Beaten Derby favorite Further Ado returns Sunday in Matt Winn

Spendthrift Farm’s Grade 1 winner and beaten Kentucky Derby 2026 favorite Further Ado will attempt to get his summer campaign back on track in Sunday’s $500,000 Matt Winn Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs, a race trainer Brad Cox has previously used as a springboard to success later in the season.

“Spendthrift has been great to work with in managing this horse,” Cox said. “One of our major goals before the Derby was the Blue Grass, and our team did a good job getting him there. I felt like after the Derby it was a good opportunity to reset with him a bit.”

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In 2022, Cox sent Cyberknife to the Matt Winn after an 18th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby. Cyberknife rebounded with a victory in the Matt Winn before going on to capture the $1 million Haskell Stakes (G1) at Monmouth Park nearly six weeks later.

Further Ado stamped himself as one of the leading contenders on the road to the Kentucky Derby when he rolled to an 11-length victory in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at Keeneland. He was bet to the 5-1 favorite in the Kentucky Derby but finished a disappointing 11th.

“He’s trained well coming out of the Derby, and I thought keeping him at home for the Matt Winn would be a good spot,” Cox said. “We’ve had success in this race in the past as a steppingstone to the Haskell with Cyberknife, who is another son of Gun Runner. I thought those two races made a lot of sense for him as his next goals.”

Other runners from the Kentucky Derby who are entered in the Matt Winn are Potente, who finished 12th and Pavlovian, who was 15th. 

Contested at 1 1/16 miles for 3-year-olds, the Matt Winn shares the Sunday spotlight with the $225,000 Leslie’s Lady Stakes, featuring multiple graded stakes winners Explora and On Time Girl. First post for the nine-race program is 12:45 p.m. EDT, with the Matt Winn scheduled as Race 8 at 4:22 p.m. and the Leslie’s Lady carded as Race 6 at 3:18 p.m.