Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Speed King

Speed King lived up to his name in the 1 1/16-mile Southwest (G3) on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, leading all the way to win the $1 million race by one length.

This followed a game runner-up finish in the Remington Springboard Mile S., in which Speed King stayed on after an intense speed duel to finish second by half a length to stretch-running Coal Battle.

Clearly speed is the name of the game for Speed King. But in both the Springboard Mile and the Southwest, he lost ground from the eighth pole to the finish line. Will he be able to carry his abundant speed over 1 1/4 miles in the Kentucky Derby (G1)? His performances—and his pedigree—suggest it’s not a given.

Speed King’s pedigree is packed with speed. Just look at his sire, Volatile, whose 5-for-6 career record culminated with a gate-to-wire triumph in the six-furlong Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. (G1). Volatile competed exclusively over six furlongs and received a chance to stand at stud based on the talent he showed sprinting.

The fact Volatile excelled running short isn’t surprising. He’s a son of Violence, an early-maturing juvenile who won the one-mile Nashua (G3) and 1 1/16-mile CashCall Futurity (G1). Volatile’s dam is Melody Lady, winner of the 6 1/2-furlong El Paso Times S. and previously the dam of five-furlong Kentucky Juvenile S. winner Buy Sell Hold. This Violence/Melody Lady cross is geared toward success in sprints and miles.

Volatile’s first foals reached the races in 2024, and early results suggest he’s passing on speed befitting his racing record and pedigree. In addition to Speed King, his best runners include one-mile Champagne (G1) runner-up Tip Top Thomas, seven-furlong Hopeful (G1) third-place finisher Incentive Pay, and six-furlong Zia Park Princess S. winner Reliable Source.

That’s not to say Volatile will never sire a top-tier route racer; it’s too early to say with certainty how his stud career will unfold, and the right crosses with stoutly bred mares might help Volatile sire long-winded graded stakes performers. But in the case of Speed King, the dam’s side of his pedigree is also geared toward speed more than stamina.

Speed King is the second winning foal produced by Athenian Beauty, a claimer who won three times racing one mile to 1 1/16 miles on turf. Her first winning foal, Quantum Theory, is a claimer with three wins sprinting six furlongs on dirt and one triumph racing 1 1/16 miles on turf.

Athenian Beauty, in turn, is a daughter of Corinthian, a top-tier miler who won the Metropolitan H. (G1) and the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Corinthian managed to stretch his speed over 1 3/16 miles to win the Gulfstream Park H. (G2) by a diminishing neck, but miles were his strong suit.

Corinthian hasn’t set the world on fire at stud, though he is the sire of Prince Lucky, winner of the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2), Hal’s Hope (G3), and three other stakes over distances from seven furlongs to 1 1/16 miles. Another of Corinthian’s sons, Junebugred, won the one-mile Smarty Jones S. All told, Corinthian’s progeny have compiled an average winning distance of 7.0 furlongs, indicating he sires sprinters and milers more often than stamina-laden route racers.

Corinthian has found more success as a broodmare sire. His daughters have foaled Like the King, winner of the 1 1/8-mile Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) and a participant in the 2021 Kentucky Derby; Girl With a Dream, triumphant in the seven-furlong Forward Gal (G3); Background, winner of the one-mile Longacres Mile H. (G3); and Fenwick Station, placed in the one-mile Juvenile S. and winner of a 1 1/2-mile grass allowance at Keeneland.

In short, sprinters and milers dominate the pedigree of Speed King, and horses with classic stamina are hard to come by. If Speed King is going to shine racing 1 1/4 miles on the first Saturday in May, he’ll have to outrun his pedigree.