Fields, posts for 1st 2025 Kentucky Derby & Oaks preps

The road to the 151st Kentucky Derby officially kicks off Saturday at Churchill Downs with the 43rd running of the Grade 3, $300,000 Iroquois Stakes, headlined by undefeated stakes winner Owen Almighty.

The Iroquois, run as Race 10 on the 11-race card, will go off at 5:29 p.m. EDT, with the first post at 12:45 p.m. EDT. The one-mile race will award qualifying points on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale to the top five finishers.

Also drawn Monday was the field for the Pocahontas (G3), the first stop on the road to the Kentucky Oaks (G1). See the field below.

Trained by Brian Lynch, Owen Almighty stormed onto the scene with a 3 1/2-length maiden win at Churchill in June before returning to dominate the Ellis Park Juvenile by 4 3/4 lengths in mid-August. With jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. set to ride, the son of Speightstown will look to keep his perfect record intact from post No. 5.

Among the top challengers in the Iroquois is Politicallycorrect, winner of the Bashford Manor Stakes and second to Owen Almighty in the Ellis Park Juvenile. Politicallycorrect will have Florent Geroux aboard for trainer Chris Davis and will break from post 14.

Also entering the fray is Jonathan’s Way, a dazzling debut winner one month ago at Saratoga for trainer Phil Bauer. The Ohio-bred son of Vekoma had a difficult break in his Aug. 17 debut but easily circled his eight rivals around the far turn before drawing away by 4 1/4 lengths under Joel Rosario. The duo will reunite for the Iroquois from post 10.

In addition to its role in the road to the Kentucky Derby, the Iroquois Stakes is part of the Breeders’ Cup dirt dozen, a series of races that provides entry fee credits toward the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile for the top three Breeders’ Cup-nominated finishers.

Stilettos tries to remain unbeaten in Pocahontas

Undefeated Texas-bred stakes winner Stilettos leads an oversubscribed field of 14 2-year-old fillies plus two also-eligibles who were entered in Saturday’s 56th running of the $300,000 Pocahontas Stakes (G3), the kickoff of the road to the Kentucky Oaks (G1).

Stilettos, who recently won the Ellis Park Debutante, faces several talented fillies in the one-mile Pocahontas, including fellow stakes winner Kimchi Cat. The fillies will head to post in race 8 with a post time of 4:25 p.m. EDT. The first of 11 races will get underway at 12:45 p.m. EDT.

The Pocahontas Stakes will award the top five finishers qualifying points on a 10-5-3-2-1 for a spot in the starting gate in the Kentucky Oaks, held Friday, May 2 at Churchill Downs.

Stilettos, trained by Bret Calhoun, dominated her debut on June 29 at Lone Star Park, winning a five-furlong maiden special weight by 16 3/4 lengths. Six weeks later, the daughter of Upstart returned in the Ellis Park Debutante and defeated seven rivals by 1 1/2 lengths under Brian Hernandez Jr. Stilettos will be ridden in the Pocahontas by Jose Ortiz out of post No. 12.

Another other young stakes winner in the Pocahontas is Kimchi Cat, who won the 5 1/2-furlong Bolton Landing Stakes at Saratoga after the scheduled turf race was moved to the main track. Trained by Tom Amoss, Kimchi Cat debuted at Churchill Downs on June 14 when she finished second to Veggiedal, who was third in the Bolton Landing. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione has the mount on Kimchi Cat for the Pocahontas out of post 13.