The Puma’s sharp Gulfstream work points to Kentucky Derby run

The Puma’s final local move at Gulfstream Park was the kind of work that can turn a Derby qualifier into a serious contender. The Florida Derby runner-up covered five furlongs in 1:00.77 with Javier Castellano aboard, then kept going with a six-furlong gallop-out in 1:12.85 and a mile in 1:37.88, a follow-through that reinforced how well the colt finished the piece.

That mattered because this was his last big local work before shipping to Churchill Downs for the final prep toward the GI Kentucky Derby. Castellano came away encouraged by what he felt under him, and Ramiro Restrepo said both the work and the video pointed to a horse doing exactly what he needed to do at this stage. The Puma now sits firmly in the Derby conversation, not as a hype horse but as one of the main names on the trail.

The 2023 Kentucky-bred colt has built that standing the hard way. By Essential Quality out of Eve of War, by Declaration of War, The Puma started his career as a maiden before winning the GIII Tampa Bay Derby. He then added six Kentucky Derby qualifying points for a third-place finish in the listed Sam F. Davis and 50 more for the Tampa Bay Derby victory, giving him 56 points and keeping him near the top of the leaderboard. Equibase listed him with career earnings of $442,280 from four starts.

His latest run only sharpened the case. In the Curlin Florida Derby on March 28 at Gulfstream, Commandment came with a late surge to beat The Puma by a nose, with Chief Wallabee third. The race awarded 200 qualifying points on the 100-50-25-15-10 scale, and even in defeat The Puma’s runner-up finish strengthened his position for the first Saturday in May, when the top 17 point-earners draw the Derby gate.

The historical echo is impossible to miss. Mage followed a similar road for the same broader team, finishing second in the Florida Derby before winning the 2023 Kentucky Derby at 15-1 after rallying from 16th. Mage was owned in partnership by OGMA Investments and Ramiro Restrepo and trained by Gustavo Delgado, the same trainer-owner framework now behind The Puma with Gustavo Delgado, Gustavo Delgado Jr., OGMA Investments LLC, JR Ranch and High Step Racing LLC in the ownership mix.

Restrepo once called Mage’s run “a blessing,” and The Puma’s path has started to feel familiar for a reason. The horse has already shown class at Tampa Bay Downs and Gulfstream Park, and now the heavy lifting is over. What remains is travel, maintenance and one last attempt to turn a sharp workout into a Derby launch.