Six Speed settles in with sharp final Derby prep at Churchill Downs

Six Speed took a meaningful step forward in his first and only Churchill Downs breeze, a sharp maintenance move that suggested Bhupat Seemar’s colt is settling into the Kentucky Derby stage at the right time. Asked to work on the track on April 27, the dark bay colt covered four furlongs in :48 4/5 and galloped out five furlongs in 1:01 3/5, a controlled piece of business that looked more like a confidence booster than a true test.

That distinction matters because Six Speed arrived in Louisville with a reputation to match his speed, not necessarily his composure. After shipping from a campaign that began in Dubai and included a stop in England, he had been a little hard to manage in his first mornings out of quarantine. By Sunday, though, under exercise rider Declan Cannon, who has been aboard him every morning since arrival, he looked much more settled. Cannon said the colt felt smoother each day, carried his energy without becoming aggressive, and got the work done without wasting anything.

Seemar viewed the move through the same lens. The trainer said Six Speed had already done the harder work during two weeks at Newmarket before flying to the United States, so this was about maintenance rather than fitness. That approach is central to the colt’s Derby outlook. Six Speed is expected to be part of the early pace in Derby 152, and Seemar made clear he wants a more measured beginning than the one that helped undo Summer Is Tomorrow in the 2022 Kentucky Derby when the fractions got too hot too early.

The tactical challenge only gets tougher from post 17, where Brian Hernandez Jr. will try to manage a horse whose best weapon is speed but whose best chance may be restraint. Hernandez, who won the 2024 Kentucky Derby aboard Mystik Dan, gives the connection a rider who has already handled the pressure of the race. Six Speed also has equipment helping him settle, as Churchill Downs notes he trains in a hood and shadow roll, details that fit a colt still learning how to channel his energy.

On paper, the numbers already hint at quality. Six Speed, a Kentucky-bred son of Not This Time out of Browse, by Medaglia d’Oro, has compiled five career starts with three wins, one second and one third for $402,183. His path to Louisville ran through a runner-up finish in the UAE Derby on March 28 at Meydan, where he was part of a 12-horse, 1900-meter race, after winning the UAE 2000 Guineas by five lengths. With the Derby set for May 2 at Churchill Downs for a $5 million purse, that final maintenance move suggested a horse who may no longer look like just another international traveler. If he breaks cleanly and relaxes, Six Speed could shape the race rather than simply survive it.