Quick Hitters:

One…Maidens Should Be Excluded From the Kentucky Derby…

While I must admit that it hurt me financially and personally, and I must also admit that Ocelli ran a very good and promising third in this year’s Kentucky Derby, I have carried a very stern opinion that in today’s world of horse racing a maiden should not be allowed to run in the world’s greatest race.

This is not a new thought. Or one that is spurred by Ocelli’s sudden burst on the scene in the Derby, either.

The trainer, D. Whitworth Bechman, and the connections deserve a round of applause for getting this son of Connect to finish third in the G2 Wood Memorial; all the way to the Also-Eligible List; and, ultimately, into the Derby field. Salute.

To run third in the Derby? Salute, salute, salute. Job well done.

But it just seems to me that if Churchill Downs is going to go to such great lengths as to build a first class points system on a series of top prep races located throughout the country and the world, for that matter, then the first accomplishment that a horse must make is to win a single race. Just one.

It could be any kind of maiden. It can be a maiden claiming event. But it just seems to me that if a horse cannot win a single race before the First Saturday in May, then it shouldn’t be in the field for the biggest, loudest, most amazing race in the history of all horse racing.

A maiden is a maiden for some reason. Maybe it’s due to bad luck before making it to the races. Maybe it’s due to maturity rate. Maybe it’s due to bad luck during the races. Maybe it’s because the horse simply doesn’t act or run good enough; straight enough; fast enough; far enough. Could be a lot of reasons, some of which may be legit. But, still, if a horse has not and cannot win a single race before the Kentucky Derby?

With a field that will normally and customarily include 20 horses, the inclusion of a maiden just creates too much risk; too many questions; too many variables. Simply put, it is not worth the risk.

In my opinion, any horse who has not and cannot win a single race, simply, has not earned the right to compete against the best of the best. No matter what.

In my opinion, it should be the first thing on the eligibility requirements.

In 2025, Publisher ran in the Kentucky Derby for trainer Steve Asmussen. The son of American Pharaoh ran 14th. It took the colt 13 starts to break the maiden. At 4 years now, he seems to have found himself and may be turning into one of the best older horses in the USA. After breaking the maiden, finally, in February of this year, the horse won two more in a row before running 4th in the G1 Oaklawn Handicap against the likes of White Abario, Sovereignty, and Journalism.

But in 2025, he wasn’t ready for the Kentucky Derby.

And, I will suggest that Ocelli wasn’t ready for this Kentucky Derby, either. In fact, he may have hindered other more serious contenders in the stretch run when Ocelli was obviously out of run.

Ocelli may go on to become one of the best 3YOs in the country. He may mature into one of the best older horses next year. I hope he does. But he is not there, right now.

The truth is…

The last maiden to win the Kentucky Derby was Brokers Tip. That was 1933.

Only 3 maidens have ever son the Kentucky Derby in 152 years. The other two were Buchanan in 1884 and Sir Baron in 1919.

It’s time to eliminate the possibility of a 4th.