We once again reached that point where we run out of Derbies. Not the fashionable headgear, but the open stakes for 3-year-olds scattered throughout the season.
Of course, the Kentucky Derby (G1) is the grandaddy of them all. The Derbys give sophomores chances to compete in their age group for lucrative money.
As the calendar turns to Fall, the Derbys largely vanish. The 3-year-olds are now expected to step up and face their elders in the major races leading to and including the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland on Oct. 30-31.
There are two Derbys left: the $400,000 Oklahoma Derby (G3) on Sunday night at Remington Park and the Zia Park Derby on Nov. 24.
Let’s tip our caps to the Derbys already run and delve into the Oklahoma Derby, where two of the top contenders are major question marks.
Silent Tactic (5-2), the morning line favorite in the 10-horse field, is the biggest puzzle of all. The winner of over $1.1 million sports the sharpest resume that includes a win in the Southwest Stakes (G3) back in February and a string of in-the-money finishes in major events like the Arkansas Derby (G1), Rebel Stakes (G2), and the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2).
A bruised foot kept him out of the Kentucky Derby, and he sat on the sidelines until the Jim Dandy on Aug. 1 at Saratoga, where he pressed the pace and finished third in the comeback. The next stop was the prestigious Travers Stakes (G1), where he was caught wide on the first turn, lost ground turning for home, and was eased under the wire.
Not exactly the kind of effort that inspires confidence at a short price. The colt shows one workout since then, a half-mile breeze in 49 seconds on Sept. 16 at Belmont Park.
We’re going to assume the horse came out of the Travers without major issues. It is doubtful trainer Mark Casse would ship all the way to Oklahoma City just to take in the sights. A contender -- no doubt. A win play -- doubtful.
J J Grey (5-1 third choice) is another puzzler. The sharp winner of the Iowa Derby then headed to Mountaineer Park for the West Virginia Derby (G3). He was enthusiastically bet down to 9-10 based on a three-race winning streak including the Iowa Derby, and the fact he hailed from the Kenny McPeek barn. He delivered a total stinker, running out of gas in the lane to finish 19 ¾ lengths behind Zihnal (7-2 second choice).
Tricky Business (6-1) is an interesting value play. He too has come a long way from Saratoga for trainer George Weaver. Tricky Business crushed a field of New York-breds in the Albany Stakes contested on the slop in his latest effort.
Which brings us to our selection. Zihnal has everything we’re looking for at this stage of the season. He is lightly raced. This will be only his sixth career start. He made his stakes debut two starts back, running fourth in the Indiana Derby (G3). Trainer Jonathan Thomas made two key changes heading to West Virginia. He booked Hall of Famer John Velazquez to ride, and he added blinkers. It produced a career-best performance by the improving gelding. Both Velazquez and the hood will be back on Sunday night.
Post time for the Oklahoma Derby is 9:45 p.m. ET.
Here’s to trying to pull a winner out of our hats in one of the final Derbys of 2026.
| # | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Hell We Did | Ramon Vazquez | Todd Fincher | 10-1 |
| 2 | Silent Tactic | Cristian Torres | Mark Casse | 5-2 |
| 3 | J J Grey | Emmanuel Esquivel | Kenny McPeek | 5-1 |
| 4 | Zihnal | John Velazquez | Jonathan Thomas | 7-2 |
| 5 | Pavlovian | David Cabrera | Doug O’Neill | 8-1 |
| 6 | Fuzzbuster | Mario Gutierrez | Victoria Oliver | 12-1 |
| 7 | Chad Allan | Geovanni Franco | Robert Young | 30-1 |
| 8 | Crupper | Matt Garcia | Donnie Von Hemel | 15-1 |
| 9 | Tricky Business | Paco Lopez | George Weaver | 6-1 |
| 10 | Vintage Cowboy | Erik Asmussen | Steve Asmussen | 10-1 |
Last Updated on 09/23/2026
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
