Paladin Headlines Blue Grass Probables Alongside Fellow Grade 2 Winners

Paladin, one of eight Toyota Blue Grass nominees trained by three-time race winner Chad Brown, enters as the top point earner on the Road to the Kentucky Derby by virtue of his victory in the Risen Star (G2) on Feb. 14 at Fair Grounds in his 2026 debut. He banked 50 points for the Risen Star win and rose to first on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 60 points total.

Paladin closed 2025 with a victory in the Remsen (G2) at Aqueduct, and the Gun Runner colt has now won all three of his career starts, including a 20-length maiden romp at Keeneland last fall that remains his fastest effort to date. Trainer Chad Brown has been direct about the plan. "He came out of (the Risen Star) well and he's right on schedule to compete in Lexington," Brown said. Post positions for the Toyota Blue Grass and all races on April 4 will be drawn Tuesday, March 31.

Brown won the Toyota Blue Grass with Zandon in 2022 and future champion Sierra Leone in 2024, both colts having used the Risen Star as the final prep before their Keeneland victories. He also won the 2018 Toyota Blue Grass with champion Good Magic. Paladin is walking a path his barn knows well.

Paladin is owned by the partnership of Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Peter Brant, Brook Smith and breeder Summer Wind Equine. By Gun Runner out of Secret Sigh, by Tapit, he carries a pedigree analysts have pointed to as a strong fit for the Blue Grass distance. His sire finished third behind Nyquist and Exaggerator in the 2016 Kentucky Derby before going on to become Horse of the Year in 2017 and a Hall of Fame inductee. Paladin closed as the favorite in the latest Kentucky Derby Future Wager that concluded March 15, though his 8-1 odds and a tight price gap to other contenders underline how wide open bettors view this year's Derby picture.

Paladin earned a career-best 93 Beyer Speed Figure for the Risen Star, a six-point improvement from his best number as a 2-year-old, though his 93 Equibase Speed Figure was three points less than the 96 he earned for winning the Remsen. He was second in the Tampa Bay Derby when analysts noted he had the smoothest trip of the top three finishers, stalking three-wide under Irad Ortiz Jr. while rivals The Puma and Canaletto raced a path or two wider. Co-owner Brook Smith has been candid about the ambition: "He's an incredibly talented horse. Hopefully, we'll have him back in Kentucky in April then onto the Derby a month later."

The Blue Grass field shaping up around Paladin carries its own credentials. Spendthrift Farm's Further Ado, trained by Brad Cox, closed his 2025 campaign with a victory in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs in November following a 20-length maiden victory at Keeneland in his two-turn debut. Class President, trained by Todd Pletcher for WinStar Farm, First Go Racing and CHC, won the Rebel Stakes (G2) on March 1 in what was described as a brave performance after being headed in midstretch and battling back. Bob Baffert's nominees include Brant, winner of the Del Mar Futurity (G1) and third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), as well as Crude Velocity. In total, Baffert has seven runners nominated to the Toyota Blue Grass.

On April 4, the Toyota Blue Grass at 1 1/8 miles on the dirt is the 11th and final race of the day, headlining five graded stakes worth a combined $3.15 million. The winner will earn 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, while the second- through fifth-place finishers receive 50, 25, 15 and 10 points respectively, with 14 of the top 20 point earners toward the 152nd Kentucky Derby nominated to the race. With Brown's blueprint established and Paladin's affinity for the Keeneland main track already on record, the Blue Grass sets up as the unbeaten colt's most consequential test yet.