Updated profiles, with post positions and track odds for the 20 3-year-olds entered for the 151st running of the $5 million Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs is Saturday (May 3).
At first glance, Final Gambit looks like a second-tier contender, but let’s just believe trainer Brad Cox knows an improving horse when he sees one.
That could be the case here, but there are quite a few drawbacks: Can he handle a dirt surface after going 2-for-4 on turf and synthetic surfaces, most recently winning the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) at Turfway Park to earn 100 Kentucky Derby qualifying points and secure a berth in the Run for the Roses.
And, can a first-time Derby rider -- Luan Machado–– deal with the intense pressure of Derby Day in a field of 20 3-year-olds?
Cox also sends out Florida Derby (G1) winner Tappan Street as he seeks a second Derby win – he won in 2021 with Mandaloun via the disqualification of Medina Spirit.
He won at third asking and then pulled off an upset in the 1 1/8-mile Jeff Ruby at 15-1 odds with a strong closing run.
“I knew keeping [Final Gambit] in the clear around the turn would probably be best,’’ Machado said after the race. “Sometimes when he’s between horses, he doesn’t try as hard as when he’s in the clear. He really closed fast down the lane and was impressive late.”
He’s had three works on dirt, most recently going 5 furlongs in 1:00.80 at Churchill Downs on April 19.
“The best horse doesn't win this race," Cox said. "The horse with the best trip wins the race.”
If Final Gambit has clear sailing, perhaps this lightly raced colt running on dirt for the first time, with a first-time Derby jockey, can finish in the first tier. No bet.
Contender Information Card
Post position: 3
Odds: 30-1
Jockey: Luan Machado
Trainer: Brad Cox
Owner: Juddmonte Farm
Career record: 4-2-1-1
Career earnings: $520,639
Last race: Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3), March 22, 1st
Derby points: 100 (8th)
Top Equibase speed figure: 96
Pedigree: Not This Time-Pachinko, by Tapit
Color: Gray
Running style: Closer
Notes: Final Gambit, like Flying Mohawk, who finished second in the Jeff Ruby, will be running on a dirt surface for the first time. Brad Cox, a two-time Eclipse Award winner as the nation’s top trainer, has run horses in the Kentucky Derby since 2021. Final Gambit and Tappan Street will be his 12th and 13th starters ... Machado, from Brazil, started riding in 2015 and is looking for his first Grade 1 win. Last year was his best, with five graded stakes wins, and he finished in the top 25 (22nd) among leading jockeys with more than $10 million in purse earnings.
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