Welcome to Kentucky Derby Prospect Profiles, where we take a look each week at a recent winner on the Road to the Derby schedule from which racehorses earn points toward qualifying for the 1 ¼-mile classic race May 2, 2026, at Churchill Downs.

We take a closer look this week at The Puma, the $350,000 ESMARK Tampa Bay Derby winner March 7 at Tampa Bay Downs. He banked 50 points for the win and rose to second on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 56 qualifying points total.

Racing Résumé: It was not lost on trainer Gustavo Delgado that he entered a 3-year-old with no wins to his credit in the signature Tampa Bay Downs prep race for the 2026 Kentucky Derby, so he felt a sense of pride when The Puma rewarded his faith with a last-to-first victory by three-quarters of a length.

“From the first time he ran, I said that this is a very good horse, and I kept telling everyone,” Delgado said. “It’s very satisfying. ... It’s not an easy thing when you enter a maiden in a stakes race. People think, what are they doing?”

The long-time Venezuelan trainer, of course, has a Kentucky Derby victory with Mage in 2023 on his résumé as evidence of his ability to identify and prepare a quality racehorse. While The Puma was winless in two previous starts, he finished second in his Gulfstream Park debut to Chief Wallabee, who subsequently ran second in the Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes. The Puma then finished third in the Sam F. Davis Stakes Feb. 7 at Tampa Bay Downs in his stakes debut and first try stretching out in distance.

Things came together in the Tampa Bay Derby as a solid pace – opening half-mile in :46.68 – set up The Puma’s closing kick, and he showed he was improving at the right time with a final furlong in :13.10 to win the 1 1/16-mile race.

“With 3-year-olds, you have to give them a chance to develop,” winning jockey Javier Castellano said. “He started to figure it out [in the Tampa Bay Derby]. When he got rolling, he did what he was supposed to do. I like the way he finished.”

Speed Figures: The Puma earned a career-best 95 Equibase Speed Figure and 89 Beyer Speed Figure, the former a five-point improvement and the latter a three-point increase from his previous top. It was the fastest race of his career and marked a significant step forward.

Running Style: The Puma showed a bit more tactical speed in the Sam F. Davis, but he didn’t show the same late explosiveness in that race so perhaps his best running style is closing from off the pace with one sustained run. That can be effective in a 20-horse Kentucky Derby field with multiple runners typically vying for the lead, but it can also lead to traffic issues navigating a path from the back of a large field.

Pedigree Notes: The Puma is from the first crop of 2021 Belmont Stakes winner Essential Quality, by stamina influence Tapit. His dam (mother), Eve of War, by Declaration of War, was a winner at 1 1/8 miles on the grass and Grade 3-placed at 1 1/16 miles. Stamina should not be an issue for The Puma and there is a very good chance he could excel at the 1 ¼-mile Kentucky Derby distance.

Derby Potential: Delgado said after the Florida Derby that he plans to run The Puma once more before the Kentucky Derby, with the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby March 28 at Gulfstream and the $1.25 million Toyota Blue Grass Stakes April 4 at Keeneland the probable options. With only three starts to date, I like the idea of one more prep race to improve the colt’s foundation.

Spacing of races has become more and more important to trainers in recent years and rest has been valued over building stamina, but one-run closers like The Puma are less likely to be pushed too hard in a final prep. In fact, if The Puma runs in a final prep with very little pace and doesn’t win but winds up with a top-three finish where he closes well, that would be a very positive outcome and might set him up ideally for the Kentucky Derby. We know Delgado can have a 3-year-old primed for the race of his life on the first Saturday in May. The Puma might need a bit of racing luck May 2 at Churchill Downs, but he should be doing his best running late with a big shot to finish in the trifecta.