all in Racing

The last round of prep races for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve that award 100 points to the winner are now complete, so it’s time to take a look at the cast of 3-year-old racehorses expected to compete in the first jewel of the Triple Crown May 2 at Churchill Downs.

The opening weekend of Keeneland’s Spring Meet along with other stakes races around the country reshaped the Equibase leaderboard in a big way, with eight horses moving into the top 25 in the overall standings for 2026 North American earnings. Three significant preps for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve led the way.

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.

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

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.

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