Spendthrift Doubles Up: Further Ado Wins KY Jockey Club

Spendthrift Farm already had one ace for the 2026 Kentucky Derby (G1) in presumptive champion 2-year-old male Ted Noffey, who completed a 4-for-4 campaign this year when he took the Oct. 31 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Del Mar. Now it seems they have a pair of aces, with Further Ado now part of Spendthrift's enviable hand. The Gun Runner colt followed up a striking maiden victory at Keeneland last month by producing a 1 3/4-length score in the $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) Nov. 29 at Churchill Downs. Though his win Saturday didn't come as easily as his prior victory Oct. 10 at Keeneland, in which he steamrolled the opposition by 20 lengths while racing up close throughout, his Kentucky Jockey Club was promising. He defeated a talented field of 2-year-olds, doing so from a stalking position to reel in stretch leader Soldier N Diplomat, and he showed the ability to handle the surface at Churchill Downs, where the Kentucky Derby will be contested May 2 of next year. "Obviously if you're trying to get to the Derby, it's important to perform well here at Churchill," trainer Brad Cox said. Wide-racing Further Ado crossed the wire comfortably in front of a hard-charging Universe, who surged a half-length past fatigued show finisher Soldier N Diplomat, a Steve Asmussen trainee. "He was able to show a different dimension today," jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. said. "I was able to let the speed go and sit a pretty good trip. He had to really dig in late to get to the wire first. I think this race will really benefit him down the road." Further Ado was clocked in 1:43.33, the fastest of four races at 1 1/16 miles on dirt during an all-juvenile Saturday at Churchill Downs, though only marginally so. Splits in the race were :23.35, :46.76, and 1:10.84—set by Dr. Kapur, who would concede the lead to a pace-chasing Soldier N Diplomat leaving the second turn. Though his final time was quick, Further Ado's final sixteenth of a mile in :06.78 was not. This relatively slow split left Universe advancing on him late, and Universe soared past inside him on the gallop out. Universe raced wide into the second turn before drifting inward down the stretch. "I think we need to get a little bit luckier with his trip," said his trainer, Kenny McPeek. Further Ado now has a record of 2-0-1 in four starts and his earnings stand at $320,703. He is perfect in two routes. The win was Cox's second Kentucky Jockey Club victory. He also won it in 2022 with Instant Coffee. Very Connected, another McPeek trainee, was fourth, and Bob Baffert-trained Cherokee Nation, who was intimidated and shuffled back in a scramble to the first turn, ran fifth. The Kentucky Jockey Club provided qualifying points toward next year's Kentucky Derby on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale to its top five finishers. Churchill Downs uses qualifying points to promote the race and as a preference system when the race lures more than its capacity field size of 20 starters. While Cox did not immediately specify which races he would target with Further Ado next year, he did mention that with the colt's 10 Derby points, a two-race campaign prior to the Derby is likely. Cox is expected to train Further Ado at Payson Park this winter. Though Cox stables at that South Florida training center, he has shown a willingness to send his top dirt horses to Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in Louisiana or Oaklawn Park in Arkansas for stakes. He also runs horses at Gulfstream Park in Florida. Ted Noffey, trained by Todd Pletcher, is aimed toward a Gulfstream Park campaign this winter and spring. Further Ado, bred in Kentucky by John Oxley out of the grade 3-placed Sky Mesa mare Sky Dreamer, is a half brother to Kimbear (Temple City), a dual group winner on dirt in Dubai. Further Ado was a $550,000 purchase by Spendthrift Farm from the Six K's Training & Sales consignment to the Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. He is the 50th black-type stakes winner for Gun Runner, who will stand for a $250,000 fee at Three Chimneys Farm in 2026. Boyd Struts Speed in Ed Brown stakes The Kentucky Jockey Club was one of two stakes for 2-year-old males Saturday during its Stars of Tomorrow card, the other being the $217,250 Ed Brown Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs. There, Zedan Racing Stables' Boyd improved to 2-for-2 in dusting three rivals, scoring by 2 1/2 lengths over Big Dom in a sharp time of 1:15.58 for the distance. Flavien Prat was aboard the Southern California shipper, who previously won a Sept. 7 maiden race at Del Mar for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. The Violence colt was a $1.05 million purchase by bloodstock agent Donato Lanni from the Top Line Sales consignment to the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale in May. The Stars of Tomorrow program, inaugurated in 2005 by then Churchill Downs racing secretary Doug Bredar, has produced more than 50 grade 1 winners since its inception, including Kentucky Derby winners Sovereignty (2025), Mystik Dan (2024), Mandaloun (2021), and Super Saver (2010). Churchill runs two Stars of Tomorrow cards during its fall meet.