Fulleffort scratched from Kentucky Derby, Ocelli draws in as field shifts

A late scratch at Churchill Downs changed both Derby and Oaks cards in one swing, with Fulleffort out of Derby 152 and Ocelli pulled off the also-eligible list to take his place. The Derby loss is a big one for Brad Cox, who had Fulleffort as one of his three starters in the race before a chip in the colt’s left hind ankle ended his run at Louisville, Kentucky.

Fulleffort arrived at Derby week with real credentials. He had won the $777,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) at Turfway Park on March 21 by 2 1/2 lengths, covering 1 1/8 miles on the Tapeta surface in 1:49.94 and earning 100 qualifying points. His record stood at 7-3-2-1 with $694,115 in earnings. Instead of lining up on the first Saturday in May, he was withdrawn and sent to the sidelines, leaving a hole in a field that had already been tightening all week.

Ocelli filled it. The Kentucky-bred colt by Connect out of Zalia is trained by D. Whitworth Beckman and is most often ridden by Joseph Ramos. He had stayed in the Derby conversation as one of the also-eligibles, and now he gets the chance to run when it matters most. For the horse and his connections, the payoff is obvious: a spot in the starting gate and a shot at the biggest race in the sport.

The Oaks lost a major name too. Godolphin’s Bella Ballerina was declared out after injuring her right front, and that moved Military Pike Racing Stables’ Resist into the field for the 1 1/8-mile, $1.5 million Grade 1. Bella Ballerina, a daughter of Street Sense and a half-sister to 2023 Kentucky Oaks winner Pretty Mischievous, had been unbeaten in three starts. Brendan Walsh’s filly had already stamped herself in top company with wins in the Golden Rod (G2) at Churchill Downs in November and the Rachel Alexandra (G2) at Fair Grounds in February.

Resist brings a very different profile to the Oaks. All four of her career starts came on Turfway Park’s synthetic surface, and she had never raced on dirt or beyond 1 mile before drawing in for a race that will test her at 1 1/8 miles. That kind of surface and distance jump can alter the whole shape of a betting ticket before the gates open.

The barn area kept moving, too. Albus and Incredibolt galloped a mile and a half after visiting the paddock, Chief Wallabee paddock-walked and galloped, and Riley Mott said the value is in keeping a full routine intact. Pin Oak Stud also got a lift from Parchment Party, who won the $200,000 Isaac Murphy Marathon by 1 1/4 lengths in sloppy conditions with John Velazquez aboard in the eighth running of the race. With Derby and Oaks fields still shifting and NBC set to carry the 2026 Kentucky Oaks in primetime for the first time in the race’s 152-year history, every scratch carried real weight.