Holy Bull guide: Brad Cox star, Pletcher colt clash in Derby prep
The Holy Bull, a Grade 3, 1 1/16-mile stakes on dirt for 3-year-olds is Saturday at Gulfstream Park. This has been a fruitful stop on the road to the Kentucky Derby and offers 20-10-6-4-2 points to the top five finishers.
In 2006, the undefeated Barbaro made his dirt debut in the Holy Bull en route to a sublime Kentucky Derby victory. In 2020, Tiz the Law won the Holy Bull before a second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby and wins in the Belmont Stakes and Travers (G1). 2025 Pegasus World Cup (G1) and 2023 Breeders' Cup Classic winner White Abarrio also won the Holy Bull in 2022; finishing in third behind him that year was Belmont Stakes winner Mo Donegal. Last year, Burnham Square won the Holy Bull before his score in the Blue Grass (G1) and Florida Derby (G1) Tappan Street finished second here as well.
This year, nine contenders have signed on for the Holy Bull, with morning line favorite Cannoneer looking to start his year in a big way. The Brad Cox trainee broke his maiden at Churchill Downs in November and has been off since, prepping for the road to the Derby. The son of Into Mischief will have Irad Ortiz Jr for the ride.
Todd Pletcher may have just experienced a big hit with the champ Ted Noffey coming off the trail, but among the six other talented 3-year-olds in his stable is Nearly. Nearly is a son of hot young sire Not This Time, and he enters the Holy Bull on a two race win streak. John Velazquez could be riding the next Derby favorite.
Riley Mott sends Street Sense stakes winner Incredibolt into the fray to add to his Derby points total. This son of Bolt d'Oro is the only one in the field with a graded-stakes win and he already has 10 Derby points. Jaime Torres has the ride from the rail.
According to trainer Dale Romans, Project Ace has the right stuff to make a bid for the Derby, and he's taking his first step here. The son of War of Will has Corey Lanerie up.
Three contenders, Buetane, Roger That Dana and Game for It, have been scratched.
Meet the field in this horse-by-horse guide.
The Holy Bull is race 12, post time 5:45 p.m. EST. Coverage of the race will be on FanDuel TV, and it will also be streaming on Peacock beginning at 4:30 p.m. EST.
Free past performances for the Holy Bull and this weekend's stakes are courtesy of Brisnet.
Here are the top lifetime speed figures for the Holy Bull entrants.
| No. | Horse | Beyer* | TFUS* | Brisnet | HRN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Incredibolt | 81 | 106 | 93 | 111 |
| scr | Roger That Dana | ||||
| 3 | Project Ace | 73 | 97 | 85 | 100 |
| 4 | Global Aviator | 84 | 100 | 93 | 118 |
| 5 | Cannoneer | 90 | 107 | 100 | 121 |
| scr | Buetane | ||||
| 7 | Nearly | 81 | 111 | 97 | 132 |
| 8 | Bravaro | 83 | 104 | 89 | 111 |
| scr | Game for It |
*Beyer and TimeformUS speed figures are provided courtesy of Daily Racing Form.
HRN Handicappers
A New York-bred who won the Sleepy Hollow stakes last fall has caught the eye of HRN's Ed DeRosa.
"Bravaro, Stephanie Baltzan's homebred Upstart colt, just exploded in that stakes win after racing five wide in a one-turn mile," Ed said. "Now, this step up to 1 1/16 miles in both his 3-year-old and two-turn debuts will certainly be a challenge from post 8. But at the expected price against known names, he's the one I want to gamble on most." Get the wagering strategy.
HorseCenter's Matt Shifman and Brian Zipse have differing opinions on the Holy Bull. Check out their plays and how they landed on those picks.
This week's Ron Flatter Racing Pod features a round table of handicappers and media personalities all focused on one thing: the Kentucky Derby. It's a round-robin draft of Derby futures picks that you do not want to miss.
Head-to-Head Handicappers Ashley Tamulonis and Laurie Ross debate class vs pace in their Holy Bull selections.
The Holy Bull and seven other stakes are in this week's Super Screener. Get it for this week and every week through Derby day.