Join us in celebrating all things Derby and support HorseLink at the same time! Watch our race analysis and horse profiles, participate in our hat and Derby attire contest (prizes awarded), bid in our silent auction, and more. Purchase a box when you register and we will deliver it to you prior to Derby Day so you can have a Derby party safely in your home.

Yeti Tundra 35 Hard Cooler

The YETI Tundra® 45 combines versatility with durability. This premium cooler is infused with that legendary YETI toughness — a durable rotomolded construction and up to two inches of PermaFrost™ Insulation. Which is to say it's built to last and will keep your contents ice-cold even in sweltering conditions, like a triple-digit summer day in central Texas. No bowing, cracking, or melting here. $250 value.

SCRATCHED!

This gelding is one of the feel-good stories of the Derby, as he was born with a congenital cataract in his right eye and ultimately had it removed. Monge, a doctor at the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, eventually purchased the colt with Hernandez. … Finnick the Fierce has the distinction of being the only horse in the Derby to beat Tiz the Law.

PRO Longshot Kentucky Jockey Club runner-up tends to run well at Churchill.
CON Remains a cut below the standard required here

Some will say, “He hasn’t run very fast.” Others will claim, “He hasn’t beaten top competition.” But you won’t hear anyone knocking the pedigree of Max Player, who joined the Road to the Kentucky Derby with a decisive 3 1/4-length victory in the Feb. 1 Withers (G3) at Aqueduct.

PRO Belmont and Travers third has never finished out of the top three.
CON Deep closer can leave himself too much to do.

A son of Tapit out of the graded stakes-winning Dixie Union mare Justwhistledixie, Enforceable counts graded stakes winners New Year’s Day, Mohaymen, and Kingly among his accomplished siblings. Although he required four starts to break his maiden, when the lightbulb finally went on. this Mark Casse-trained colt showed immediate improvement. One start after winning easily at Belmont, Enforceable rallied to finish a good third in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) at Keeneland, earning two Kentucky Derby qualification points.

PRO Lecomte winner has a sustained closing kick.
CON Come-from-the-clouds type needs fast pace and racing luck.

Storm the Court may have been 45-1 in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Santa Anita, but that didn’t stop him from sprinting to the front and gamely holding off all challengers down the lane to spring a monumental upset. Some will question whether Storm the Court’s performance was a fluke, but it’s possible he relished the switch to front-running tactics after racing off the pace when third in the American Pharoah Stakes (G1).

Major Fed would have been on the outside looking in for qualifying purposes had the Derby been held as originally scheduled, but a runner-up effort in the July 8 Indiana Derby (G3) changed the equation, giving Major Fed enough qualification points to secure a slot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate. And since Major Fed’s pedigree is geared strongly toward late maturity, there’s a chance he’ll be ready to run his best race yet on the first Saturday in September.

PRO Strong second in Risen Star came in defiance of race shape.
CON Hard-luck horse has since made a habit of bad trips.

SCRATCHED!

King Guillermo, a bay colt by Uncle Mo owned by five-time MLB All-Star Victor Martinez, was unplaced on the main track in his September 2019 debut. He switched to the turn and won a maiden race at Gulfstream Park West by 6 ¼ lengths before finishing third behind Sole Volante in the Pulpit Stakes Nov. 30 at Gulfstream Park.

Money Moves is a neck from being unbeaten in his first three career races.

Unfortunately, he just lost in an $62,500 optional claimer, and he couldn’t be taking a bigger class jump. His speed figures are promising and he has a nice distance pedigree, but this looks like a classic case of too much, too soon.

He has the makings of a nice horse, and going 1 1/4 miles in a huge field could set him back.

Nonetheless, Todd Pletcher, who has sent out more Derby starters than anyone (54 heading into Derby 146 on Saturday), believes the colt deserves a chance in a most unusual year.

This late entry and fellow 50-1 shot Necker Island are the only horses in the field with two wins at Churchill.

Unfortunately for South Bend, he’s lost nine in a row (eight this year) after starting his career 3-for-3.

He made slight improvement in his last two starts (a distant fourth in the Travers, a close second in a weak Ohio Derby), but it would be a big surprise if he could even finish fourth on Saturday.

Mr. Big News, a Giant’s Causeway colt owned by Chester Thomas’ Allied Racing Stable, emerged on the road to the 2020 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve in January when he won a maiden special weight race at Fair Grounds.

He stepped up to graded stakes company in his next start and finished fifth in a division of the Risen Star Stakes Presented by Lamarque Ford. Shipped to Oaklawn Park, Mr. Big News was sent off as a 46.80-1 longshot in the April 11 Oaklawn Stakes. He rallied into a strong pace under Gabriel Saez to score by a half-length over Farmington Road to post his second win in six career starts.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has won the Kentucky Derby five times, and he’ll match the half-dozen wins of Derby legend Ben Jones if Thousand Words can deliver on the first Saturday in May. Purchased for $1 million as a yearling, Thousand Words joined the Derby trail with a gutsy victory in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) at Los Alamitos. Engaged in a three-way battle with one furlong remaining, Thousand Words dug deep to win by a neck.

From a breeding perspective, Thousand Words’ pedigree gives off mixed signals. His sire, Pioneerof the Nile, comes from a long line of classic contenders and gained fame as the sire of 2015 Triple Crown champion American Pharoah. But Thousand Words’ dam—three-time graded stakes winner Pomeroys Pistol—was a sprinter hailing from a speed-oriented family. Thousand Words will have to take after his sire if he’s going to stretch his stamina over 1 ¼ miles on the first Saturday in May.

The son of Kentucky Derby alumni Hard Spun has never finished worse than 5th in his 10 race career. Third in both the Ellis Park Derby and Indiana Derby, it's hard to aruge he has the talent to beat the field in the 2020 Kentucky Derby. That said, he is well seasoned, consistent and the only big question is with his dam focused on sprint distances, can he put the pieces together at 1 1/4 miles for a performance of his lifetime on the First Saturday in September?

Take one glance at the pedigree of Sole Volante, and you’ll conclude—rightfully so—that’s he bred to excel on turf. But some horses defy their breeding, and with his victory in the Sam F. Davis (G3) and runner-up effort in the Tampa Bay Derby (G2) on dirt at Tampa Bay Downs, Sole Volante is forging a different path than his ancestors.

PRO Sam F. Davis winner possesses a potent turn of foot.
CON Must rebound from uncharacteristic sixth in Belmont

So far, a victory at the stakes level has proven elusive for Attachment Rate. But consistent and repeated in-the-mix efforts against tough competition have carried Attachment Rate to uncommon heights, with a runner-up effort in the Ellis Park Derby qualifying the chestnut colt to the 2020 Kentucky Derby (G1).

PRO Step forward last time when runner-up in Ellis Park Derby.
CON Needs to find a bit more at this level.

Consider Winning Impression, who crossed the wire fourth in a division of the May 2 Arkansas Derby (G1). This performance would have been insufficient to secure a slot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate, but the disqualification of the winner elevated Winning Impression to third place, opening the door for participation at Churchill Downs.

Talent has played a role in propelling Ny Traffic toward a start in the Kentucky Derby, but his consistency has arguably been an even bigger factor. It takes more than talent to place in the Risen Star (G2), Louisiana Derby (G2), Matt Winn (G3), and Haskell (G1) during a five-month span—the durability to fire off one big effort after another, without a miss, is just as important.

PRO Reliable type took a big step forward in his Haskell near-miss.
CON Bridesmaid so far in stakes company.

Honor A. P. is by 2015 Breeders' Cup Classic 3rd place finisher Honor Code. Honor Code is also represented by Max Player in the 2020 Kentucky Derby. Arguably the real star of Honor A. P.'s pedigree could be mom. His dam, Hollywood Story, has 4 years of Breeders' Cup appearances and a who's who list of graded stakes throughout her 27-4-6-6 career worth $1,171,105 in earnings.

Family aside, talented connections sit with Honor A. P. in conditioner John Shireff and jockey Mike Smith, both of whom connected for Zenyatta's campaign. Honor A. P. was a consistent performer in California's Kentucky Derby prep-races with a first in the Santa Anita Derby and pair of seconds in the Shared Belief and San Felipe Stakes.

PRO Santa Anita Derby winner will appreciate the distance.
CON Upset loss in Shared Belief isn’t as concerning as fact he’s never shipped

Can lightning strike twice for Sackatoga Stable and trainer Barclay Tagg? The team behind 2003 Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide is back with another New York-bred colt named Tiz the Law. Undefeated in two starts, this son of hot young stallion Constitution has yet to be challenged and won the historic Champagne Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park by four lengths.

With his stamina-oriented pedigree (two-time Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Tiznow is his broodmare sire), Tiz the Law is bred to handle the distance of the Kentucky Derby. He would have been a logical contender for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), but his connections passed on the cross-country trip journey to Santa Anita in order to save their promising colt for the first Saturday in May.

PRO Belmont and Travers romper has looked a class apart this season.
CON Lone loss came in tough inside trip at Churchill Downs.

Authentic is by super stud of the moment, Into Mischief. Into Mischief boasts of other progeny you may hear during the First Saturday in September with Gamine, Mischevious Alex, Lucrezia, Frank's Rockette, Shoplifted and Mia Mischief.

He trains under the watchful eye of high profile conditioner Bob Baffert and for a powerhouse ownership group in Spendthrift Farm, Starlight Racing, MyRaceHorse Stable and Madaket Stables. These veteran connections understand how to campaign a horse, but some question the ability to perform against top talent at a classic distance.

PRO Haskell winner has high-class speed.

CON Nine furlongs could be as far as he wants to go