Kentucky Jockey Club features 20-length winner Further Ado

The road to the Kentucky Derby returns to Churchill Downs next Saturday where Spendthrift Farm’s dominant maiden special weight winner Further Ado is set to test stakes company in the 99th running of the Grade 2, $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club.

The 1 1/16-mile Kentucky Jockey Club is the featured race on next Saturday's program of 12 races, all for 2-year-olds. The Kentucky Jockey Club field will go to post in race 10 at 5:25 p.m. EST. First post is 1 p.m. EST. The race awards the top five finishers qualifying points based on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale for Kentucky Derby 2026 on May 2.

Click here for Churchill Downs entries and results.

Further Ado, trained by Brad Cox, scored a scintillating 20-length victory last month at Keeneland when testing two turns for the first time. A chestnut son of Gun Runner, Further Ado drew attention in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager where he closed as the fourth individual favorite at 21-1 behind Ted Noffey (10-1), Brant (14-1) and Blackout Time (20-1). Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. will have the return mount for Saturday’s race and break from post No. 6.

Trainer Kenny McPeek entered a duo of promising 2-year-olds in Saturday’s race: Street Sense (G3) second- and third-place finishers, respectively, Universe and Very Connected.

4 G Racing, Gregg Day, Steven Crain and Magdalena Racing’s Universe was sent off as the 7-5 favorite in the Street Sense where he was defeated 2 3/4 lengths by Incredibolt. The son of Global Campaign will be ridden from post 7 under Brian Hernandez Jr.

Dream Big Racing’s Very Connected finished 2 1/4 lengths behind his stablemate in the Street Sense. A son of Connect, Very Connected will have the services of Manny Esquivel in Saturday’s race from post 5.

McPeek is a three-time winner of the Kentucky Jockey Club with previous victories in the race coming from Repent (2001), Signalman (2018) and Smile Happy (2021).

Another top competitor entered in the Kentucky Jockey Club is St. Elias Stable’s Soldier N Diplomat, who dominated a first-level allowance contest by nine lengths under jockey Tyler Gaffalione. Trained by three-time Kentucky Jockey Club-winning conditioner Steve Asmussen, Soldier N Diplomat broke his maiden at first asking on July 26 at Saratoga. Following his fourth-place finish to Ted Noffey in the Hopeful (G1), Soldier N Diplomat returned to the winner’s circle on Oct. 26 at Churchill Downs while stretching out to a mile in the aforementioned first-level allowance. Gaffalione rides from post 4.

Asmussen also entered Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Spice Runner in the race. The winner of the Iroquois (G3) to kick off the Road to Kentucky Derby 152, the son of Gun Runner will attempt to avenge his fifth-place finish in last month’s Breeders’ Futurity (G1). He’ll be ridden by Joel Rosario out of post 1.

Asmussen’s prior victories in the race were with Private Vow (2005), Tapiture (2013) and Silver Prospector (2019).