Ted Noffey, Napoleon Solo, Intrepido win coast-to-coast Kentucky Derby preps

Oct 04, 2025 J. Keeler Johnson/TwinSpires.com

Ted Noffey wins the Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland.

Ted Noffey wins the Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland. (Photo by Coady Media)

The 2025-26 Road to the Kentucky Derby made stops this Saturday at Aqueduct in New York, Keeneland in Kentucky, and Santa Anita in California. A trio of qualifiers worth 10-5-3-2-1 points to the top five finishers shook up the early Kentucky Derby (G1) leaderboard.

In addition, all three races awarded “Win and You’re In” berths to the Oct. 31 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) via the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series.

Champagne (G1)

The action got underway at Aqueduct with the $500,000 Champagne, a historic one-mile race that has produced 23 Kentucky Derby winners through the years, including Triple Crown winners Omaha, Count Fleet, Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and Affirmed.

This year’s Champagne ended in an upset. Napoleon Solo, fresh off a debut win at Saratoga, led all the way through intense pace fractions of :22.53, :44.25, and 1:07.88 to dominate by 6 1/2 lengths under jockey Joel Rosario.

'We’ve been trying to get Grade 1 horses and trying to get to the Kentucky Derby… so this is great,” said winning trainer Chad Summers.

Owned by Gold Square, Napoleon Solo reached the finish line in 1:34.57 while chased home by Talkin, Universe, It’s Our Time, Stradale, Curtain Call, Aye Eye, Stickupwithoutagun, and Just Asap. He joins the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard in third place.

Breeders’ Futurity (G1)

In the $642,594 Breeders’ Futurity (G1) at Keeneland, Ted Noffey cemented his favoritism for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile with a decisive victory.

Previously victorious in the Hopeful (G1) at Saratoga, Ted Noffey pressed fractions of :23.96, :48.23, and 1:12.62 in second place before taking over under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez to win the 1 1/16-mile race by 2 3/4 lengths in 1:43.98.

Blackout Time rallied for second place over pacesetter Litmus Test, followed by Diciassette, Spice Runner, and Big Dom.

The Breeders’ Futurity marked Ted Noffey’s first start in a two-turn race.

“Everything in his training indicated to us that he wouldn’t have any issue with (two turns),” said victorious trainer Todd Pletcher, who has won the Kentucky Derby twice with Super Saver (2010) and Always Dreaming (2017).

“It’s always great to see them actually do it. It worked out beautifully today. He had a good trip to the first turn, got into a good rhythm, and was just kind of waiting on Johnny (Velazquez) to give him the cue. It was what we were hoping for and what we expected, but, like I said, you always want to see it.”

Spice Runner, winner of the Iroquois (G3) on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, stumbled badly at the start of the Breeders’ Futurity and had to steady behind a rival around the first turn. Despite finishing below expectations, he earned another Kentucky Derby qualification point and sits atop the latest leaderboard with 11 points in total. Ted Noffey ranks second with 10 points.

Ted Noffey is the son of acclaimed stallion Into Mischief, who has already sired a record-equaling three Kentucky Derby winners: Authentic (2020), Mandaloun (2021), and Sovereignty (2025).

American Pharoah (G1)

Six-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Bob Baffert saddled four of the six starters in the $300,500 American Pharoah at Santa Anita, but in the end, it was Intrepido from the Jeff Mullins barn who produced a late rally to win.

Baffert trainees Desert Gate and Kristofferson, the two favorites, showed the way early through splits of :22.83, :46.76, and 1:10.87. Intrepido rated behind the leaders as far back as fourth place and wound up boxed in between horses with nowhere to run around the final turn.

However, an opening appeared in the homestretch, and Intrepido shifted outside for a clear path. It took him a while to build momentum, but in the final strides he surged past Desert Gate to prevail by three-quarters of a length, completing 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.67.

“When I made my move to the outside, he responded, although not very strongly at first,” said winning jockey Hector Berrios. “But when I asked him again, he responded and produced an impressive change of pace and flew down the final stretch. He’s an amazing horse. I’m very proud of the effort he showed today.”

Desert Gate held second place by a nose over his rail-rallying stablemate Plutarch. Doug O’Neill’s Civil Liberty finished fourth, while Balboa and Kristofferson trailed the field.

Intrepido debuts in fourth place on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard.

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