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 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.