Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Pletcher saddles three winners

In January 2017, trainer Todd Pletcher sent out a three-year-old colt named Always Dreaming to break his maiden. Less than four months later, Always Dreaming won the Kentucky Derby (G1).

Will history repeat itself in 2025? It’s not impossible. Last Saturday, Pletcher saddled no fewer than three sophomore maiden winners at two different racetracks, and all three look like possible candidates for this year’s Kentucky Derby.

River Thames

Arguably the most impressive of the Pletcher trio was River Thames. Purchased for $200,000 as a yearling, River Thames is a son of Maclean’s Music, best known as the sire of champion male sprinter Jackie’s Warrior and 2017 Preakness (G1) winner Cloud Computing.

River Thames debuted in a six-furlong maiden special weight at Gulfstream Park and ran fast under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, who guided Always Dreaming to win the Kentucky Derby. After rating 1 1/2 lengths behind an opening quarter-mile in :22.49, River Thames advanced to challenge heavy favorite Vanderbilt through half a mile in :45.47, then powered clear down the homestretch to beat that rival by 4 3/4 lengths in 1:10.27.

River Thames ran his final quarter-mile in a solid :24.80 per the Equibase GPS result chart, and Vanderbilt pulled five lengths clear of the rest, so it’s safe to say River Thames ran a big race on debut. If he follows Always Dreaming’s example, a late winter allowance will be next on the agenda, followed by a Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier like the Florida Derby (G1).

Grande

The same path to stardom is open for Grande, Pletcher’s other debut winner on Saturday at Gulfstream. The $300,000 yearling acquisition got his start in a one-mile maiden special weight and outran his 9-1 odds in a big way.

It wasn’t surprising to see Grande shine while debuting in a route race. He’s a son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin (a renowned source of classic stamina in pedigrees) out of Journey Home, winner of the one-mile Jimmy Durante (G3).

With Velazquez in the saddle, Grande showed speed from the rail post, racing in second place as 9-10 favorite Camp Hale set quick fractions of :23.61 and :46.02. Coming off two runner-up finishes against tough rivals on the Kentucky circuit, Camp Hale was widely expected to shine while making his route debut at Gulfstream.

But then Grande cranked up the pressure, seizing a narrow lead through six furlongs in 1:11.00 while Camp Hale pulled seven lengths ahead of the rest. This two-way battle continued until the eighth pole, when Grande finally put away Camp Hale and edged clear to win by 2 1/2 lengths in 1:37.89. Camp Hale ran gallantly in defeat and finished 5 1/4 lengths clear of the rest, so Grande deserves acclaim for running down a tough rival in his debut.

Prince Valiant

Pletcher’s third win came courtesy of Prince Valiant in a six-furlong maiden special weight for New York-breds at Aqueduct. A son of Pletcher’s two-time stakes winner King for a Day, Prince Valiant sold for only $50,000 as a weanling and has earned back all but $300 of that amount in his first two starts.

Prince Valiant debuted with a third-place finish in a six-furlong maiden special weight for New York-breds on Dec. 8 at Aqueduct, a race in which he came home seven lengths behind runner-up Vekinda. Those two met again on Saturday, with Vekinda favored at odds-on to deliver victory.

But Prince Valiant improved sharply in his second start, setting fractions of :23.70 and :47.68 before gamely turning back a bid from Vekinda to prevail by a neck in 1:11.85. He ran his final quarter-mile in a swift :24.17 while Vekinda pulled eight lengths clear of the third-place finisher, so it’s safe to say Prince Valiant is progressing in the right direction.

T Kraft

Two other maiden winners from last week warrant quick mentions.

On the same afternoon that Prince Valiant conquered Vekinda, T Kraft graduated in a non-state-restricted six-furlong maiden special weight at Aqueduct. Making his three-year-old debut after a 0-for-5 juvenile season, T Kraft was never more than a length behind splits of :23.36 and :47.40 before rallying tenaciously to win a three-way photo finish by a nose in 1:11.94. Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott conditions the son of Cigar Mile H. (G1) winner Connect.

John Hancock

Lastly, on Wednesday at Tampa Bay Downs, John Hancock impressed when debuting in a six-furlong maiden special weight. The Brad Cox-trained son of Constitution carved out fractions of :22.13 and :45.41 on his way to an easy three-length victory in 1:09.45.

Top maiden winner of the week: River Thames

Honorable mention: Grande