Triple Crown tracker: Top trio from Derby are back to work
The Triple Crown Tracker checks in with the horses who raced in the 2025 Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont, keeping up with what they have done since the classics.
2025 Kentucky Derby
The top three horses from the 2025 Kentucky Derby are back on the work tab. Reigning horse of the year Sovereignty posted his first drill of the year Feb. 15 and worked again Sunday at Payson Park. He will be joined in the Bill Mott barn this season by Baeza, who most recently worked Feb. 15 at Santa Anita but will move east with Mott after the sudden death of his original trainer John Shirreffs. Journalism posted his first work since the Breeders' Cup Classic on Sunday at Santa Anita.
Four horses among the 2025 Kentucky Derby entrants have raced in recent weeks as well.
Two made it to the winners' circle. Publisher, who was Grade 1-placed as a sophomore, finally broke his maiden Feb. 15 in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight in the mud at Oaklawn. The Steve Asmussen trainee, under jockey Erik Asmussen, made a big bid into the lane and cleared off to win by 5 3/4 lengths, his first win in 13 starts. Grande, unraced since being scratched from the Kentucky Derby, returned in winning fashion for Todd Pletcher. Under jockey Rajiv Maragh, Grande set the early pace. He was surpassed for a while by Grade 3-placed Chad Brown trainee Praetor, but Grande showed the most grit in the end to win by a half-length.
Luxor Cafe faced some of the world's top horses in the Saudi Cup (G1) on Feb. 14. Though the Noriyuki Hori charge was no match for Forever Young or Nysos, he improved compared to the form he had shown in his last two starts and finished fifth.
Flying Mohawk raced in a tough allowance route on the grass at Fair Grounds on Saturday. After settling behind a modest pace, the Whit Beckman trainee didn't find a kick in the lane and finished sixth of seven.
Two more from the most recent Kentucky Derby field are entered to race in the coming days. Sandman will try to bounce back from an off-the-board finish in his seasonal debut when he returns Saturday in the Razorback (G3). The Mark Casse charge will break from the outer post of seven.
Burnham Square, unraced since a runner-up finish in the Nashville Derby (G3) at Kentucky Downs, takes on older foes in an allowance-optional claiming turf route at Gulfstream. The Ian Wilkes trainee drew post 8 in an overflow field, with 12 in the main and another four on the also-eligible list.
| Derby | Horse | Last race | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sovereignty | 1st Travers (G1) | Worked 3f Sun. at PAY |
| 2 | Journalism | 4th Breeders' Cup Classic | Worked 3f Sun. at SA |
| 3 | Baeza | 6th Breeders' Cup Classic | Worked 4f Feb. 15 at SA |
| 4 | Final Gambit | 2nd Last Hurrah | Worked 4f Jan. 17 at TP |
| 5 | Owen Almighty | 3rd Perryville (G3) | Worked 3f Feb. 15 at PMM |
| 6 | Burnham Square | 2nd Nashville Derby (G3) | Entered Sat. in Alw OC at GP |
| 7 | Sandman | 5th Alw OC (Sat. at OP) | Entered Sat. in Razorback (G3) at OP |
| 8 | East Avenue | 5th West Virginia Derby (G3) | Worked 4f Fri. at PMM |
| 9 | Chunk of Gold | 3rd Clark (G2) | Worked 5f Jan 3 at TP |
| 10 | Tiztastic | 10th Nashville Derby (G3) | Worked 4f Sat. at FG |
| 11 | Coal Battle | 2nd Indiana Derby (G3) | Worked 4f Thu. at OP |
| 12 | Luxor Cafe | 5th Saudi Cup (G1) | No works since last race |
| 13 | Neoequos | 1st, Sunshine Turf | Worked 4f Feb. 15 at GP |
| 14 | Publisher | 1st MSW (Feb. 15 at OP) | No works since last race |
| 15 | Citizen Bull | 2nd Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile | Stands for $45,000 at Ashford |
| 16 | American Promise | 8th Preakness | Worked 4f Mon. at FG |
| 17 | Render Judgment | 10th Alw (Jan. 3 at OP) | Worked 4f Fri. at FG |
| 18 | Flying Mohawk | 6th Alw OC (Sat. at FG) | No works since last race |
| 19 | Admire Daytona | 14th Musashino (G3) | No works since last race |
| SCR | Grande | 1st Alw OC (Feb.14 at GP) | No works since last race |
| SCR | Rodriguez | 4th Belmont | Worked 4f July 14 at SA |
2025 Preakness Stakes
Pay Billy made his first start of the year Feb. 5 in a 1 1/16-mile allowance-optional claimer on the Laurel Park dirt. Sent off the odds-on favorite in the field of six, he settled for second, 1 3/4 lengths behind Feeling Woozy after that foe got the jump on him. The Michael Gorham trainee will get the chance to turn the tables on that foe Friday in an an allowance-optional claiming race at Laurel. He turns back to a one-turn mile and will break from post 4 in a six-horse field.
| Preakness | Horse | Last race | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Journalism | 4th Breeders' Cup Classic | Worked 3f Sun. at SA |
| 2 | Gosger | 6th Clark (G2) | Worked 5f Fri. at PMM |
| 3 | Sandman | 5th Alw OC (Sat. at OP) | Entered Sat. in Razorback (G3) at OP |
| 4 | Goal Oriented | 1st Malibu (G1) | Stands for $30,000 at Spendthrift |
| 5 | Heart of Honor | 3rd Al Maktoum Challenge (G1) | No works since last race |
| 6 | River Thames | 6th Preakness | Worked 4f Jan. 11 on PBD |
| 7 | Pay Billy | 2nd Alw OC (Feb. 5 at LRL) | Entered in Alw OC (Fri. at LRL) |
| 8 | American Promise | 8th Preakness | Worked 4f Mon. at FG |
| 9 | Clever Again | 5th Gun Runner | Worked 4f Feb. 15 at FG |
2025 Belmont Stakes
Hill Road, unraced since finishing 10th in the Breeders' Cup Turf in November, returned to the work tab for the first time since that race. He has worked twice at Ian Brennan Stables in Ocala, a three-furlong drill Feb. 6 and a four-furlong move Friday.
| Belmont | Horse | Last race | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sovereignty | 1st Travers (G1) | Worked 3f Sun. at PAY |
| 2 | Journalism | 4th Breeders' Cup Classic | Worked 3f Sun. at SA |
| 3 | Baeza | 6th Breeders' Cup Classic | Worked 4f Feb. 15 at SA |
| 4 | Rodriguez | 4th Belmont | Worked 4f July 14 at SA |
| 5 | Hill Road | 10th Breeders' Cup Turf | Worked 4f Fri. at IBS |
| 6 | Heart of Honor | 3rd Al Maktoum Challenge (G1) | No works since last race |
| 7 | Uncaged | 5th Alw OC (Oct. 24 at KEE) | Sold to race in Kuwait |
| 8 | Crudo | 2nd Dwyer | Sold to race in Saudi Arabia |