The Road to the 2027 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve is underway, and every Monday through the end of December, Rookie Rankings will analyze potential contenders for the first Saturday in May and rank them in a Top 10 list.

Identifying a Kentucky Derby winner this far in advance isn’t easy. Next year’s Kentucky Derby starters are only 2 years old right now. Seven of the last 10 Derby winners were unraced at this point in their juvenile or “rookie” year, and two others were winless.

As a result, the Rookie Rankings isn’t a list of the most accomplished 2-year-old Thoroughbreds in training. Winners of major stakes races will appear in the rankings, but only if they seem to possess the right combination of talent, pedigree, and long-term potential to excel at age 3 racing 1 1/4 miles in the Kentucky Derby.

The Rookie Rankings is a subjective blend of data analysis and intuition. It will change week by week as the Road to the Kentucky Derby unfolds. Last year’s series ended with future Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo ranked No. 10, a notable inclusion considering he’d only raced once in a maiden special weight race at Fair Grounds.

Our first Rookie Rankings for the 2027 Kentucky Derby is, understandably, stacked primarily with lightly raced maiden winners who have yet to compete at the stakes level. They include U. S. S. Valor and Coach Pope, two eye-catching winners conditioned by trainers who have already won the Kentucky Derby.

The other three ranked rookies are graded stakes winners, including Hughes, winner of the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity. The Del Mar Futurity produced three Kentucky Derby winners in a row from 2014-’16.

Here’s how the Rookie Rankings stack up:

1. U. S. S. Valor: Rallied for third place in his debut, then obliterated the opposition in a Saratoga maiden special weight race by 13 1/4 lengths in the blazing time of 1:22.04 for seven-eighths of a mile.

Owner: Team Valor International

Trainer: Shug McGaughey

Last Race: 1st, Maiden Special Weight, Sept. 5

2. Hughes: Currently the most accomplished juvenile in training, Hughes is unbeaten and unchallenged in three starts, including two graded stakes victories.

Owner: Front Row Club, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Bashor Racing, Albaugh Family Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Golconda Stable, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan

Trainer: Bob Baffert

Last Race: 1st, Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity, Sept. 6

3. Coach Pope: Finished second in his debut sprinting, then stretched out to one mile and effortlessly trounced the field in a Churchill Downs maiden special weight by 12 1/2 lengths.

Owner: Gainesway Stable, Shamrock Stables, and Michael J. Mackin

Trainer: Kenny McPeek

Last Race: 1st, Maiden Special Weight, Sept. 12

Powerful debut winner Gaudreau (Coglianese Photos/Susie Raisher)

4. Gaudreau: Debuted in a maiden special weight race sprinting at Saratoga and battled to victory by half a length over Coach Pope and U. S. S. Valor.

Owner: Tanglewood Thoroughbreds, Thirty Year Racing, Bradley Thoroughbreds, Rodeo Creek Racing, Laura Leigh Stable, and Swift Thoroughbreds

Trainer: Chad Brown

Last Race: 1st, Maiden Special Weight, Aug. 8

5. The Good Life: Won his first two starts, including the Grade 1 Spendthrift Farm Hopeful Stakes, by decisive margins.

Owner: WinStar Farm, First Go Racing, and CHC Inc.

Trainer: Brad Cox

Last Race: 1st, Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes, Sept. 6

6. Endrush: Son of Curlin is bred to relish the Kentucky Derby’s 1 1/4-mile distance, but he managed to win his debut sprinting at Churchill Downs with a strong late rally.

Owner: Green Lantern Stables

Trainer: Eddie Kenneally

Last Race: 1st, Maiden Special Weight, Sept. 10

7. Q B Rocket: Used early speed to win a maiden special weight race at Saratoga in gate-to-wire fashion over a field that included next-out winners Vukota and Card Man.

Owner: Spendthrift Farm and Frank Fletcher Racing Operations

Trainer: Brad Cox

Last Race: 1st, Maiden Special Weight, Aug. 15

8. Inshallah: Beautifully bred son of 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline set a fast pace on his way to winning a Del Mar maiden special weight race.

Owner: KAS Stables

Trainer: John Sadler

Last Race: 1st, Maiden Special Weight, Aug. 15

Salahudin wins Iroquois (Candice Chavez/Eclipse Sportswire)

9. Salahudin: Unbeaten colt picked up his third straight win when overcoming a bad start in the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes, the first leg of the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Owner: Zedan Racing Stables

Trainer: Bob Baffert

Last Race: 1st, Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes, Sept. 12

10. Imperial Honor: Dueled for the lead, then powered away to dominate a Del Mar maiden special weight race by 5 1/4 lengths.

Owner: Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman

Trainer: Bob Baffert

Last Race: 1st, Maiden Special Weight, Sept. 7