Saturday is the 37th running of the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
The 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-olds offers a purse of $275,000 dollars and a total of 42 qualifying points for the May 2nd Kentucky Derby, distributed on a 20-10-6-4-2 scale to the top five finishers.
Here is a brief look at the field:
1. INCREDIBOLT [ML 9-2] Jockey: Jaime Torres. Trainer: Riley Mott. The only starter in this year’s Holy Bull to have already earned Kentucky Derby qualifying points, having done so in his final 2025 start, the Street Sense, October 26th at Churchill Downs. He’s been training steadily in south Florida for his trainer and could become the first viable Derby contender for Mott, whose father, Bill Mott has two Derby crowns- including last year’s race with SOVEREIGNTY. If he continues to move forward as he did in his final two starts at age 2, his 3-year-old debut could be very successful.
2. ROGER THAT DANA [ML 20-1] Jockey: Renzo Rojas. Trainer: Luis Ramirez. Won his career debut in a six-furlong Gulfstream Park sprint back in October and since then has finished 3rd by 10 ¼ lengths in a 1 1/16-mile Gulfstream Stakes for Florida-breds and 2nd by 6 ¾ lengths in the January 3rd, one-mile Mucho Macho Man Stakes at this track. His two margins of defeat in Stakes races as well as a big jump in class do not bode well for his win chances Saturday.
3. PROJECT ACE [ML 20-1] Jockey: Corey Lanerie. Trainer: Dale Romans. Makes his Stakes debut after showing improvement in each of his three starts in Kentucky. He finished a distant 3rd in his debut sprinting six furlongs at Churchill Downs, but then just missed when stretching out to 1 1/16 miles at Keeneland in October, closing fast along the rail and losing by a nose. His next start was back at Churchill on November 15th where he rallied from last along the inside again to win the 1 1/16-mile race by a head. Profiles as a stone-cold closer who will need a fast pace and a trouble-free trip to set up his kick.
4. GLOBAL AVIATOR [ML 5-1] Jockey: Joe Bravo. Trainer: Rohan Crichton. Seems a bit to ambitious entering this colt in the Holy Bull Stakes off of a single start – a neck win in a six-furlong maiden race at Gulfstream on November 29th. He got a slow start in that race and trailed the field early before rallying into contention with an attention-grabbing move in the turn, taking the lead on the stretch, and holding on by a neck over an odds-on favorite. He’s coming off of a two-month break and stretches out around two turns, while his pedigree indicates he’s best suited to sprint and one-mile races.
5. CANNONEER [ML 2-1] Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr. Trainer: Brad Cox. He’s placed fairly high in Kentucky Derby future books and on many analysts’ contender lists despite having not run in a Stakes or even in a two-turn race, yet he has a good chance to be the post-time favorite in the Holy Bull. His last out was at Churchill Downs November meet. In that race, though, he turned every head at the track and watching on all devices with an explosive 7 ¼-length romp in a seven-furlong race. He’s bred to easily handle route races, and Irad, who was aboard in November, keeps the mount for the Holy Bull.
6. BUETANE [SCRATCHED] Jockey: Joel Rosario. Trainer: Bob Baffert. It was reported on Monday that this California-based horse (who has finished 2nd in two Graded Stakes through three starts), would not ship to Gulfstream Park for the Holy Bull after his flight was canceled.
7. NEARLY [ML 9-5] Jockey: John Velazquez. Trainer: Todd Pletcher. The Florida-bred colt finished a distant 6th in New York back in his October debut but improved by leaps and bounds once sent to Gulfstream Park in November, romping by 9 ¼ lengths in a six-furlong sprint against fellow state-breds and then taking a seven-furlong Allowance race by five lengths. He has a home-track advantage here with plenty of room to improve his scaling speed figures in his fourth career start.
8. BRAVARO [ML 8-1] Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione. Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr. This New York-bred enters the race undefeated in two starts. Both of those occurred last fall at Aqueduct, where he won a six-furlong sprint by a length and then impressed in the one-mile Sleepy Hollow Stakes, driving clear to a 2 ½-length victory. Those wins came against New York-breds, so he’ll be taking a step up in class Saturday. Even if he suffers a first career defeat, BRAVARO has a chance to finish well enough to earn some Kentucky Derby points and target more valuable prep races in the weeks ahead.
9. GAME FOR IT [ML 30-1] Jockey: Junior Alvarado. Trainer: Chad Summers. Another New York shipper, and he’s also coming into the Holy Bull Stakes with one career start to his credit. That race was on December 10th at Aqueduct, and it was an impressive debut, as he overcame a stumble at the start to rally and win a six-furlong sprint by a half-length as the odds-on favorite. He has the pedigree to handle 1 1/16 miles. Still, making the leap from a Maiden race to a Stakes race on the Kentucky Derby trail is formidable task. He’ll need to improve his debut speed figure by about 25 points to even be competitive.
The Holy Bull Stakes is the final race on a card of 12 with a scheduled Post Time of 5:45.
Best of luck however you play it.
