Welcome to 2025 Kentucky Derby Prospect Profiles, the place we’ll have a look every week at a latest winner on the Triple Crown path, normally from the Highway to the Kentucky Derby schedule from which the racehorses earn factors towards qualifying. The 1 ¼-mile Kentucky Derby Introduced by Woodford Reserve shall be held Could 3, 2025, at Churchill Downs.
This week, we’ll take a better have a look at Citizen Bull, the 1 ½-length winner of the $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Introduced by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Nov. 1 at Del Mar. The Into Mischief colt earned 30 factors towards qualifying for the 2025 Kentucky Derby with that win and at the moment ranks first on the Highway to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 40 whole qualifying factors.
Racing Résumé: Citizen Bull improved to a few wins in 4 begins with a 1 ½-length win within the Grade 1 FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Introduced by TAA, and in victory the Into Mischief colt cemented his credentials because the de facto 2024 champion 2-year-old male.
Citizen Bull additionally stepped into the highest spot on the street to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard after banking 10 factors for a front-running two-length win within the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes Introduced by DK Horse Oct.5 at Santa Anita Park and including 30 for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
The one blemish on his résumé was a 3rd to stablemate Gaming within the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity in September, however he defeated Gaming when it mattered most at Del Mar on Nov. 1.
“[Citizen Bull] is particular, he confirmed it [Friday] and he was not drained when he got here again,” Citizen Bull’s Corridor of Fame coach Bob Baffert stated. “He’s a quick horse.”
By way of Citizen Bull’s Kentucky Derby hopes, Baffert stated: “It’s thrilling, but it surely’s a great distance off.”
Velocity Figures: Baffert referred to as Citizen Bull a quick horse and the speed-figure makers agree. Equibase gave Citizen Bull a career-top 105 pace determine and Each day Racing Kind credited him with a career-best 96 Beyer Velocity Determine. The previous was a three-point enchancment from the 102 Equibase Velocity Determine he earned for the American Pharoah; the latter was a seven-point soar from an 89 Beyer for the American Pharoah.
Operating Model: Citizen Bull gained his debut from simply off the tempo sprinting in August earlier than he tried to rally from sixth within the Del Mar Futurity and flattened out late. He led from begin to end in his two subsequent races round two turns and seems to be at his finest dictating the tempo from in entrance. That is likely to be a tough process trying ahead to 1 ¼ miles on Could 3 at Churchill Downs, but it surely’s a optimistic that he has gained from off the tempo and it’s a lot simpler to keep away from bother in prep races when you find yourself on their own in entrance.
Connections: Bob Baffert gained the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile for a record-setting sixth time. After the race, he stated he was happy to see his horses again on the Highway to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard after a three-year hiatus. Baffert has been reinstated by Churchill Downs after serving a three-year suspension as a result of Medina Spirit’s optimistic take a look at for a banned substance following the 2021 Kentucky Derby.
The Corridor of Fame coach has gained 17 Triple Crown races going again to when Silver Appeal gave him his first victory within the collection by taking the 1997 Kentucky Derby. He has gained six editions of the Kentucky Derby and swept the Triple Crown in 2015 with American Pharoah and in 2018 with Justify.
Citizen Bull is owned by a big partnership of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Decided Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Tom J. Ryan, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan. Lots of the companions had been part-owners of Baffert-trained Derby starters Messier and Reincarnate. Starlight Racing and Sol Kumin of Madaket Stables each had been part-owners of Justify and 2020 Derby winner Genuine.
Jockey Martin Garcia earned his fifth profession Breeders’ Cup win within the Juvenile; his 4 different winners all got here aboard Baffert-trained runners, together with the Basic in 2014 on Bayern. His finest Kentucky Derby end was a 3rd aboard Dortmund for Baffert in 2015 and he gained the 2010 Preakness on the Baffert-trained Lookin At Fortunate.
Pedigree Notes: Citizen Bull is by five-time main sire Into Mischief, the highest North American sire from 2019 by way of 2023 and the present chief by progeny earnings in 2024 by greater than $11 million. From the Storm Cat department of the Northen Dancer sire line through sire Harlan’s Vacation, Into Mischief is the sire of Kentucky Derby winners Genuine (2020) and Mandaloun (2021).
Citizen Bull was produced by the unraced Distorted Humor mare No Joke, a half-sister (identical dam, completely different sire) to Grade 1 winner Moonshine Reminiscences, and hails from the household of 1997 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner and Horse of the 12 months Favourite Trick in addition to 2020 Belmont and Travers Stakes winner Tiz the Regulation.
Derby Potential: Solely two Juvenile winners within the historical past of the race have gone on to win the Kentucky Derby the next yr: Avenue Sense in 2006-’07 and Nyquist in 2015-’16. When Baffert talked about the Derby was a great distance off, he wasn’t kidding — not simply when it comes to the six months between races however with regard to the event and maturation of a racehorse.
Citizen Bull has an excellent likelihood to proceed to amass qualifying factors as a naturally quick, West Coast-based 3-year-old from the Baffert barn with tactical pace. He most likely will get a pleasant break to recuperate from the Juvenile and with 40 factors within the financial institution, Citizen Bull would possibly want simply a few high quality begins to make the beginning gate for the 2025 Kentucky Derby. What kind of 3-year-old he shall be half a yr from now’s virtually unimaginable to foretell, however he’s gifted and achieved and all eyes shall be on Citizen Bull subsequent yr after he takes house the Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old male, which is all-but a given at this level.
