Ky. Derby prep: Spice Runner is early choice for Springboard Mile

Remington Park has an opportunity for a full field of 12 in the Dec. 20 Springboard Mile for the second consecutive year.

The top stakes race of the season for 2-year-olds drew a full gate, featuring four stakes winners, including morning-line favorite Spice Runner. The $300,000 Springboard Mile offers 10-5-3-2-1 qualifying points for Kentucky Derby 2026 to the top five finishers.

Click here for Remington Park entries and results.

Winner of the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs in September, Spice Runner will leave from post-position 7 in the field of 12. Owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds and trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Spice Runner is 3-1 on the morning line. Stewart Elliott has been named to ride for the first time.

Spice Runner was seventh, beaten 15 lengths, in his last start, the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill on Nov. 29. He will seek a cleaner trip in the Springboard, where he is the top earner in the field with a bankroll of $316,426.

Trainer Mike Maker will send Arctic Beast to the Springboard from his Oaklawn base. A New York-bred, Arctic Beast has won all three of his career attempts, including the $156,000 New York Breeders’ Futurity in his last start on Oct. 13 at Finger Lakes. The second choice in the morning-line odds at 4-1, Arctic Beast will be ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr., who has been up for his last two triumphs.

Artic Beast has the most wins in this Springboard Mile with three. He is second in earnings with $205,503.

Essential Time, winner of the $150,000 Clever Trevor Stakes on Sept. 28 at Remington Park, will return to the main track after trying turf at 7 1/2 furlongs there on Nov. 6, finishing third. Trained by Danny Pish, Iram Diego will have the return mount at 6-1 odds.

Owner-trainer C.R. Trout entered Oklahoma-bred Royalamerican for the Springboard. The gelding by Upstart is on a two-stakes winning streak after scoring the Oklahoma Classics Juvenile on Oct. 17 and the Don McNeill Stakes on Nov. 7, both events for Oklahoma-breds.

Royalamerican is one of only four in the Springboard who have won a race at one mile or more. Jockey David Cabrera will seek his third straight stakes on Royalamerican, who is 12-1 in the morning-line odds.