Kentucky Derby 2026: Watch The Puma drill at Gulfstream
Grade 3 winner The Puma, a last-out runner-up in the Florida Derby (G1) March 28, put in his final local breeze ahead of Kentucky Derby 2026 on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
With Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano aboard, The Puma went five furlongs in 1:00.77 over a fast main track in his second work since being beaten a desperate nose by Commandment in the Florida Derby. It was the fifth-fastest time of 15 horses at the distance.
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Track clockers caught The Puma galloping out six furlongs in 1:12.85 and a mile in 1:37.88.
“(The work) went really well. I’m very satisfied,” Castellano said. “He’s a cool horse to ride. He’s classy, laid back. It was a solid work, just what we were looking for. I’m happy the way he did it. Always in hand. Good level.”
Castellano, who headed north at the conclusion of Gulfstream’s 2025-2026 championship meet, arrived in Fort Lauderdale at 11:40 p.m. EDT Friday and was back on a 10 a.m. EDT flight Saturday to New York, where his mounts include Solitude Dude in the Bay Shore at Aqueduct. Solitude Dude won the Swale and was second to Commandment in the Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream this winter.
The 1 1/8-mile Florida Derby was the longest of The Puma’s four races to date and second over his home track, where he ran second to Chief Wallabee in his Jan. 10 unveiling after going unraced at 2. Chief Wallabee came back to run second in the Fountain of Youth and third in the Florida Derby, a half-length behind The Puma.
Castellano has ridden The Puma in three of four starts including his only win, a maiden-breaking three-quarter-length upset of the 1 1/16-mile Tampa Bay Derby (G3) March 7. The runner-up that day, Further Ado, came back with an 11-length romp in the Blue Grass (G1) April 4 at Keeneland.
“He’s a young horse. He’s getting better and better and he’ll do whatever you want,” Castellano said. “It was a tough beat last time, but it was just his fourth start, and it could have gone either way. I’m very happy where we are.”
Trained by Gustavo Delgado for owners OGMA Investments, JR Ranch and High Step Racing, and assisted by his son, Gustavo Jr., The Puma is expected to leave early next week for Kentucky where the Essential Quality colt will have a final tuneup at Churchill Downs ahead of the 1 1/4-mile Derby.
“By the times and the video of the work, he’s certainly doing it the right way,” said Miami native Ramiro Restrepo, bloodstock and racing manager for JR Ranch and racing manager for High Step Racing. “This was his big work. He’ll be leaving Monday or Tuesday I believe headed for Churchill, do some galloping and probably have a little maintenance spin, but the heavy lifting was done today. For all intents and purposes everybody was very happy with how it went.”
The Puma is following a blueprint that similar connections used three years ago with Mage, who ran second in the Florida Derby in just his third start before registering a 15-1 upset in the Kentucky Derby and going on to be third in the Preakness (G1) and second in the Haskell (G1).
Restrepo purchased The Puma for $150,000 out of the OBS 2-year-old in training sale last April. As a partner in Marquee Bloodstock, he also signed the ticket for Mage, who fetched $290,000 during Fasig-Tipton’s Midlantic 2-year-old in training sale in May 2022.
“From a bloodstock agent perspective it’s been a great thing, just having the good fortune to be where we are,” Restrepo said. “The partners are thrilled, which is great. Obviously, the trainer has done a hell of a job, you’ve got to tip your hat to him. To have a small barn and yet have two horses in four years, one of them win the Derby and the other to have a big shot coming up, it’s really great.
“It’s a testament to the team that’s in place. I’m just happiest for the partners because these are the guys that are letting me go out there and buy horses at sales all around the world, and this is why they do it,” he added. “It’s cool to be part of the team here. While my heavy lifting was done at sale, now I’m the No. 1 cheerleader. We’ll let Gustavo do his two-turn magic and get the colt ready for big performance the first Saturday in May.”
Saturday at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, Pin Oak Stud’s Kentucky Derby-bound Grade 3 winner Incredibolt breezed a half-mile in 49.95 seconds over a fast main track. Trained by Riley Mott, Incredibolt rebounded from a sixth-place finish in the Jan. 31 Holy Bull (G3) at Gulfstream to win the March 14 Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs.