Cannoneer, Incredibolt clash in Holy Bull; eight vie in Forward Gal

Jan 25, 2026 Kellie Reilly/Brisnet.com

Cannoneer wins at Churchill Downs.

Cannoneer wins at Churchill Downs. (Photo by Coady Media)

Two of the most eye-catching winners at Churchill Downs last fall, Cannoneer and Incredibolt, will square off in Saturday’s $275,000 Holy Bull (G3) for Kentucky Derby (G1) points at Gulfstream Park.

The 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull is worth points to the top five finishers on the 20-10-6-4-2 scale.  Post time for the Holy Bull, the finale of the 12-race program, is 5:45 p.m. ET.

Also at Gulfstream, Kentucky Oaks (G1) points are up for grabs in the $175,000 Forward Gal (G3), carded as the 10th race (4:45 p.m. ET). The seven-furlong dash for fillies likewise offers points on the 20-10-6-4-2 basis.

You can watch and wager on the Gulfstream races at TwinSpires.com.

Holy Bull (G3)

Cannoneer ventures onto the Road to the Kentucky Derby after a scintillating maiden win on the Nov. 29 “Stars of Tomorrow II” program at Churchill Downs. The Brad Cox runner looked a class apart that day, and even a riderless horse couldn’t faze him. Drawing off by 7 1/4 lengths, Cannoneer registered a sparkling 100 Brisnet Speed rating.

The Holy Bull represents a step up in both class and distance from that seven-furlong maiden, but the $1.75 million Keeneland September yearling has the pedigree to handle it. By perennial leading sire Into Mischief, Cannoneer is a half-brother to millionaires Girvin and Midnight Bourbon, both Derby competitors in their respective years.

Incredibolt was last seen on “Stars of Tomorrow I,” when exploding from last to first in the Oct. 26 Street Sense (G3). His rally reminded some observers of eventual Derby champion Sovereignty’s bold move in the same Churchill Downs stakes in 2024. Adding to the comparison, Incredibolt is trained by Riley Mott, son of Sovereignty’s Hall of Fame trainer, Bill Mott.

Hall of Famer Bob Baffert could send Buetane, who is cross-entered to Saturday’s Southwest (G3) at Oaklawn Park. Best of the rest behind champion Ted Noffey in last year’s Hopeful (G1), Buetane resurfaced with a nearer second in the Jan. 10 San Vicente (G2) at Santa Anita. If he does ship to Gulfstream, Buetane will try to emulate sire Tiz the Law, who dominated the Holy Bull in 2020.

Nearly makes his stakes and two-turn debut for Hall of Fame horseman Todd Pletcher. The son of hot sire Not This Time has won two straight sprinting at Gulfstream, notably recovering from a troubled start to romp in a Jan. 2 allowance.

Unbeaten Bravaro, by 2015 Holy Bull hero Upstart, makes his first foray outside of New York-bred company. The Saffie Joseph Jr. pupil has not raced since his sharp score in the Oct. 25 Sleepy Hollow S. around Aqueduct’s one-turn mile.

Roger That Dana has placed to a couple of prominent Derby hopefuls in a pair of Gulfstream stakes. A distant third to Strategic Risk in the In Reality division of the Florida Sire S., Roger That Dana was most recently runner-up to Commandment in the Mucho Macho Man S.

Maiden winners Global Aviator (who went last-to-first in his Gulfstream debut), Project Ace (at Churchill), and Game for It (in his Aqueduct premiere) conclude the cast.

Forward Gal (G3)

Mythical brings a 5-for-6 career record into her first test on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, including stakes wins in last summer’s Tremont S. (over the boys) and Adirondack (G3) at Saratoga. Her past two victories came in restricted company in Gulfstream’s Florida Sire S. series, where she crushed the Susan’s Girl division at this seven-furlong trip and negotiated 1 1/16 miles in the My Dear Girl division.

Reverting to the shorter distance helps Mythical’s cause. But the Jorge Delgado filly will face several talented rivals at the graded stakes level.

Cox has two prime chances in On Time Girl and Sneaky Good. On Time Girl sports a 3-for-4 mark after rolling in the Fern Creek S. at Churchill. The homebred is a daughter of the Albaugh Family’s past colorbearers Not This Time and Girl Daddy. Sneaky Good, an Into Mischief filly, extended her record to 2-for-2 in the Sandpiper S. at Tampa Bay Downs.

Joseph likewise fields a pair of contenders in Tessellate and Secane. Tessellate, a 13-length conqueror of the Nov. 15 Juvenile Fillies Sprint here, added Tampa’s Gasparilla S. Secane, a smashing first-out winner at this track and trip, has since placed in the Tempted S. and Cash Run S. over a mile.

Hollen Drive, a rallying allowance winner here for Will Walden, is a half-sister (by Practical Joke) to champion sprinter Mitole and $5.6 million-earner Hot Rod Charlie. A veteran of the 2021 Triple Crown trail, Hot Rod Charlie placed in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont (G1).

Pletcher, a four-time Forward Gal winner, relies on recent Gulfstream maiden scorer Imperatrice. Churchill maiden winner Music Burst exits a runner-up in a Turfway Park allowance for Rusty Arnold.

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