Looking at the Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager held at the end of November and comparing these results between both Byron King’s first Derby Dozen for BloodHorse, released on January 20, as well as the most recent Kentucky Derby Future Wager from January 16 to 18, handicappers would have been wise to make seven-time leading sire Into Mischief and record-breaking sire Gun Runner among the top choices.
Into Mischief, who already has three Kentucky Derby (G1) winners Mandaloun , Authentic and last year’s winner Sovereignty has two of the top three horses in the initial Derby Dozen for champion 2-year-old males this year Ted Noffey And Commandment easy winner of the Mucho Macho Man Stakes January 3 at Gulfstream Park.
There’s a chance these two runners could meet on the track soon, as trainer Todd Pletcher points three-time Grade 1 winner Ted Noffey to the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2), while trainer Brad Cox considers racing for Commandment on Feb. 28 at Gulfstream.
In the fathers’ future betting, Into Mischief finished as 9-2 favorites. In the most recent Derby futures pool, Ted Noffey finished 6-1 and Commandment 23-1. Other Into Mischief runners in the January 16-18 pool include Gunner (24-1), an impressive first winner in November at Churchill Downs; as well as the Remsen Stakes (G2) runner-up and Steelers favorite Defector (37-1).
Gun Runner, who finished 5-1 as the future second choice, has three horses in the top five of the second-place Derby Dozen Further Ad in fourth place Paladin And Brant at number 5.
Also trained by Cox, Further Ado won the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill in late November. He is listed at 26-1 in the most recent futures bet.
Paladin (14-1 future bet) won a first race at Aqueduct racecourse and ended his youth season there for trainer Chad Brown with a victory in the Remsen. Trained by six-time Kentucky Derby winner Bob Baffert, Brant captured the Del Mar Futurity (G1) and finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1). Brant finished 23-1 on the most recent futures bet.
Furthermore, Gun Runner represents the newest future betting pool this year Crowd (62-1), a first-time winner in November at Churchill for trainer Brian Lynch; Thunder Buck (92-1), a Cox-trained first-time winner from December at Fair Grounds Race Track and Slot Machines that of the board ended in the Lecomte Stakes (G3), and Thundering (22-1), a 5-length debut winner earlier this month at Gulfstream before last year’s Derby-winning connections of trainer Bill Mott and jockey Junior Alvarado.
On the track, Gun Runner finished third in the 2016 Derby. As a father, he almost saw his first Derby winner when Sierra Leone finished second in the 2024 edition of the classic.
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The only Road to the Kentucky Derby points race this weekend is the UAE Two Thousand Guineas (G3) on January 23 at Meydan Racecourse. The race opens the 2026 schedule from the Euro/Mideast Road to the Kentucky Derby.
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