Kentucky Derby Field Receives Shakeup Ahead of Post Position Draw

The journey to the starting gate of the Kentucky Derby is an arduous road, filled with unexpected twists and turns. The road to Kentucky Derby 151 took another left just before we find out where the horses will break from the starting gate on the first Saturday in May.

Two horses are officially skipping next Saturday’s race. Built will bypass the Kentucky Derby for the Pat Day Mile. It’s a popular choice for horses that may not be bred to go the distance in the Derby. Bob Baffert’s Madaket Road previously chose this path.

Trained by Wayne Catalano, Built debuted as a three-year-old with a second-place finish in the Lecomte. His third in the Risen Star gave him enough points to be in the field, but he struggled down the stretch in the Louisiana Derby.

The defection by Built paves the way for Saffie Joseph to add some more speed to the race. Neoequos is a front-running pace-setter who finished third in the Fountain of Youth and the Florida Derby. Flavien Prat will get the ride for Neoequos.

One More Scratch Could Drastically Change the Kentucky Derby Field

There will be more scratches before post time at the Kentucky Derby. The horse next up on the Also Eligible list, Render Judgment, is no longer under consideration. Trainer Kenny McPeek revealed that the Virginia Derby runner-up will no longer be entered into the Kentucky Derby.

That means when the post positions for the Oaks and Derby are drawn Saturday night at Churchill Downs, Baeza will be No. 21, the first Also Eligible in the field. The lightly-raced horse ran the second-fastest speed of any contender in a close loss to Journalism in the Santa Anita Derby. Typically, the Santa Anita runner-up is guaranteed a spot in the Derby, but a change in the points system forced Baeza to spend the last month on the outside of the field looking in.

There’s a high likelihood that we will see at least one, if not more, defections next week. There is already a ton of speed at the front. Adding Baeza to the Kentucky Derby changes the handicapping calculus.

Post Position Draw, KSR Handicapping Show Announcement

The Kentucky Derby field will be set in the Paddock during Opening Night at Churchill Downs. If you don’t make it to the track, you can watch it streamed live from 7-8 PM ET.

Once the field is set, the handicapping can begin. In the Money Media’s Pete Fornatale will be joining me Monday night for our annual Kentucky Derby Preview LIVE at 8 PM EST. He’ll share his knowledge and answer your questions on the KSR YouTube Channel about the most exciting two minutes in sports.