The Equibase rankings underwent a notable change over the recent weekend, attributed to an action-packed Valentine’s Day event at Fair Grounds and Sunday’s schedule at Sunland Park, both of which included crucial preliminary races for the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve and the Kentucky Oaks.
The initial 50-point qualifying race for the Kentucky Derby this season took place on Saturday, with the Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds allocating a total of 105 points among the top five participants according to a 50-25-15-10-5 distribution. Paladin, a December victor of the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct under trainer Chad Brown, achieved an undefeated 3-0 record by securing a resolute half-length win in the Risen Star, making a strong late push to overcome a tenacious Chip Honcho. The win brought Paladin $300,000, propelling him to third position among 3-year-old colts and sixth overall on the Equibase financial ranking, and he now tops the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with a cumulative 60 points.
Concurrent with Saturday’s events at Fair Grounds, the Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Rachel Alexandra Stakes served as the season’s initial 50-point Kentucky Oaks qualifier, distributing 105 points in total to the top five participants. Bella Ballerina, who shares a dam with Pretty Mischievous, the 2023 Kentucky Oaks champion, fulfilled expectations as the 4-5 favorite within the six-contender race. Having established the early lead and subsequently being passed in the final stretch, Bella Ballerina fought her way back on the inner rail to triumph by half a length against Luv Your Neighbor. Remaining undefeated as a juvenile, highlighted by a victory in the Grade 2 Golden Rod Stakes at Churchill Downs in November, the filly by Street Sense maintained her impressive performance in her inaugural race of 2026. Her success in the Rachel Alexandra brought her $180,000, elevating her to second place in the 3-year-old filly category and twelfth globally on the overall standings. Accumulating 50 additional points to the 10 previously gained in the Golden Rod, Bella Ballerina now occupies the leading position in the Kentucky Oaks rankings.
The Sunland Park meet regularly features the $500,000 Sunland Park Derby and the $250,000 Sunland Park Oaks, both events contributing a total of 42 Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks points distributed as 20-10-6-4-2. Sunday’s Sunland Park Derby showcased an exhilarating finish where Pavlovian narrowly defeated Express Kid under the guidance of trainer Doug O’Neill, who achieved a 36% win rate during the preceding week. As a Reddam Racing homebred, Pavlovian rapidly ascended the standings, securing the second spot in the 3-year-old male category and fifth place globally.
Prior to that on the Sunland schedule, Bottle of Rouge turned her initial race since placing sixth in the NetJets Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies into a triumph at the Sunland Park Oaks. As the 2-5 favorite, Bottle of Rouge seized control at the beginning of the stretch and widened her lead to secure a 1 ½-length win for trainer Bob Baffert, with Juan Hernandez riding. In her debut as a 3-year-old, she achieved a personal best Equibase Speed Figure of 94 and advanced to fourth position in the 3-year-old filly category, accumulating $147,000 from her Sunday victory. Bottle of Rouge is positioned 10th on the Oaks ranking with a total of 20 points.
The category for older male horses also experienced some shifts over the recent weekend. Lagynos, a 5-year-old Kantharos progeny, recorded the top Equibase Speed Figure across all North American horses last week, achieving a personal best of 116 for his 2 ¼-length win in the Grade 3 Fair Grounds Stakes Presented by Horse Racing Nation on Saturday. The horse trained by Steve Asmussen came in second in his inaugural 5-year-old race, the Colonel E. R. Bradley Stakes in mid-January, preceding his Saturday victory, and now sits at 13th in the older male division and 32nd overall with $125,000 earned in 2026.
Tyler Gaffalione maintains a consistent advantage of over $1 million among North American jockeys, presently holding $3,738,302 in total earnings. Even with only three victories, Gaffalione surpassed all other jockeys in earnings last week, accumulating $641,010. At Fair Grounds on Saturday, Gaffalione claimed wins in both the Rachel Alexandra Stakes riding Bella Ballerina and the Risen Star piloting Paladin.
Pertaining to trainers, Saffie Joseph Jr. retains the lead with $3,574,065 in earnings, though Steve Asmussen has narrowed the gap to less than $1 million in second place. Asmussen outpaced all trainers in both earnings and victories during the past week, thereby overtaking Brad Cox for the second spot.
Leading trainer in earnings last week — Steve Asmussen: 11 victories, $624,290
Foremost jockey in earnings for the past week — Tyler Gaffalione: 3 triumphs, $641,010
Highest Equibase Speed Figure from the previous week — Lagynos: 116
Lists of North American frontrunners for horses, jockeys, trainers, and owners can be found on equibase.com, offering options to refine the data across numerous criteria such as age, gender, track type, and race class.
