3 Picks for a Giant Day of Kentucky Derby Preps

The last major 2026 Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifiers are taking place this Saturday. The Blue Grass (G1) at Keeneland, the Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack, and the Santa Anita Derby (G1) at Santa Anita Park are all worth 100-50-25-15-10 points to the top five finishers. All three races have drawn competitive fields packed with promising horses. Here's how I see the Saturday action unfolding: Blue Grass (G1) I expect #6 Further Ado to deliver a strong showing in his second start of the season. He kicked off 2026 with a game runner-up finish in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3), where he was beaten three-quarters of a length by The Puma, who came back to finish second by a nose in the Florida Derby (G1). Last fall, Further Ado crushed a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight at Keeneland by 20 lengths, after which he took the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2). His maiden win remains his best performance from a Beyer speed figure and Brisnet Speed rating standpoint, so perhaps returning to Keeneland for the Blue Grass will trigger another career-best performance. Nevertheless, my top choice in the Blue Grass is #4 Reagan's Honor. He's gone 2-for-2 since stretching out around two turns. First, he wired a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight at Fair Grounds. Then he trounced an allowance over the same track and distance by 6 3/4 lengths, earning a strong 96 Beyer. I loved everything about Reagan's Honor's allowance win. He beat older rivals with ease. He set an honest pace. He finished fast, clocking his final five-sixteenths of a mile in :30.47. And he was the day's only gate-to-wire winner on dirt. There isn't an overabundance of early speed entered in the Blue Grass. If Reagan's Honor is able to set a relaxed pace, I believe he can hold off Further Ado down the Keeneland homestretch. Wood Memorial (G2) In general, I'm a fan of #13 Iron Honor, who is unbeaten in two starts. He fought hard to win a quick renewal of the one-mile Gotham (G3) at Aqueduct, and he brings sharp Beyer speed figures and Brisnet Speed ratings to the table. But Iron Honor likes to race forwardly, and he may have to sprint harder than ideal during the early stages of the Wood Memorial to avoid a wide trip from the far outside post position. Plus, it's worth noting local Aqueduct runners rarely win the Wood Memorial; 11 of the last 15 winners prepped in Florida. As a result, I'm going to try to beat Iron Honor with #9 Bravaro. As a juvenile, he went 2-for-2 at Aqueduct, winning a six-furlong maiden special weight and the one-mile Gander S. This year, he's competed twice in Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifiers at Gulfstream Park in Florida, running second in the Holy Bull (G3) and fourth in the Fountain of Youth (G2). In the Holy Bull, Bravaro stayed within two lengths of a fast pace and still finished clearly second-best, 2 3/4 lengths ahead of late-running third-place finisher Project Ace. In the Fountain of Youth, Bravaro endured early traffic troubles and wound up racing near the back of the pack for the first time in his career. He appeared unhappy with the situation, tossing his head around for a time, but in the end he launched a sustained rally to finish fourth behind Commandment and Chief Wallabee, who returned to finish first and third in the Florida Derby. Bravaro is adding blinkers for the Wood Memorial, which could potentially sharpen his speed and focus to unlock a career-best performance. With a clean trip, I believe he can spring an upset. Santa Anita Derby (G1) There are plenty of viable win contenders in this competitive Santa Anita Derby, but I'm siding with the fastest horse on paper: #1 Cherokee Nation. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has long treated Cherokee Nation like a top-class horse, running him in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) and Robert B. Lewis (G3) as a maiden. Cherokee Nation finished fifth in those Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifiers, but in between he ran a strong second in a one-mile maiden special weight at Santa Anita, beaten only half a length by future San Felipe (G2) runner-up #4 Robusta. Cherokee Nation finally broke through in a different one-mile maiden special weight on Feb. 27 at Santa Anita. He pressed a solid pace, then powered away through a :24.59 final quarter-mile to win by 10 lengths in 1:34.50. The Daily Racing Form reported that Cherokee Nation's final time was the fastest dirt mile run at Santa Anita since 2016. Naturally, Cherokee Nation earned strong speed figures--a 100 Beyer and a 103 Brisnet Speed rating. Those are the highest numbers belonging to any of the Santa Anita Derby entrants. Will Cherokee Nation repeat those numbers in the Santa Anita Derby? It's hard to say for certain, given that he's struggled with consistency so far in his career. But since the rest of the Santa Anita Derby entrants appear evenly matched on paper, I believe Cherokee Nation offers the best betting value if his 5-2 morning-line odds hold up. He's a cut above if he brings his A game. For the minor awards, stretch-running San Felipe winner #2 Potente and last year's American Pharoah (G1) winner #7 Intrepido are the two horses I like best. Now it's your turn! Who do you like in this week's Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifiers? ***** Want to test your handicapping skills against fellow Unlocking Winners readers? Check out the Unlocking Winners contests page. There's a new challenge every week! ***** The Unlocking Winners Road to the Kentucky Derby Handicapping Challenge is back! Check out the special contest page to play along.