Derby pedigrees: Barber Road is outperforming his lineage

The John Ortiz trainee worked through Oaklawn's preps, starting with the Smarty Jones Stakes. Barber Road finished second in the listed race and the Southwest Stakes (G3) before missing out on the second-place finish by a nose to Ethereal Road in the Rebel (G2). Nevertheless, Barber Road quietly collected 58 qualifying points for the Derby.

Last year, Barber Road earned a victory in a $30,000 maiden claiming event at Keeneland and won a 6 1/2-furlong starter allowance at Churchill by 6 1/4 lengths.

Susan Forrester and Judy Curry bred the pretty gray colt. He sold for $15,000 as a 2-year-old in the Keeneland November mixed sale and races in the silks of WSS Racing. Barber Road has two wins, four seconds and a third in eight starts, with $650,720 in earnings.

Barber Road (Race Day - Encounter, by Southern Image) is outperforming his pedigree, and there are strong indications that his sire, Race Day, has something to do with it.

Race Day (Tapit - Rebalite, by More Than Ready) found his stride as a 3-year-old, winning a pair of Grade 2s, the Oaklawn Handicap and Fayette at 1 1/8 miles, plus the 1 1/16-mile Razorback Handicap (G3). By the end of his 3-year-old season, Race Day had accumulated $748,000 in a dozen starts. He retired for the 2016 breeding season to Spendthrift Farm for $7,000. Five years later, Race Day was sold to Korea.

Besides Barber Road, Race Day will be represented in Kentucky by Florida Derby (G1) hero White Abarrio.

Encounter (Southern Image - Copeaway, by Copelan) was unplaced in her sole career start. Barber Road is her sixth foal and first black-type earner. In addition, she has a 2-year-old unnamed filly by Cinco Charlie.

Encounter has three stakes-winning half-siblings; Susan's Angel (Cape Town) won the Grade 3 Turfway Breeders' Cup Stakes at 1 1/16 miles, beating Grade 1 winning sprinter Mayo on the Side. Susan's Angel also won the Serena's Song Stakes and placed in the Churchill Downs Distaff at a mile and the Falls City Handicap at 1 1/8 miles, both Grade 2 events.

Encounter's half-brother Copingaway (Brother Derek) won the 1 1/16-mile English Channel Stakes on the Gulfstream turf, and Adorable Jane (Tale of the Cat) is a restricted-winning sprinter.

Barber Road's third dam Eloquack (Elocutionist), was in the money 17 of 32 starts as a sprinter miler. Her black-type earners are restricted sprinter/miler types, except for Seacliff (Valid Appeal), who swept the Florida Stallion Stakes series as a 2-year-old. Seacliff returned the next year to win the Spectacular Bid (G3) and place in the Jersey Shore Breeders' Cup Stakes (G3).

Southern Image (Halo's Image - Pleasant Dixie, by Dixieland Band) never finished off the board in eight career starts. He went on a six-race win streak, starting with an allowance race at Santa Anita and ending with the Pimlico Special the next year. Along the way, Southern Image captured the Malibu at seven furlongs and the Santa Anita Handicap at 1 1/4 miles, both Grade 1 events. Unfortunately, Southern Image completed his career with a nose loss in the Stephen Foster (G1) to Colonial Colony.

Southern Image didn't set the world on fire as a stallion, getting only 25 black-type winners from 844 starters. The most accomplished was Southern Speed, an Australian Group 1-winning turf router. None of Southern Image's U.S.-based stakes winners won beyond a mile. As a broodmare sire, Southern Image has one black-type winner, Grade 2 winning sprinter/miler Brickyard Ride.

Kentucky Derby contender or pretender?

Arkansas Derby runners-up occasionally hit the board in the Kentucky Derby. The last was Country House, who was third in Arkansas and second in Kentucky, although he was awarded the win on Maximum Security's disqualification.

Barber Road has a miler pedigree and conformation. He is a one-paced runner with high knee action who hangs out near the back of the field or in mid-pack, and he is capable of making a sustained drive.

Barber Road is comfortable racing between horses and getting bumped around, but he shifts in and out once he hits the stretch, often brushing against foes. Barber Road took the overland route in the Smarty Jones and Southwest Stakes and benefited from rail trips in the Rebel and the Arkansas Derby. But the distance or the trip didn't affect his final placing in the races.

Barber Road is a seasoned colt who can handle a fast or muddy track and doesn't mind racing in tight quarters. Although he has no actual speed, he's willing and capable. These types often fill out the exotics in the Kentucky Derby.