While it is certainly the road less traveled, the synthetic path to the Kentucky Derby has proven quite effective the last several years, with at least one horse finishing in the top four in three of the last four Derbies.
In 2022, Rich Strike made three consecutive starts over Turfway Park’s synthetic surface – not winning any – before pulling off an 80-1 shocker in the Kentucky Derby. The following year Two Phil’s – who had plenty of dirt form – won the Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway prior to finishing a strong second to Mage in the Run for the Roses.
Last year, Final Gambit, coming off a victory in the Jeff Ruby, filled out the superfecta behind Sovereignty, Journalism, and Baeza at a healthy 17-1. Back in 2011, Animal Kingdom won the Derby after winning what was then known as the Spiral Stakes run on synthetic at Turfway.
The John Battaglia Memorial, which will be run Saturday at Turfway, and the Jeff Ruby, on March 21, are currently the only two points-scoring races run on synthetic on the North American Road to the Kentucky Derby. If the current schedule of points-scoring races holds true in 2027, then three of the four races the New York Racing Association has – the Jerome, Withers, and Gotham – would be run over Belmont Park’s synthetic surface. There are two races on the European/Middle East Road to the Derby that are currently held on synthetic.
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Brad Cox trained Final Gambit, who made his first start on turf and then three on synthetic, earning his way to the Derby by winning the Jeff Ruby. Cox said when he began training Final Gambit on the dirt at Churchill Downs after the Ruby, he started gaining confidence in the colt’s chances.
“I remember telling [Juddmonte racing manager Garrett O’Rourke] Derby week, ‘I’m not saying this horse is going to win, but he’s going to give us a thrill’ and he did,” Cox said. “He came running and tailed off a little bit late and ran fourth, but there was a moment I thought man if he keeps coming, he might get there. Obviously, it was a very good group of horses and he ran a respectable race.”
Cox has had other horses successfully transition from synthetic to dirt. The filly Idiomatic won four of her first five starts on synthetic before moving to dirt where she won five straight graded stakes – including three Grade 1s – and was voted champion older dirt female in 2023. She also won the 2024 Eclipse Award in that division.
In 2024, Encino won the John Battaglia, then switched to the dirt and won the Grade 3 Lexington at Keeneland. Encino was entered in the Kentucky Derby but suffered a soft-tissue injury that forced him to scratch.
“What I found is when you move them over if they work well on [dirt], they’ll run well on it,” Cox said. “If they don’t, then you probably know you’re in trouble.”
On Saturday, Cox has Fulleffort in the Battaglia, a race that offers its top five finishers qualifying points (20-10-6-4-2) to the Derby. Fulleffort, a son of Liam’s Map, is a half-brother to Power Squeeze, who won the Grade 1 Alabama at 1 1/4 miles.
Fulleffort made his first four starts on turf before moving to synthetic in the Leonatus Stakes going one mile Jan. 17. He finished second to Street Beast, whom he gets a rematch with Saturday. Fulleffort breaks from post 11 in a 12-horse field.
“I thought he was all right in the beginning,” Cox said. “I know he wasn’t the quickest horse or the fastest horse from the gate, so we got him started on the turf and I felt like the way he was not putting himself in the race [that] grass and synthetic would help him late in the race.
“Once again, he ran well enough so we said let’s keep him here, see what we can get accomplished. He’s been good, but he’s going to have to continue to move forward if he’s going to take us where we want to go.”
European/Middle East qualifiers
Six Speed and Pyromancer, two of the leading contenders on separate international paths to the Kentucky Derby, will not be participating in Derby points-scoring races this weekend. Both are pointing to the U.A.E. Derby on March 28 at Meydan where they will likely encounter Al Haram, who improved to 4 for 4 by virtue of his victory in the Saudi Derby.
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Many horses who finished behind Six Speed in the U.A.E. 2000 Guineas at Meydan will be running in Friday’s Dubai Road to the Kentucky Derby Stakes, which offers Derby points. Salloom, a son of Kentucky Derby winner Authentic, is coming off an eye-catching 6 3/4-length maiden win and is one of three horses in the race nominated to the Triple Crown. The other two are Lino Padrino and Omaha Front. All three are trained by Bhupat Seemar, who has five in the field.
Pyromancer, owned by Godolphin, leads the Japanese Road to the Kentucky Derby by virtue of his victory in the Zen Nippon Stakes. He is skipping Sunday’s Hyacinth Stakes at Tokyo, which offers the winner 30 points toward the Kentucky Derby.
Arcadia Cafe, a half-brother to Luxor Cafe, who won last year’s Hyacinth and ran 12th in the Kentucky Derby, is among the leading contenders for the Hyacinth.
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