Kentucky Derby Prep Review Feb. 10, 2026

Feb 10, 2026 James Scully

Plutarch wins the Robert B. Lewis at Santa Anita. (Photo by Horsephotos.com)

A quartet of Kentucky Derby qualifiers were offered Feb. 6-7, all offering points on a 20-10-6-4-2 scale toward a berth in the 2026 Kentucky Derby (G1).

What Happened

On Feb. 6, Silent Tactic rallied from far off the pace to win the Southwest (G3) at Oaklawn Park by 3 1/4 lengths. The Mark Casse-trained colt registered his first stakes tally, and Christian Torres rides.

Talk to Me Jimmy, a New York-bred maiden winner last fall making his first start against open rivals and at a two-turn distance, broke on top in the 1 1/8-mile Withers at Aqueduct and led all the way, extending his winning margin to 11 lengths on the wire. Overlooked at 12-1, the speedy colt is trained by Rudy Rodriguez and ridden by Ruben Silvera.

On Feb. 7, Renegade opened his three-year-old season with a sharp 3 3/4-length score in the Sam F. Davis S. at Tampa Bay Downs. Irad Ortiz Jr. had the assignment for two-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Todd Pletcher.

Plutarch is one to take note of for six-time Kentucky Derby winner Bob Baffert, earning his first stakes victory with a game triumph in the Robert B. Lewis (G3) at Santa Anita. Florent Geroux picked up the mount on the regally bred colt.

Analysis

Plutarch lost his first four starts, earning the first win in a 1 1/8-mile turf maiden special weight last November, but don’t put any stock into those early exploits. The improving colt is discovering his best form now, commendably putting away juvenile Grade 1 winner Intrepido in deep stretch of the Lewis to win by three-quarters of a length, and Baffert spoke afterwards about Plutarch’s immense potential for growth and development. He registered a 94 Brisnet Speed Rating, and Plutarch looks poised to keep running faster this spring.

And I wouldn’t give up on Intrepido, winner of the American Pharoah (G1) two starts previously. Intrepido rebounded from a well-beaten fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), displaying improved speed and earning a career-best Brisnet Speed figure, and he may have more to offer for Jeff Mullins following the comebacker.

Renegade didn’t beat much in the Davis but looked the part, rallying from eighth in the opening stages to win convincingly. The bay colt received a 97 Brisnet Speed rating, which is on par with his main Kentucky Derby rivals at this point, and Renegade flattered the form of last December’s Remsen (G2) at Aqueduct, finishing second to well-regarded Paladin in his previous outing. Renegade deserves to be mentioned among the upper echelon of Kentucky Derby contenders following an encouraging comeback effort.

Silent Tactic packs a late punch and was visually impressive rolling home in the Southwest, but his 92 Brisnet Speed Rating came back a little disappointing. But I see the glass as half full because I love the progress displayed since switching to a dirt track two starts back, and respect his dynamic closing ability. And Soldier N Diplomat, and third-placer Buetane, are candidates to build upon solid runner-up and third-place finishes.

Tough to make an assessment on Talk to Me Jimmy, who led by a length at the first call and had everything his own way on an easy lead in the Withers. These races often tell us little about the winner and serve as more of an indictment of the also-rans. Talk to Me Jimmy won’t get the same trip on Kentucky Derby Day and still has much to prove.