1 of 2 | Plutarch wins the Robert B. Lewis Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita to move into the Kentucky Derby standings. Photo by Benoit Photography, courtesy of Santa Anita
Feb. 9 (UPI) — Ted Noffey’s departure from the Triple Crown trail surely is a disappointment, but the weekend’s four Kentucky Derby qualifiers continue the promise an entertaining scramble to replace him as king of the hill.
Toss into the hat Plutarch for trainer Bob Baffert and Ireland’s Coolmore “lads”, no less; Silent Tactic for Mark Casse and John Oxley; Renegade for exuberant owner Mike Repole and buttoned-up trainer Todd Pletcher; and even Talk to Me Jimmy, who sprung the big surprise in a chilly Withers at Aqueduct.
There were some outstanding efforts from the Oaks contenders, too, and 2025 champions Nitrogen and Splendora made successful seasonal debuts.
The Road to the Roses
Four races, four new names at the top of the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” leaderboard.
Plutarch, who broke his maiden on the Del Mar turf in his last start, battled for the lead in Saturday’s $100,000 Grade III Robert B. Lewis at Santa Anita, finally disposed of stubborn rival Intrepido inside the furlong pole and ran on to win by 3/4 length.
Intrepido held second and Secured Freedom came running from the back of the field to get third.
Plutarch, an Into Mischief colt owned by the Coolmore combine, is trained by six-time Kentucky Derby winner Baffert.
“This horse reminds me of Authentic. He keeps getting better every week,” Baffert said. “I don’t think distance will be a problem with him. This is very exciting. He’s legit.”
Baffert trained Authentic, another Into Mischief colt, to victory in the 2020 Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Silent Tactic came flying down the Oaklawn Park stretch outside the frontrunners and blew by them all to win Friday’s $1 million Southwest Stakes by 3 1/4 lengths over Soldier N Diplomat.
California shipper Buetane, another of Baffert’s Derby contenders, chased the early leader into mid-stretch and held on gamely for third.
Silent Tactic, a Tacitus colt owned by John Oxley, finished the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.85, showing no sign of stopping while going one better on his second-place finish in the local Smarty Jones Stakes behind stablemate Strategic Risk.
“The last race, the Smarty Jones, it was his first start ever on the dirt and he only had one easy breeze,” winning trainer Mark Casse said. “It’s interesting. When I talked to Mr. Oxley last week, he said, ‘What do you think?’ I said, ‘Honestly, I think Silent Tactic is training better than Strategic Risk.’ So, we’ll see.”
On Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs, Renegade got his first official win in his fourth start, surging through between horses in the stretch to win the $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes by 3 3/4 lengths.
Long shot pacesetter Wayne’s Law held on to finish second as Renegade got 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.54 with Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard for trainer Todd Pletcher and owner Mike Repole. Renegade finished first two starts back, but was relegated to second for bumping in the final sixteenth.
“I was very pleased with his race,” Pletcher said of Renegade. “I thought it was impressive considering he got shuffled back a little bit and was then pretty far back on a track that seemed like it was playing kindly to horses up close.”
The field for Friday’s $200,000 Withers at Aqueduct didn’t look particularly imposing, but Talk to Me Jimmy might have proved that judgment too hasty.
The Modernist colt blasted out of the gate and led the entire 1 1/8 miles, leaving six rivals wondering where he went as he won by 11 lengths at odds of 12-1. Talk to Me Jimmy, with Ruben Silvera up, got his second straight win after a debut third.
“Today was a test to find out what we’ve got, and I think he passed the test,” winning trainer Rudy Rodriguez said.
The Path to the Oaks
It was an important week for the 3-year-old fillies, too.
Renegade wasn’t the only big winner for Repole, Pletcher and Ortiz at Tampa Bay Downs. Earlier on the program, Zany took full command in the stretch run of the $125,000 Suncoast Stakes and, despite lugging in through the final sixteenth, cruised to her third win without a loss.
Her three wins also include the Grade II Demoiselle at Aqueduct, a 1 1/8-mile event she took by 8 1/2 lengths.
Search Party had to wait for room at the top of the stretch in Friday’s $300,000 Martha Washington Stakes at Oaklawn Park, finally got through between rivals and was up just in time to win by a neck over Newtown Pike.
A Gun Runner filly, Search Party ran 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:45.56. It was her second straight win for owner and breeder Tracy Farmer.
Meaning chased down pacesetting, odds-on favorite Explora in the late going to win Sunday’s $100,000 Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita by 1 1/2 lengths. Bank Shot was third and Super Corredora completed the order of finish.
A Gun Runner filly trained by Michael McCarthy, Meaning ran 1 mile in 1:38.39 while making her first start since a fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Super Corredora won that race and was crowned the year’s best 2-year-old filly. Explora was second.
Distaff
Nitrogen, last year’s Eclipse Award champion 3-year-old filly, kicked off a campaign for another heavy statue with a pace-stalking, 2 3/4-length victory in Saturday’s $250,000 Grade III Bayakoa at Oaklawn Park.
With Jose Ortiz up for trainer Mark Casse, the 4-year-old daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, out of the Uncle Mo mare Tiffany Case, dueled with Nerazurri in the lane before drawing away to finish 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.53. She’s 7-4-2 in 13 starts.
Scalable chased a modest pace duel in Friday’s $135,000 Ladies Stakes at Aqueduct, came four-wide into the lane and easily cleared the early speed to win by 2 1/4 lengths.
Sprint
Roll On Big Joe held off Tejano Twist by 1/2 length under the wire to win Sunday’s $150,000 King Cotton Stakes at Oaklawn Park.
Be You closed steadily from the back of the field in Friday’s $150,000 Toboggan Stakes at Aqueduct and drove home first by 1 3/4 lengths ahead of the favorite, Doc Sullivan.
Seven-year-old Concrete Glory scored his 18th career win in Saturday’s $125,000 Pelican Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, leading throughout.
Filly & Mare Sprint
Reigning Breeders’ Cup champ Splendora won her fourth straight race and first of 2026 with a 1 3/4-length score in Saturday’s $200,000 Grade II D. Wayne Lukas Stakes at Santa Anita. The 5-year-old Audible mare, got away a bit slowly, but progressed smoothly and was clearly best in the stretch.
Also: Two Bits won Friday’s $135,000 Ruthless Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Aqueduct, Mystic Lake took Saturday’s $135,000 Minaret Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, and Just Katherine won Friday’s $350,000 Interborough Stakes at Aqueduct.
Turf Mile
El Potente set a reasonable pace in Saturday’s $100,000 Grade III Thunder Road at Santa Anita, shook off a rival nearing the sixteenth pole and got away to win by 3 3/4 lengths.
Turf Sprint
Two turf novices finished 1-2 in Saturday’s $100,000 Sweet Life Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on the Santa Anita hillside course.
Light Won Up blasted free from the pack after crossing the main track and won off by 2 3/4 over Himika, one of two who seemed to have trouble negotiating the crossover. With Antonio Fresu up for trainer Doug O’Neill, Light Won Up finished in 1:12.85.
Also: Yellow Card rallied from last of seven to win Sunday’s $100,000 Clockers Corner Stakes at Santa Anita by 1 1/2 lengths over Sorrento Sky and Moon Spun led gate to wire in Saturday’s $125,000 Ladies Turf Sprint at Gulfstream Park.
