A little more movement on the Kentucky Derby (G1) front on Wednesday, with Owen Almighty’s connections calling an audible and deciding to Run for the Roses on May 3.
Owen Almighty, the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) winner who dead-heated for sixth in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) on April 8, finished 12th on the 2025 Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 65 points. He easily qualified for the field, which was limited to 20 starters, but trainer Brian Lynch said the next likely start for the Colt would be the Pat Day Mile (G2) on the 2025 Kentucky Derby undercard.
“We’re going to give it a shot,” Hunter Rankin, president of Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing, the racing operation of Travis Boersma, told drf.com. “He’s earned a spot, we’re going to use it and take a shot as long as he’s doing well going into the race.”
The change knocked Built back down to No. 21 on the leaderboard, needing a defection to get back in the field he was in briefly on Tuesday after River Thames was declared out of the Derby.
On Tuesday, when it was announced that River Thames would pass the Derby, Built moved into the body of the race. Built, whose connections have not yet committed to running in the Derby, now would need a defection to get into the field.
Florida Derby (G1) runner-up Neoequos is now No. 22, followed by No. 23 Render Judgment and No. 24 Baeza.
The maximum field is 20 starters, but 24 can be entered on April 26 when entries close and post positions are assigned.
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