Kentucky Derby 2025: Thursday-morning notes for full field

All 21 entrants into Kentucky Derby 2025 were on the track on a warm Thursday morning at Churchill Downs.

Coming back to the track after a walk day from works were Japan-based hopefuls Admire Daytona and Luxor Café, who had breezed five furlongs in 1:02.40 on Tuesday. Also back on the track was Coal Battle, who had worked three furlongs in 36.0 seconds Monday.

“After a work, we walk two days. That’s the way I do it,” trainer Lonnie Briley said. “He’ll gallop Friday.”

Training hours Friday and Saturday are 5:15 to 7:15 a.m. EDT, with the 7:45 to 8 window reserved for Oaks and Derby horses.

The weather forecast for Louisville continues to be fluid for the next few days with rain expected midday Thursday and then picking up again around noon Friday and continuing into Saturday.

Admire Daytona. Grade 2 UAE Derby winner Admire Daytona jogged in the one-mile chute Thursday morning.

American Promise. BC Stables’ American Promise galloped about a mile and a half under Tayja Smith for trainer D. Wayne Lukas during the 7:15-7:30 training window for Kentucky Derby and Oaks horses.

Looking on from the backstretch were co-owners John Bellinger and Brian Coelho. They teamed with Lukas last year with their first Derby starter in Just Steel, who will be making his first Churchill Downs appearance since the Derby in Saturday’s $1 million Churchill Downs (G1).

“We thought we would probably be back (rather quickly),” said Bellinger, who arrived in Louisville on Tuesday from San Antonio. “We knew we had three good, colts and we have Perfect Force and Innovator in the Pat Day Mile (G2) on Saturday plus American Promise in the Derby.

“Wayne has done a wonderful job.”

Baeza. The Kentucky Derby’s lone also-eligible still is on the outside looking in as race scratch time of 9 a.m. Friday closes in. His connections still have hope, though the window is very close to closing now.

Thursday morning, trainer John Shirreffs continued the process of preparing the McKinzie colt for a possible Saturday date. He put him through a strong two-mile gallop under exercise rider Frankie Herrate during the Derby and Oaks training slot.

The conditioner said he sent him the extra distance “To get him to settle. We need to keep his feet on the ground."

Part of the Shirreffs team who has been on hand to care for Baeza, Francisco Leal, has been quietly taking care of business in barn 41. He’s been with Shirreffs for more than two decades and worked for Hall of Fame trainer Charlie Whittingham before that. He is Shirreff’s foreman and traveling guy and over the years has had his hands on many, many good horses.

Leal brought Giacomo to Churchill in 2005 and rooted him on to his 50-1 upset. He was the guy alongside the mighty Zenyatta when she made her amazing run through the racing world from 2007 to 2010, too.

Back in the day, when the traveling outfit named Tex Sutton would fly horses almost everywhere, Leal would fly in the planes with the horses. These days, FedEx is the method of transportation for equines and no humans are allowed on board with them. So Leal books his flights on passenger airlines.

Burnham Square. Whitham Thoroughbreds’ Burnham Square galloped a mile under Mark Cutler during the 7:15-7:30 training window for trainer Ian Wilkes.

Burnham Square will be the second Derby starter for Wilkes, who saddled McCraken for the Whithams in 2017. Brian Hernandez Jr. rode McCraken and will have saddle duties on Burnham Square in Derby 151.

Wilkes, who was the exercise rider for 1990 Derby winner Unbridled for trainer Carl Nafzger and assistant to Nafzger when Street Sense won the 2007 Derby, has been exuding a positive vibe all week.

“I’m feeling good and he’s doing good,” Wilkes said. “That is all I can do until we lead him over there.”

Owner Clay Whitham is expected to be at the track in the morning.

Chunk of Gold. Terry Stephens’s Chunk of Gold galloped at 7:15 a.m. with trainer Ethan West in the saddle.

After Chunk of Gold’s training session, West had special visitors come to his barn, WWE Superstars Maxxine Dupri and Natayla.

“Of course I have to pick a horse with the name ‘gold’ in it,” Dupri said. “He’s my Derby horse.”

Chunk of Gold was scheduled to school in race 2 on Thursday.

Citizen Bull, Rodriguez. Trainer Bob Baffert’s duo of Derby colts were gallopers during the 7:15 to 7:30 a.m. training period. They both galloped a solid mile and a quarter.

Exercise rider Eric Garcia was aboard Rodriguez, and Humberto Gomez was the guy for Citizen Bull.

Most observers and handicappers foresee the Baffert twosome being serious front-end candidates in the 20-horse Derby field, which has its fair share of early speed. Citizen Bull, in particular, from his no. 1 post position has little choice to do anything but fire in order to avoid being left far behind early.

Martin Garcia will ride “Bull” on Saturday, and Hall of Famer Mike Smith will get a leg up on Rodriguez. Smith will start from post 4.

Coal Battle. Norman Stables’ Coal Battle was on the track early Thursday morning to visit the paddock and jog a mile under Bethany Taylor.

The multiple stakes winner had worked three furlongs in 36.0 on Monday and walked the previous two mornings.

“After a work, we walk two days. That’s the way I do it,” trainer Lonnie Briley said. “He’ll gallop Friday.”

East Avenue. Godolphin’s East Avenue galloped during the 7:15-7:30 training window under Stephen Dolan for trainer Brendan Walsh.

Final Gambit. Juddmonte’s Final Gambit galloped at 7:15 under Joel Osorio for trainer Brad Cox.

Flying Mohawk. Two Eight Racing, Berry Family Racing and Kaleta Racing’s Flying Mohawk galloped at 7:15 under Maurilio Garcia aboard with jockey Joe Ramos and co-owner Jayson Werth looking on.

Grande. It was “the usual routine” for trainer Todd Pletcher and his Kentucky Derby charge Grande on Thursday morning at Churchill Downs. And that was a good thing.

“Horses like routines,” the Hall of Fame and seven-time Eclipse Award winning conditioner said.

That meant the drill for the Curlin colt was to gallop 1 3/8 miles under regular exercise rider Juan Suarez during the 7:15 to 7:30 training period on an overcast morning in Louisville. He returned to barn 39 for a bath and a hay rack in his regular stall.

Grande will be handled Saturday by Hall of Famer John Velaquez and come out of post 10 in the 20-horse field. The rider will be seeking his fourth Derby victory, and the trainer will be going for his third. They worked together to capture the 2017 Derby with the colt Always Dreaming.

Journalism. The husky Curlin colt continued on his path to the Kentucky Derby on Thursday morning at Churchill Downs when he went trackside during the 7:15 to 7:30 period. Regular exercise rider Marc Witkowski was attached and the pair turned in another solid gallop, underscoring his role as the favorite for America’s most famous race.

On hand to watch the drill was his primary owner, Aron Wellman of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners.

Also an interested observer Thursday was rider Umberto Rispoli, who’ll be aboard the bay for his 1 1/4-mile challenge Saturday.

The Italian reinsman was asked whether he does anything special in advance of a big race such as the Derby.

“No, not really,” he said. “I try to treat it just like I do all other races. At the end of the day, it is just another race.”

Rispoli and Journalism will come out of post 8 on Saturday in the 20-horse lineup.

Luxor Café. Koichi Nishikawa’s Luxor Café warmed up in the mile chute and then at 7:15 moved to the main track and galloped under Naoto Suzuki for trainer Noriyuki Hori.

Neoequos. C2 Racing Stable, Ian Parsard, Shining Stables and Stefania Farms’ Neoequos galloped during the 7:15-7:30 training window for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.

Owen Almighty. Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing’s Owen Almighty jogged in trainer Brian Lynch’s first set early Thursday morning with Antonio Orellano aboard.

Lynch turned 61 on Thursday, and he hopes Owen Almighty can deliver a belated birthday present on Saturday.

“We’ll just play it from the break,” Lynch said of Owen Almighty, who will be piloted by Javier Castellano from post 20. “Then we will bide our time.”

Publisher, Tiztastic. Trainer Steve Asmussen’s Derby duo of Publisher and Tiztastic galloped during the 7:15-7:30 training window.

Roberto Howell was aboard Publisher and Carlos Rosas on Tiztastic.

Render Judgment. Render Judgment galloped during the 7:15-7:30 training window under Robby Albarado for trainer Kenny McPeek.

Sandman, Sandman jogged a mile under Froylan Garcia for trainer Mark Casse during the 7:15-7:30 training window.

Sovereignty. Trainer Bill Mott who will saddle his 14th Kentucky Derby starter with Sovereignty Saturday, kept a steady hand on the helm at barn 19 Thursday morning as he continued to move toward the $5 million classic.

“We’ll take him around the paddock a few times this morning, then gallop him (under exercise rider Javier Cardona) around the track,” the conditioner said. “Yesterday we took him to the paddock in the afternoon and he did OK. He got a little hot, but nothing special. We gave him some extra for lunch and he ate it all up. He ate up last night, too. The routine is good and so is he.”

The Into Mischief colt drew post 18 for his Derby journey and will have an old friend in Junior Alverado in the boot.