Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Baffert, Cox unveil new winners

Trainers Bob Baffert and Brad Cox have won a combined seven editions of the Kentucky Derby (G1) and six Eclipse Awards for Outstanding Trainer.

Baffert and Cox are well armed to pursue the 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1). Baffert has Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) one-two finishers Citizen Bull and Gaming under his care, while Cox trains promising maiden winners like Admiral Dennis, Disco Time, Uncle Jim, and Mitty’s Griddy.

Their respective rosters of up-and-coming Derby contenders continue to grow. Just last week, Baffert and Cox saddled flashy debut winners with the potential to make noise on the 2024-25 Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Baffert struck first. On Saturday at Del Mar, he debuted two horses—Romanesque and Rodriguez—in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight. After dueling through fractions of :22.27 and :45.30, Romanesque pulled clear of his stablemate to score by 2 1/4 lengths. The son of three-time Grade 1-winning sprinter/miler Practical Joke reached the finish line in the solid time of 1:15.91.

Romanesque won the day, but Rodriguez has potential too. A son of Baffert’s 2020 Kentucky Derby winner Authentic, Rodriguez pulled 9 1/2 lengths clear of the third-place finisher and seems likely to break his maiden in the near future.

Cox’s latest Derby contender emerged on Sunday at Fair Grounds. Hot Property, a stoutly bred son of Medaglia d’Oro, debuted in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight. Getting started in a two-turn race isn’t always easy, but Hot Property handled the task without issue, setting fractions of :24.89, :49.65, and 1:14.64 before kicking away to dominate by 3 3/4 lengths in 1:45.27.

A Gary and Mary West homebred, Hot Property has the pedigree to improve with maturity and could potentially turn up in a Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier before the year is over. The Dec. 21 Gun Runner S. over 1 1/16 miles at Fair Grounds could be a suitable spot for Hot Property to try stakes competition.

Turning our attention in other directions, three maiden winners at Churchill Downs last week warrant mentioning.

On Saturday, second-time starter Mo Quality proved best in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight. Coming off a deep-closing runner-up finish in his debut over the same distance and class level at Keeneland, Mo Quality showed vastly improved tactical speed in his second start, pressing fractions of :22.55 and :45.81 before taking over to win by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:16.14. The son of Mo Town is progressing in the right direction for trainer Christopher Davis and has upside for further improvement when stretching out around two turns.

The fourth time was the charm for Kinetic Control, a Dale Romans trainee who finished second, second, and sixth in his first three starts. His winning effort came on Friday in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight, and his strategy was simple: go to the lead and never look back. Kinetic Control carved out splits of :24.10, :48.51, and 1:12.71 before edging away down the homestretch to prevail by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:44.08. A son of Not This Time out of a mare by Medaglia d’Oro, Kinetic Control is bred to shine in routes and may soon turn up in a Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier.

Lastly, Baby Max graduated on Wednesday in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight for horses who brought a final bid of $50,000 or less at their most recent auction. Fourth in his debut sprinting six furlongs over the same class level at Keeneland, Baby Max appreciated stretching out around two turns. The son of Maximus Mischief settled at the back of a seven-horse field through splits of :23.74 and :47.95 before launching a sustained rally to get up and win by half a length in 1:45.20. Kelsey Danner trains the bay colt.

Top maiden winner of the week: Hot Property

Honorable mention: Romanesque