This week we will go into it in more detail Defectora 3 ¾ winner of the $210,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes on Feb. 7 at Tampa Bay Downs. He collected 20 points for the win and moved into second place on the The road to the Kentucky Derby standings with a total of 25 points, tied with Southwest Stakes winner Silent Tactic, who holds the top spot based on non-capped wagering earnings.
Race summary: The calendar has turned to 2026 and perhaps so will racing fortunes for Renegade, who made a compelling case as he ended his three-year arc as the division’s most accomplished member without a win on his resume.
Renegade finished first with a head in his second career start on November 17 at Aqueduct, but was disqualified and placed second to Paladin in the first one-mile special weight race. He then ran a hard-fought second behind Paladin in the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes at 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct on December 6, showing he could handle extra distance and graded stakes competition, but still headed south for the winter with zero wins to his name.
That changed Feb. 6 at Tampa Bay Downs when Renegade rallied explosively — final quarter mile in: 15.30 and final eighth of a mile in: 11.97 — for a dominant victory in the Sam F. Davis Stakes, making him a legitimate 2026 Kentucky Derby contender.
“He passed me like a monster down the stretch,” said runner-up Wayne’s Law jockey Marcos Meneses. “I knew I had a horse left, but not like him.”
The Renegade stormed into the lead from the eighth of nine with an electric rally four to five wide into the final corner before pulling clear down the stretch for a runaway win under Irad Ortiz Jr.
“[Trainer] Todd [Pletcher] has done a great job with this horse and we think he can improve with age and distance,” said co-owner Mike Repole. “If this is any indication, I’m pretty excited.”
Speed figures: Renegade earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 92 and an Equibase Speed Figure of 100 in his career. The first was a five-point jump from his previous best and a 10-point improvement over the 82 Renegade earned in the Remsen Stakes. He increased his Equibase Speed Figure by seven points from the 93 he earned for the Remsen.
Running Style: Renegade made a notable change of foot by winning the Sam F. Davis. He is a closer who prefers to race off the pace, which can pose challenges on the Kentucky Derby course and in the run for the roses. Renegade will be dependent on others to maintain a reasonable pace and must navigate traffic that often leads to problems and long journeys, such as the one he overcame in the Sam F. Davis.
Family tree notes: Renegade is a son of Into Mischief, the leading stallion in North America every year since 2019. Top runners include 2020 Kentucky Derby winner and Horse of the Year Authentic, 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Mandaloun and 2025 Horse of the Year Sovereignty.
Renegade was produced by graded stakes winner (at 1 1/8 miles) Spice Is Nice, by two-time Horse of the Year and elite sire Curlin. His grandmother (maternal grandmother) is Class 1 winner Dame Dorothy, 2006 champion 3-year-old male Bernardini. In short, Renegade’s pedigree combines elite class with an abundance of endurance.
Derby potential: What a season debut for Renegade! He looked the part of a potential Kentucky Derby winner in the Tampa Bay Downs stretch and his closing fractions were fantastic for Hall of Fame trainer and two-time Kentucky Derby winner Todd Pletcher. Renegade, an impeccably bred Into Mischief colt that sold for $975,000 as a yearling, has shown significant improvement since we last saw him two months ago and has to be considered one of the top prospects for this year’s Kentucky Derby.
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