The Final Audition: Derby Dreams on the Line This Saturday

Apr 4th, 2026

So Far In 2026 Our Exotic Predictions Have Paid $1,647,978

This is it. The final full-throttle audition before the Kentucky Derby starting gate swings open on May 2nd at Churchill Downs, and Saturday, April 4th delivers a coast-to-coast triple-header that will reshape the entire Derby picture in a matter of hours. Three marquee events are set for today: the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, and the Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita Park. Each race awards 100 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the winner, meaning by the time the sun sets on the West Coast, we'll know who's Louisville-bound and who's watching from home.

The Kentucky Derby is shaping up to be a wide-open cavalry charge, with Florida Derby winner Commandment and Arkansas Derby winner Renegade currently battling for pre-race favoritism. But Saturday's trio of prep races has every chance to produce a new contender who crashes that party with authority. The Derby future wager pool tells you everything about this year's wide-open chaos. Renegade sits as the lukewarm 4-1 favorite, just ahead of Commandment at 6-1, and a monster performance in any of these three races could vault a new name right to the top of the boards.

Keeneland: Blue Grass Stakes (G1), $1.25 Million, 6:22 PM ET

The richest of Saturday's three preps kicks off Keeneland's spring meet with a bang. A field of nine will contest the Blue Grass, which has historically been a crucial Derby steppingstone, having produced 23 participants who went on to win the Run for the Roses. The race lost some star power when Rebel Stakes winner Class President was scratched after not training to the satisfaction of trainer Todd Pletcher, leaving Spendthrift Farm's Further Ado as the lone graded stakes winner in the field. Trained by Brad Cox, who won this race in 2021 with dual champion Essential Quality, Further Ado took the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes last fall at Churchill Downs after a blowout maiden victory at Keeneland. He finished second in the Tampa Bay Derby in his 2026 debut, but Cox is adamant his colt has moved forward since then and loves the Keeneland surface.

The horse generating the most buzz, though, might be Reagan's Honor. This lightly raced son of Honor A.P. has never faced stakes company, yet his most recent start turned heads when he romped by 6 3/4 lengths in an allowance race, producing the best speed figure in the Blue Grass field. He's pure electricity, and the question is whether that raw speed can translate against graded stakes competition at the highest level. Creole Chrome, Talkin, and Great White, who transitions from Turfway Park's synthetic surface to Keeneland's dirt for the first time, round out the live contenders. This field is deep, dangerous, and perfectly suited for a Derby shakeup.

Aqueduct: Wood Memorial (G2), $750,000, 6:34 PM ET

Make no mistake, this one carries extra weight. This Saturday marks the final running of the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, bringing a quiet, unceremonious close to one of New York racing's most enduring institutions. Come summer, the track is expected to go dark for good. That's nearly a century of history walking out the door. Six future Triple Crown winners (Gallant Fox, Omaha, Count Fleet, Assault, Secretariat, and Seattle Slew) used the Wood Memorial as a springboard to greatness. Saturday's final chapter deserves to be remembered.

Twelve hopefuls are entered in the largest field of the three preps. The horse to beat is Iron Honor, who is a perfect 2-for-2 at the Big A, with both wins coming at Aqueduct and encouraging progression from his December debut to a Gotham Stakes victory in February. He's already banked 50 Derby qualifying points, but he drew the far outside post and must navigate two turns for the first time. Then there's Napoleon Solo, last year's Champagne Stakes winner who ran away from the field by 6 1/2 lengths at this very track. But he faltered in the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream, raising the question: will returning to Aqueduct trigger a rebound, or will the distance prove too far? Don't sleep on Talk to Me Jimmy, who obliterated a Withers Stakes field by 11 lengths on this course.

Santa Anita: Santa Anita Derby (G1), $500,000, 7:30 PM ET

The nightcap out West might be the most star-studded card of the three. Unbeaten morning-line favorite Potente brings a 2-for-2 record into the race that trainer Bob Baffert has won eight times, more than any other conditioner in history. The $2.4 million yearling purchase by Into Mischief showed grit beyond his experience when he rallied from behind to nip Robusta by a nose in the San Felipe. Baffert is convinced the added distance only helps, and jockey Juan Hernandez, who wins at a staggering 43% clip with the Baffert barn at Santa Anita, will be back aboard.

But Baffert isn't just rolling with one horse. Cherokee Nation, a $1.15 million son of Not This Time, earned a 58 WinningPonies rating (best in the field) with a jaw-dropping 10-length maiden romp. He's never won a stakes race. He's finished fifth in both graded tries. But that maiden demolition suggests a horse who just figured it out at exactly the right time. Then there's Intrepido, the Grade 1 American Pharoah winner who trainer Jeff Mullins deliberately freshened up by skipping the San Felipe to target this specific spot. Mullins doesn't do that by accident. Robusta, who nearly stole the San Felipe at 67-1, and San Vicente winner So Happy, with Hall of Famer Mike Smith aboard, add even more depth to a field that could produce a legitimate Derby favorite.

The Oaks Trail Heats Up Too

The fillies aren't taking the weekend off. The $200,000 Santa Anita Oaks serves as a key Kentucky Oaks qualifier with 100 points to the winner, and the Gazelle Stakes at Aqueduct adds another chapter to the filly division's story. Meaning, the dominant Las Virgenes winner, headlines the Santa Anita Oaks field while Baffert sends two fillies looking for his sixth win in the race. Meanwhile at Keeneland, the Ashland Stakes on Friday night unofficially kicked the whole weekend off with undefeated Kentucky Oaks favorite Zany running a disappointing second to Percy's Bar.

The Bottom Line

Saturday is one of those days that makes horse racing the greatest spectacle in sports. From Lexington to Queens to Arcadia, three racetracks separated by thousands of miles will simultaneously decide which young thoroughbreds have the talent, the heart, and the stamina to chase immortality on the first Saturday in May. Careers will be made. Dreams will be shattered. And by Saturday night, we'll finally know who deserves a seat at the table in Louisville. Grab your programs. This is going to be electric.

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Free Selections Bluegrass Card / Keeneland
by Ed Meyer

The Bluegrass card is absolutely loaded, and the Lexington weather will be sunny in the 80's followed by early evening showers. Without further delay, here are some free selections for the stakes portion of the card of an eleven-race card that is sure to make your inner-horseplayer happy!

Recent Big 'Uns

Los Alamitos

Mar 29 (R 1-4)

$1 Pick 4

$5,879

Tampa Bay Downs

Mar 29 (R 1)

$1 S5 (KEY)

$3,793

Tampa Bay Downs

Apr 1 (R 2)

$1 Super High 5

$2,312

Tampa Bay Downs

Mar 29 (R 9)

$1 S5 (KEY)

$2,086

Santa Anita

Apr 3 (R 9)

$1 S5 (KEY)

$1,939

Santa Anita

Mar 29 (R 9)

$1 S5 (KEY)

$1,925

Tampa Bay Downs

Apr 1 (R 7)

$1 S5 (BOX)

$1,628

Tampa Bay Downs

Apr 3 (R 4)

$1 S5 (KEY)

$1,286

Turfway

Mar 28 (R 1-5)

50¢ Pick 5

$1,268

Upcoming Weekend Stakes Races

Saturday, Apr 4th

Aqueduct
$750,000 Wood Memorial (G2)
$300,000 Carter (G2)
$200,000 Gazelle S. (G3)
$150,000 Distaff (G3)
$150,000 Excelsior S.
Evangeline Downs
$100,000 Evangeline Mile
Keeneland
$1,250,000 Toyota Blue Grass S. (G1)
$650,000 Madison S. (G1)
$500,000 Appalachian S. (G2)
$400,000 Shakertown S. (G2)
$350,000 Commonwealth S. (G3)
Laurel
$100,000 Frank Y. Whiteley S.
$100,000 Heavenly Cause S.
$100,000 Native Dancer S.
$100,000 Primonetta S.
Oaklawn
$150,000 Rainbow S.
Santa Anita
$500,000 Santa Anita Derby (G1)
$200,000 Santa Anita Oaks (G2)
$100,000 Monrovia S. (G3)
$125,000 Echo Eddie S.
$125,000 Evening Jewel S.

Sunday, Apr 5th

Santa Anita
$100,000 John Shear S.
$100,000 Providencia S.
Sunland Park
$200,000 Casa Ford / Sunland Park H.
$125,000 Mine That Bird Derby

Testimonials

"Dear Winning Ponies,

Another bone crushing win has been delivered by your service ($25 Super paid over $87,000!).

I took your Top Horse - Maximum Security for the Florida Derby and put it on top of the next four horses and connected for a big win.

Made a mistake by not betting the exacta or the trifecta, which paid out very nice, but this will have to suffice for now :-)

I'm pretty sure we killed the payout and were paid half of the pool for all superfectas."

- Mark A., Fort Lauderdale, FL

Picks/Results For 2019 Florida Derby

"Love the winning ponies in the mud angle this time of year just hit early pic 4 as well as 20 exb in the 3rd and in the second 5 came second woulda had 20 on the 98 dad but can't win em all and I woulda took out the pic 4 pool X 2$$$$$$$ Thanks WP"

- John O., Grand Island, NY.

Picks/Results For Early Pick 4 at Finger Lakes

3370 N Hayden Rd #205

Scottsdale, AZ 85251

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