Endlessly – Kentucky Derby Context

Endlessly will bring a late kick to the 150th Kentucky Derby (G1) on May 4, rallying smartly past rivals to earn his spot with a four-length decision in the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) in late March. That race came over Turfway Park’s synthetic Tapeta track, and while the Jeff Ruby has produced a Kentucky Derby winner (Rich Strike) and runner-up (Two Phil’s) over the last two years, both horses had won previously at Churchill Downs. Endlessly has never raced on dirt, recording a pair of Grade 3 turf wins last year and capturing the El Camino Real Derby on Tapeta in his three-year-old opener. The 20-horse Kentucky Derby field is always a challenging spot to try something new, but deep-closing Endlessly may receive a favorable set up, with another hot pace expected this year.

Owner: Amerman Racing (Jerry and Joan Amerman) will be represented by their first Kentucky Derby starter. The California-based owners who have campaigned multiple Breeders’ Cup race winners.

Trainer: Endlessly will be the first Kentucky Derby starter for Michael McCarthy. A 53-year-old native of Youngstown, Ohio, McCarthy upset the 2021 Preakness (G1) with Rombauer, and he trained 2018 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner City of Light, the sire of presumed 2024 Kentucky Derby favorite Fierceness. McCarthy worked for trainers Ben Cecil, Doug Peterson, and Todd Pletcher before starting his own stable in 2014.

Jockey: Umberto Rispoli launched his riding career in his native Italy in 2005, and the 35-year-old jockey had stints in France and Hong Kong before moving to Southern California in late 2019. This will be his second Kentucky Derby mount, finishing 14th on Brooklyn Strong in 2021.

Breeder/Sales: Endlessly was bred in Kentucky by the Amermans. This will be their second Kentucky Derby appearance as breeders, with Oscar Nominated finishing 17th in 2016.

Sire: A four-time Grade 1 winner on turf and earner of more than $3.2 million, Oscar Performance immediately showed his versatility at stud, throwing stakes winners on all surfaces and various distances, and Endlessly is from his second crop. Oscar Performance is by 1997 Metropolitan H. (G1) winner Langfuhr, a son of the great sire Danzig.

Dam: Endlessly is out of the unraced Dream Fuhrever, a daughter of Rahy, who is probably best known as the sire of Hall of Famer Serena’s Song, an 11-time Grade 1 winner who defeated males on multiple occasions but was unplaced as the favorite in the 1995 Kentucky Derby. Rahy has yet to make an impact on the Triple Crown as a broodmare sire, but one of his daughters produced three-time highweight and influential U.S. sire Giant’s Causeway. This is a classy turf female family with stamina influences. Endlessly’s second maternal dam, Society Dream, was a 1 1/4-mile turf stakes winner, and she’s produced Grade 1 turf scorer Coffee Clique and a Grade 3 turf winner at 1 1/2 miles. 

Top Brisnet Speed: 93
Top Brisnet Late Pace: 93