before mostly cleared out, this time The Puma showed up with a strong winning effort when using a last-to-first rally to catch runner-up Further Ado in deep stretch to win by three-quarters of a length. The Tampa Bay Derby awarded 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the winner.

The Puma's next start came in the $1 million Grade 1 Curlin Florida Derby going 1 1/8 miles at Gulfstream Park on March 28. Sent off as the fourth choice on the tote board in a field of six in the Florida Derby, The Puma came from off the pace to launch a rally going very wide on the turn into the home stretch. He assumed the lead in the final furlong until getting nailed in the final step at the wire by Commandment to settle for second by a nose in a photo finish. Game in defeat, The Puma earned another 50 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby for a total of 106 which easily gets him into the field for the run for the roses.

The Puma missed the Triple Crown series but returned to the racetrack for a 2026 summer campaign that encompassed three key Grade 1 races – Monmouth Park's Haskell Stakes, Saratoga's Travers Stakes, and the Pennsylvania Derby at Parx. After disappointing somewhat with back-to-back fourth-place finishes in the Haskell and Travers, The Puma broke through to get his Grade 1 victory in the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby going 1 1/8 miles at Parx on Sept. 19. Sent off as the 2.70-1 second choice on the tote board in a 10-horse field in the Pennsylvania Derby, The Puma rallied from far back in the field to clear the field in the stretch, then held off a late run by favored Further Ado win win by a half a length. 

The Puma is trained by Gustavo Delgado for the OGMA Investments ownership group, the trainer and owner combination that won the 2023 Kentucky Derby with Mage. The Puma was bred in Kentucky by the wire Essential Quality out of the dam Eve of War by Declaration of War.