Two days after his second-place finish in the Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct brought his total points on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard to 65, Right to Part’s connections paid a late nomination fee of $6,000 so he could Run for the Roses. He’ll be a longshot – as he has for much of his short career – but he’s trained by Kenny McPeek, who won the Derby in 2024 with Mystik Dan.
As assistant trainer Jimmy Jerkens put it after Right to Party closed from 11th (of 12) to finish second in the Wood Memorial (G2) and secure a starting spot in the Kentucky Derby (G1): “He always gets in a lot of traffic because of his running style, but he deals with it and when he gets out in the clear he just comes running.”
The son of Constitution was sent off at 38-1 in the final iteration of the 1 1/8-mile Wood at the Big A, his first attempt around two turns. In his previous outing, Right to Party had trailed his seven rivals in the Gotham Stakes (G3) by several lengths down the backside before swinging widest of all to gain third and make his first appearance on the Derby leaderboard.
The Wood, said trainer Kenny McPeek, was more indicative of the colt’s abilities.
“This horse just needed the added distance,” said McPeek of Right to Party’s effort, which gained him an addition 50 points on the Derby leaderboard. “The horse had a really good winter and he’s obviously on the improve.”
Right to Party began his serious training at Belmont Park last fall, and made his debut in a 6-furlong maiden at the Big A on Dec. 13, finishing third behind eventual Gotham winner Iron Honor with Chris Elliott in the irons. He scored his lone victory in his next outing under Reylu Gutierrez when stretched out to a mile, rallying four-wide from (you guessed it) last of seven to win by 1 ½ lengths.
“This horse understands the task at hand” said McPeek, “and he keeps coming and coming.”
His top Equibase rating is 91, in the middle of the Derby field, and his highest Equibase speed figure is 87 from the Wood Memorial.
Right to Party is a late closer. He’ll need luck to navigate the crowded Derby field.
Right to Party has finished in the money in all four of his starts, most recently closing dramatically from far back to finish second in the Wood. Stretching out another furlong in a field of 20 is a different matter entirely; the Derby has favored tactical speed more than late closers in recent years ... Right to Party might not be ready for this
- While trainer Kenny McPeek will be making his 12th appearance in the Derby (he won in 2024 with Mystik Dan), jockey Chris Elliott – yes, the son of Smarty Jones’ rider Stewart Elliott – will be appearing in his first Derby
- Owner Chester Broman, long a fixture in New York-bred circles, will me making his second try in the Run for the Roses, having finished 15th in 2004 with Friends Lake
- Broman paid $325,000 for Right to Party at the Keeneland September yearling sales, and paid $6,000 to be among five late nominees to the Derby two days after the Wood.
Jenny Kellner is an award-winning journalist and teacher who has covered thoroughbred racing for years. As a reporter for both United Press International and The Associated Press, her work has appeared in publications and on websites around the world. Jenny has also written for The New York Times, the New York Post, Newsday and Sports Illustrated.
