This is the time of year for new stars to arise in Thoroughbred racing. The final races preparing horses for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve run on May 3 at Churchill Downs are being held around the country, and competition is intense as the best equine athletes attempt to gain a spot in the Derby with a good finish in their final prep race.

This Saturday, the Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa at Gulfstream Park and the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park both offer points for the Kentucky Derby to the top five finishers, and there are enough points granted to the winners and runners-up in each race to virtually ensure that they will have a reservation among the 17 slots in the starting gate reserved for North American racehorses (up to two of the 20 total are open to horses racing in Europe and the Middle East, and one is reserved for a Japan-based horse).

Both of these big-time races have some familiar names entered – horses that have been on the radar for months and even going back to last year, such as Sovereignty in the Florida Derby and Coal Battle in the Arkansas Derby. But there are also three lightly raced contenders (five combined starts for all of them) facing a “make or break” moment on the Kentucky Derby trail.

The Kentucky Derby is restricted to 3-year-olds, and these three colts that each sold for $1 million or more before they made an appearance on the racetrack need to finish at least second to have a chance to compete for the first jewel of racing’s Triple Crown next month. Let’s learn more about them …

1. Cornucopian

Anticipation is sky-high for this runner, who was bought by members of his large ownership group for $1.1 million as a yearling in 2023. He did not make his first start until just 4 ½ weeks ago, when he was sent from trainer Bob Baffert’s California base to Oaklawn Park in Arkansas to run in a six-furlong sprint. But he unleashed a “wow” performance in his debut, drawing clear to win by 5 ¾ lengths, and that gave his owners confidence to enter him in a Kentucky Derby prep race despite the late start to his career. Cornucopian will move from a sprint race around one turn to a mile-and-an-eighth race around two turns and face some tough customers in the Arkansas Derby, but he’s so highly thought of – and his first race was so fast – that he’s been made the 7-5 morning-line favorite. Are we about to see racing’s next American Pharoah or Justify? Find out Saturday evening at 7:48 p.m. ET on CNBC and FS1.

Coglianese Photos/Gulfstream Park

2. Disruptor

Here’s another expensive yearling owned by some of the top names in Thoroughbred racing attempting to crash the Kentucky Derby party right before closing time. Disruptor was bought by two of his eight owners, Mike Repole and Spendthrift Farm, for $1.15 million as a yearling and, like Cornucopian, he did not start at age 2, debuting in late January of this year at Gulfstream Park. He led early in a seven-furlong race but got tired in the stretch and finished third. He then took a little more than a month off before trying again at the same track and distance. This time, bingo! Disruptor rolled to a dominant 9 ¼-length victory. Now he’ll try two turns and 1 1/8 miles in the Florida Derby, where he faces a horse in Sovereignty that is number 1 in the rankings of several veteran Kentucky Derby analysts. Safe to say this colt hopes to live up to his name Saturday when the Florida Derby commences at 6:42 p.m. on CNBC.

Ryan Thompson/Coglianese Photo

3. Tappan Street

Unlike Cornucopian and Disruptor, Tappan Street has already earned some Kentucky Derby qualifying points. He did so in his second of two career starts, which came in the Holy Bull Stakes on Feb. 1 at Gulfstream Park. The colt, who sold for $1 million as a yearling, turned heads back in December when winning a seven-furlong race at Gulfstream by 1 ¾ lengths, and so his owners and trainer Brad Cox decided to move him up in class (just as Cornucopian’s owners are now) in career start number 2. Tappan Street ran very well in the Holy Bull Stakes held around two turns at 1 1/16 miles and almost won, but Burnham Square rallied in the stretch to defeat him. His runner-up finish netted 10 Kentucky Derby points, and now Tappan Street returns for a last-ditch Kentucky Derby bid in the Florida Derby. He’ll need to show improvement after nearly two months away in order to finish first or second.