all in The Sport

This feature provides a capsule look at three horses who are heating up on the Triple Crown trail and three horses whose chances for the 2026 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve are not as strong as they previously were. In the eighth edition of this blog for the 2026 run for the roses, the focus is on what has changed since the previous edition on March 31.

HEATING UP

Keeneland’s Stonestreet Lexington Stakes can provide a 3-year-old with a way to catapult into the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve in the 24th hour of qualifying – but not this year.

In the mid-1970s, a crafty but achy-armed left-handed pitcher named Tommy John faced the prospect of surgery to extend his career in Major League Baseball. His surgeon, Dr. Frank Jobe, devised a new way to treat John’s ailment, using a tendon elsewhere in his patient’s body to replace a damaged ulnar collateral ligament. The new technique proved a stroke of genius as it not only allowed John to resume his career, it also saved the career of a long list of pitchers in future years.

Today, Jobe’s breakthrough surgical procedure is known as Tommy John Surgery.

The Maker’s Mark Mile Stakes, held during the spring meet at Keeneland, is the first marquee one-mile turf race on the horse racing calendar and usually attracts both domestic and foreign horses with a year-end goal of winning the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile Presented by PDJF.

Welcome to Kentucky Derby Prospect Profiles, where we take a look each week at a recent winner on the Road to the Derby schedule with races that offer qualifying points to the 1 ¼-mile classic May 2, 2026, at Churchill Downs.

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