April 3, 2026, 5:10 a.m. ET
Chad Brown lost one of the early favorites for the Kentucky Derby when Paladin was injured during a workout Saturday, but the trainer isn’t feeling sorry for himself.
“I’m not the only trainer that’s been in this position before,” Brown told the Daily Racing Form. “There’s been a lot of disappointment along the Derby trail with favorites in the past. He was by no means the certain winner of the race anyway. It’s a very competitive race.”
Brown has two other Kentucky Derby hopefuls in Louisiana Derby winner Emerging Market and Iron Honor, who’s the 5-2 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s $750,000, Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.
Jockey Manny Franco likes Iron Honor’s chances.
“I think this is a very talented 3-year-old,” Franco said. “He is 2 for 2 in his career, so I’m just happy to be on his back. I think the distance will be no problem, with the size he has, and he has Chad, too. He is a great trainer.”
Iron Honor drew the outside post in a field of 12 for the Wood Memorial. Brown scratched his other horse, Ottinho, and will run him instead in Saturday’s Grade 1 Blue Grass at Keeneland.
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Here’s a look at five horses to watch in Saturday’s Wood and Santa Anita Derby who could become top Kentucky Derby contenders (with morning-line odds):
A son of Not This Time, Cherokee Nation was purchased for $1.15 million at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
The Bob Baffert trainee finished fifth in a pair of graded stakes and finally broke his maiden in his sixth start — a one-mile race Feb. 27 at Santa Anita Park in which he earned a 100 Beyer Speed Figure.
Intrepido’s biggest race came as a 2-year-old when he won the Grade 1 American Pharoah on Oct. 4 at Santa Anita Park.
He finished fifth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and then opened his 3-year-old campaign with a runner-up finish in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis on Feb. 7 at Santa Anita.
A son of Maximus Mischief, Intrepido was sold for $385,000 at the 2025 Ocala Breeders’ Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.
He’s raced just twice, winning his maiden Dec. 13 and then following up with a victory in the Grade 3 Gotham on Feb. 28 at Aqueduct.
Brown said the colt was a little body sore when he arrived at his Payson Park Training Center base following his maiden victory.
“This horse missed a little training when he shipped down to Florida,” Brown said. “If you look, there was a gap of about a month (mid-December to mid-January) for the works. He didn’t ship in completely healthy, and then he came back good. I appreciate the owners for being patient. My team did a great job.”
A son of Nyquist, Iron Honor was purchased for $475,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
The son of Liam’s Map won both of his starts as a 2-year-old — including the Grade 1 Champagne — before opening his 2026 campaign with a fifth-place finish in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on Feb. 28 at Gulfstream Park.
“He was going to need that race regardless,” trainer Chad Summers said. “There were a lot of things going on in that race. Now, we are going to have one more bite at the apple. …
“He’s obviously going to be the only Grade 1 winner in the field. He’s got questions to answer. There are some other horses that will be favored over him, so we’ll see what happens.”
Napoleon Solo was a $40,000 purchase at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
A son of Into Mischief, Potente was unraced as a 2-year-old, broke his maiden Jan. 31 at Santa Anita and then won the Grade 2 San Felipe on March 7 to earn 50 qualifying points toward the Kentucky Derby.
As of now, Potente looks to be Baffert’s best hope of getting to the Kentucky Derby.
“This horse has a lot of talent,” jockey Juan Hernandez said after the San Felipe. “He’s big, he’s strong, and he showed up today.”
Owned by Speedway Stables, Potente was a $2.4 million purchase at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale.
Post time: 6:34 p.m. Saturday at Aqueduct in South Ozone Park, New York. Purse: $750,000. Grade: 2. Distance: 1 1/8 miles. Jockey weight: 123 pounds. TV: FS2 and FanDuel TV. Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 100 for first place, 50 for second place, 25 for third place, 15 for fourth place, 10 for fifth place.
PP Horse, jockey, trainer, odds
1. Napoleon Solo, Paco Lopez, Chad Summers, 7-2
2. Talk to Me Jimmy, Ruben Silvera, Rudy Rodriguez, 6-1
3. Right to Party, Christopher Elliott, Kenny McPeek, 20-1
4. Steel, Sahin Civaci, Bill Mott, 12-1
5. Ocelli, Joe Ramos, Whit Beckman, 20-1
6. Minorinconvenience, Jaime Rodriguez, Amelia Green, 30-1
7. Albus, Jaime Torres, Riley Mott, 12-1
8. Courting, Kendrick Carmouche, Todd Pletcher, 8-1
9. Bravaro, Edwin Gonzalez, Saffie Joseph Jr., 8-1
10. Red Zone Runner, Mychel Sanchez, Hugo Padilla, 30-1
11. Ottinho, Dylan Davis, Chad Brown, SCRATCHED
12. Buetane, Martin Garcia, Bob Baffert, 8-1
13. Iron Honor, Manny Franco, Chad Brown, 5-2
Post time: 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Purse: $500,000. Grade: 1. Distance: 1 1/8 miles. Jockey weight: 124 pounds. TV/livestream: NBCSN, FanDuel TV, Peacock. Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 100 for first place, 50 for second place, 25 for third place, 15 for fourth place, 10 for fifth place.
PP Horse, jockey, trainer, odds
1. Cherokee Nation, Florent Geroux, Bob Baffert, 5-2
2. Potente, Juan Hernandez, Bob Baffert, 2-1
3. Vitruvian Man, Antonio Fresu, Doug O’Neill, 15-1
4. Robusta, Emisael Jaramillo, Doug O’Neill, 8-1
5. So Happy, Mike Smith, Mark Glatt, 7-2
6. Start the Ride, Armando Ayuso, Dan Blacker, 30-1
7. Intrepido, Hector Berrios, Jeff Mullins, 7-2
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com. Follow on X @KentuckyDerbyCJ.
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