The $1.5 million Arkansas Derby is Saturday at Oaklawn Park. It is the track’s fourth and final qualifying points prep race for the Kentucky Derby.
The 1 1/8-mile race offers a total of 200 points to the top five finishers toward reserving a spot in the Run for the Roses, distributed on a 100-50-25-15-10 basis.
Here is a brief look at the field for the 90th edition of the Arkansas Derby:
1. REDLAND REBELS [ML 15-1] Jockey: Keith Asmussen. Trainer: Patrick Biancone. He was cross entered in the Florida Derby but reportedly will be shipped to Oaklawn. Began his career on turf but switched to dirt for the Tampa Bay Derby and set the early pace in that 1 1/16-mile race. He kept a short advantage turning for home and responded when challenged by three horses but tired in the final strides to finish 4th. That result and his pedigree seems to indicate that the extra sixteenth of a mile in the Arkansas Derby will be too taxing for him.
2. SILENT TACTIC [ML 5-2] Jockey: Cristian Torres. Trainer: Mark Casse. After shipping to Oaklawn from Woodbine he finished 2nd in the Smarty Jones, dominated the Southwest Stakes, and then ran 2nd by a nose in the Rebel Stakes. Each of those Oaklawn, Kentucky Derby preps was held at 1 1/16 miles, and his pedigree suggests he’ll relish the added distance in the Arkansas Derby. He’s a deep closer who would benefit from a fast early pace.
3. BLACKOUT TIME [ML 6-1] Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr. Trainer: Ken McPeek. After nearly four-month layoff he finished a nonthreatening 4th in the Rebel Stake here. He’ll need to improve significantly to finish at least 3rd in the Arkansas Derby and keep his KD hopes alive for his connections. A 3rd-place finish would give him 40 total Derby points and place him on or near the Derby cut-line, based on recent history. He seems likely to improve in his second 3-year-old start, and his two workouts at Oaklawn since the Rebel have been excellent.
4. BRICKLIN [ML 20-1] Jockey: Jamie Torres. Trainer: Rodolphe Brisset. Following three unimpressive starts as a juvenile in 2025, he raced at Oaklawn January 3rd in a one-mile, two-turn Allowance optional claiming race and won impressively by 3 ½ lengths after setting a contested early pace. He then finished 3rd in the Sunland Park Derby on Februaruy15th. He’ll need to run the best race of his career by far just to have a chance at hitting the board in the Arkansas Derby.
5. TAPTASTIC [ML 20-1] Jockey: Erik Asmussen. Trainer: Steve Asmussen. Made his first career start less than three weeks ago in a March 8th Maiden race held at one mile and around two turns at Oaklawn. He was the 4-5 favorite in that race, competing against only four horses on a muddy track and won by 1 ½ lengths. He’ll need to boost his debut Speed Figure by around 20 points to have a chance at the upset, but his pedigree is superb for stretching out in distance as he’s by leading sire TAPIT.
6. RENEGADE [ML 3-2] Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr. Trainer: Todd Pletcher. He kicked off his 3-year-old season by winning the Sam F. Davis Stakes February 7th at Tampa Bay Downs by 3 ¾ lengths. He showed encouraging development right off the bat in that race, which came after a two-month layoff, and if he takes yet another step forward in Saturday’s Arkansas Derby following a break of seven weeks, he’ll be in the Oaklawn winner’s circle and one of the top two or three Kentucky Derby contenders in most polls.
7. NAPOLEON SOLO [Scratched]
8. EXOSOME [ML 20-1] Jockey: Adam Beschizza. Trainer: Kelsey Danner. Was 0-2 as a three-year-old when he won a 1 1/16-mile Allowance optional claiming race February 28th here. This colt gamely won a Maiden race in October 2025 going 1 1/16 miles by a half-length, and he’s bred to handle a mile and an eighth. That said, he’ll need to run a lot faster to have a chance at the upset Saturday.
9. LITMUS TEST [ML 5-1] Jockey: Francisco Arrieta. Trainer: Bob Baffert. Had a successful juvenile season, winning two of five starts including the 1 1/16-mile Los Alamitos Futurity to close out 2025. He also finished 4th, defeated by only 1 ¾ lengths, in the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. In his 3-year-old debut he set a solid early pace in the Rebel Stakes held at 1 1/16 miles only to tire in the stretch and finish 3rd He’ll have his blinkers removed for the Arkansas Derby after wearing them in all of his prior races. This equipment change will, seemingly, will help him relax.
The Arkansas Derby is listed as race 13 on a whopping card of 14 with a scheduled Post Time of 7:50 ET.
Best of luck however you play it.
