BloodHorse news editor Byron King presents his weekly Derby Dozen for 2026, with a look at his leading contenders for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve on May 2.

There were no qualifying points preps scheduled last weekend, but two are set for Jan. 31: the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park and the Withers Stakes at Aqueduct. The Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park has been rescheduled to Feb. 6.

Check out America’s Best Racing’s Triple Crown page to keep up to date with stories and statistics on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

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1. Ted Noffey

A day after being honored with an Eclipse Award as the champion 2-year-old male of 2025, Ted Noffey was back at work at Palm Beach Downs for two-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Todd Pletcher, breezing a half-mile in company Jan. 23 in :50.81. The breeze obviously was not intended to be demanding, this being his first half-mile since he capped a 4-for-4 campaign at age 2 by winning the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Presented by TAA. His workout rider had him under a hammerlock throughout. A three-time Grade 1 winner, with two of those at a route, he is battle-proven in ways others on this list are not. The Feb. 28 Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes is next.

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2. Further Ado

After his 1 ¾-length win in the Nov. 29 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs, in which he seemed to shut down pretty quickly on the gallop out, trainer Brad Cox gave him a little break. Can understand the move, as the colt regressed on speed figures in the KJC relative to his 20-length romp in his first two-turn test when racing in a 1 1/16-mile race at Keeneland a month earlier. He resumed breezing Jan. 25 with a 3-furlong breeze in :37 at Payson Park as Cox eases him back in the flow. Probably another three or four workouts away from becoming race fit.

Ryan Thompson/Coglianese Photos

3. Commandment

Brad Cox gave this one a few weeks off from breezing after his head-turning victory in the 1-mile Mucho Macho Man Stakes Jan. 3 at Gulfstream Park – a race that surprisingly offers no qualifying points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, even though some other one-turn mile races do. So this colt is still without points on the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard. His other victory came in a second-out seven-furlong maiden score in the fall at Churchill Downs. A potential showdown with Ted Noffey could take place in the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth, though there are a number of other Derby options always available.

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4. Paladin

After winning his debut via disqualification, Paladin took last fall’s Remsen Stakes to stamp himself as a bona fide Kentucky Derby contender. As for the Remsen not producing a Derby winner since Thunder Gulch wore the garland of roses in 1995, best to chalk it up to bad luck. Some high-quality horses have run in it, such as the race’s 1-2 finishers from 2023: eventual Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets winner Dornoch and eventual Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Sierra Leone. The latter – saddled by Paladin’s trainer Chad Brown – missed in the Derby by a nose when runner-up to a ground-saving Mystik Dan.

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5. Brant

Though there are concerns about this colt at the Derby’s distance of 1 ¼ miles after his fade to third in the 1 1/16-mile Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, one thing not in question is Brant’s talent. He’s a gifted horse, a $3 million purchase last year as a juvenile who went on to win his first two starts, including the 2025 Del Mar Futurity. Fully expecting him to have a successful campaign this year in short routes in California, but less enthusiastic about his prospects at 1 1/8 miles and beyond when matched against deeper lineups.

BENOIT photo

6. Litmus Test

Six-time Derby-winning trainer Bob Baffert has repeatedly said that added distance will suit this colt. He showed a nice finish late last year in winning the Los Alamitos Futurity, a race that 2025 Preakness Stakes winner Journalism captured in 2024. Litmus Test didn’t catch the eye the same way in winning that race, however. Before that race, he was third once and fourth twice in three Grade 1 outings at 2 last year. He’s entered in the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park, a race that has been postponed from Jan. 31 until Friday, Feb. 6, due to sub-freezing conditions in Arkansas.

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7. Incredibolt

This Riley Mott trainee is set to swing back into action for the first time since winning the Oct. 26 Street Sense Stakes at Churchill Downs when he competes in the Jan. 31 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park. The short stretch that comes into play in 1 1/16-mile races may prove a disadvantage to a horse with his late-running style, but he at least drew the rail, which may better allow him to keep his rivals in range. His five-furlong workout in company in 1:02.30 Jan. 23 at Palm Meadows does not jump out as quick, but he was always traveling much easier than workmate Whine Country and left him easily with a cue from his rider on the gallop out.

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8. Golden Tempo

Progeny of Curlin consistently produce in dirt routes, and he was no exception in the Jan. 17 Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds. Despite having just a single six-furlong debut win under his belt, he ran the 1 1/16-mile distance like a seasoned pro, running down the opposition with a rally from last to improve to 2-for-2. With the Fair Grounds surface playing quickly, his 1:44.98 time netted him weak speed figures across the board. He obviously has room for further development.

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9. Strategic Risk

Like other horses at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas (plus those stabled in Kentucky, Maryland, New York, and other states), his training has been affected by harsh winter weather in recent days. Training was canceled Jan. 27 at Oaklawn, as it was the day before. One edge he has from a fitness perspective is that he has kept an active racing schedule, winning the Nov. 29 FTBOA Florida Sire In Reality Stakes at Gulfstream before adding the Jan. 3 Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn. He’s another that is entered to compete in the Southwest Stakes, which has been postponed from Saturday to Friday, Feb. 6.

Lauren King/Coglianese Photo

10. Nearly

He and fellow Todd Pletcher trainee Class President posted the co-fastest half-mile breeze of Jan. 24 at Palm Beach Downs in clocking the distance in :48.59. That swift work hints that another top performance is forthcoming in Saturday’s Holy Bull Stakes for this up-and-comer, who has rattled off a couple of good-looking triumphs at Gulfstream this winter. Neither of those wins, however, came around two turns, so the Holy Bull should tell us a lot. His dam’s two victories came in sprints, though there are stamina elements elsewhere in his pedigree.

Ryan Thompson/Coglianese Photos

11. Canaletto

Debuting in a maiden race Jan. 25 at Gulfstream, this long-striding colt impressed by showing controllable speed under Flavien Prat, a quick burst when asked to pick up his pace on the turn, and then a strong finish to score by eight lengths. The $1 million yearling clocked a mile in 1:36.28, earning an 89 Beyer Speed Figure and a 94 Equibase Speed Figure. A son of Into Mischief and a half-brother to graded stakes winners She Can’t Sing and Sandman, he has pedigree in addition to talent. These strengths will have to offset his limited experience if he is to have Derby success. It’s not impossible. Justify (2018) and Mage (2023) won the Derby after auspicious winter debuts as 3-year-olds.

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12. Blackout Time 

Returning to the published worktab for the first time since being a regulatory scratch from the Oct. 31 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar, he joins the Derby Dozen rankings, and he has potential to ascend further if his training goes without a hitch. He still must record a five-furlong breeze to work his way off the vet’s list, along with clearing medication tests and other protocols. Coming off just his first three-eighths work, we likely won’t see the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity runner-up in action until March.