The $265,000 Holy Bull Stakes on Feb. 1 is the first of three prep races for the 2025 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve scheduled at Gulfstream Park in South Florida. The 1 1/16-mile dirt race offers qualifying points for the 151^st Kentucky Derby to the top five finishers, distributed on a 20-10-6-4-2 basis. It will be followed in Gulfstream’s prep series by the Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes on March 1 and the Curlin Florida Derby on March 29.

This race has been an important prep through the years, not only in producing Kentucky Derby winners including Go for Gin in 1994, Funny Cide in 2003, and Barbaro in 2006, but other stars of the sport such as White Abarrio, the 2022 victor who won last weekend’s Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes.

The Holy Bull Stakes will be shown live on FanDuel TV and has a post time of 5:13 p.m. ET. Read on for information about each contender and insights into betting the race.

1. Kinetic Control

Jockey: Junior Alvarado

Trainer: Dale Romans

Owner: Albaugh Family Stable

Career record: 4 starts – 1 win – 2 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $107,761

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 87

Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 0

Pedigree: Not This Time – Devious d’Oro, by Medaglia d’Oro

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Press the pace

Analysis: This colt is an intriguing prospect as he makes his first start in a Kentucky Derby prep race after four prior appearances. In his first three races, Kinetic Control encountered trouble each time – he broke slowly out of the gate in his first two races, and had to steady between horses in his third start. Still, he rallied to finish second in his debut back in August and then again in his second start in September before finishing sixth in his third race as the odds-on favorite. In his final start of 2024, Kinetic Control broke well and led from start to finish in a 1 1/16-mile maiden race at Churchill Downs, winning by 1 ½ lengths. He has been training at Gulfstream in recent weeks and appears ready for his 3-year-old debut. Look for him to go straight to the lead under first-time jockey Junior Alvarado if he has a good start. 

New to racing? Let us explain…

Odds-on favorites are horses that are bet at odds less than even money by the time the wagering pools closed. This means that if you were to bet $2 on a horse that goes off at 4-5 odds, you would receive $3.60 back – four-fifths of each dollar wagered plus your $2 investment.

2. Ferocious

Jockey: Javier Castellano

Trainer: Gustavo Delgado

Owners: OGMA Investments, JR Ranch, High Step Racing, and Marquee Bloodstock

Career record: 4 starts – 1 win – 2 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $287,500

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 102

Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 8

Pedigree: Flatter – Napier, by Midnight Lute

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Stalker

Analysis: Unlike the six other Holy Bull starters, Ferocious has experience running in top-level races, and he’ll be one of the main storylines in Saturday’s race as he returns for his 3-year-old debut. After being purchased for $1.3 million as a 2-year-old  training, he won his first start impressively last summer in a sprint race, and then finished a close second in the Hopeful Stakes at seven furlongs and second again in the 1 1/16-mile Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity. He completed his 2024 season with a fifth-place finish in the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Presented by TAA, also held at 1 1/16 miles. Fierceness has yet to run a truly bad race, yet one wonders if he’s already maximized his talent and if one or two other Holy Bull contenders with less experience actually has a higher ceiling. No doubt about it, though: he’s in good and patient hands with trainer Gustavo Delgado and jockey Javier Castellano, who teamed up to win the 2023 Kentucky Derby with Mage. Ferocious will be a big threat to win the Holy Bull if he can pick up where he left off last year, and it’s worth noting that he’ll wear blinkers for the first time Saturday.

New to racing? Let us explain…

Blinkers are cups that are placed on the outside of each eye on a horse prior to a race. They can be cut to different lengths and are used to restrict the horse’s field of vision, which ideally will enable him/her to perform better through improved focus on what is in front of him rather than what is behind.

3. Tappan Street

Jockey: Luis Saez

Trainer: Brad Cox

Owners: WinStar Farm, CHC Inc., and Cold Press Racing

Career record: 1 start – 1 win – 0 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $24,000

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 91

Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 0

Pedigree: Into Mischief – Virginia Key, by Distorted Humor

Color: Bay

Running style: Stalker

Analysis: This son of leading sire Into Mischief, who was bought for $1 million as a yearling, takes a big class jump in only his second career start to contest a Kentucky Derby prep. He debuted at the end of December at Gulfstream Park and won a seven-furlong maiden race by 1 ¾ lengths under jockey Luis Saez, who retains the mount Saturday. In that race, Tappan Street raced off the pace in third through the backstretch and into the far turn, and appeared to be leveling off until the field straightened out for the homestretch. He responded when given his cue by Saez, however, closing well and looking like a horse that will improve with added distance. He’ll get just that in the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull and, although he concedes experience to each of his opponents, Tappan Street can certainly be a major player in this race if he takes another step in development.

New to racing? Let us explain…

Backstretch vs. homestretch: The backstretch in a race is the straight section of a particular race farthest from the finish line and between the turns in an oval track. The homestretch is the straight section leading up to the finish line. Depending on the length of a race, horses may begin racing on the backstretch and only go around one turn before reaching the homestretch, as Tappan Street did in his first start, or begin in the homestretch and navigate two turns, as he will on Saturday.  

4. Guns Loaded

Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.

Trainer: Jose D’Angelo

Owners: Morplay Racing, Joey Platts, and Lady Sheila Stable

Career record: 3 starts – 2 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $180,140

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 100

Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 0

Pedigree: Gun Runner – Sky My Sky, by Bernardini

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Pacesetter

Analysis: Guns Loaded comes into the Holy Bull off of a front-running win in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes, a one-mile, one-turn race held on this track Jan. 4. He opened up a three-length lead on six opponents in early stretch but saw that lead dwindle nearing the finish line, and he was all out to hold off a challenge from Treaty of Rome to prevail by a neck. Prior to the Mucho Macho Man, Guns Loaded finished second and then first in sprint races and earned an impressive 100 Equibase Speed Figure in his victory going seven furlongs, which also came in pacesetting fashion. His speed figure dropped considerably  to a 72 in the Mucho Macho Man, but this runner’s true ability probably lies somewhere in between, and as such he must be respected as a win threat in the Holy Bull with Gulfstream Park’s leading jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. in the saddle. Look for him to compete for the early lead along with Kinetic Control and Burnham Square, possibly creating a fast early pace.

New to racing? Let us explain…

Front-runners or pacesetters are horses that prefer to race on the lead and are usually sent out to establish that position immediately after the race starts. If a horse can do so and is able to set a moderate pace without much pressure, it will be able to reserve energy that it can use later in the race to fend off challengers if and when they come. If two or more horses compete for the lead, however, the early tempo could be so swift that the pacesetters use up their energy and tire out in the late stages, setting up an ideal scenario for come-from-behind horses.

5. He’s Not Joking

Jockey: John Velazquez

Trainer: Josie Carroll

Owner: Di Scola Boys Stable

Career record: 5 starts – 2 wins – 1 second – 1 third

Career earnings: $113,891

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 95

Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 0

Pedigree: Practical Joke – Collegeville Girl, by Central Banker

Color: Bay

Running style: Closer

Analysis: This contender made his first start on a dirt track last November in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes held at Churchill Downs after racing exclusively on the all-weather track at Woodbine, and it turned out to be an inconclusive debut as he broke slowly and was bothered by a rival soon after that and never threatened, finishing eighth of nine. Prior to that at his home track in Canada, He’s Not Joking ran very well last summer and fall, never finishing worse than third in four starts and winning the 1 1/16-mile bet365 Grey Stakes prior to his trip to Louisville. He’s certainly deserving of another attempt at joining the Kentucky Derby trail and will get the services of Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez for the first time Saturday. No joke – he’s an intriguing longshot who could benefit if the early pace is fast in the Holy Bull.

New to racing? Let us explain…

Horses race on three surfaces in North America – dirt, turf, and all-weather. All-weather tracks came into vogue about 20 years ago, and currently the artificial surface manufactured by Tapeta Footings is used in lieu of dirt at a handful of venues, including Woodbine in Canada (Gulfstream Park also has a Tapeta track in addition to dirt and turf). The Tapeta Footings mixture has been refined from several earlier versions and receives high marks from most horsemen for its ability to handle water, its consistency, and its safety, and many (but not all) horses that compete primarily on all-weather tracks are able to transfer that ability to dirt tracks as well.

6. Burning Glory

Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione

Trainer: Bill Mott

Owner: Juddmonte

Career record: 3 starts – 1 win – 1 second – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $96,600

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 93

Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 0

Pedigree: Into Mischief – Hail, by Tapit

Color: Bay

Running style: Closer

Analysis: This Juddmonte homebred is another rising prospect in the Holy Bull with a chance at winning if he continues to progress. He’s improved in each of his three starts, finishing fifth back in his September debut, second in his next start and first around two turns, and then first in his final 2024 appearance, which came in a one-mile, one-turn maiden race Dec. 1 at Churchill Downs. In that start, Burning Glory raced off the lead early, moved into contention swiftly on the turn, and engaged a longshot opponent in a stretch duel that he won by a neck — the top pair were more than 11 lengths clear of 10 other horses. He still showed some inexperience during the final stages of his win but improved his Equibase Speed Figure 10 points to a career-best 93, and now he’s been given two months off to mature by Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. This colt has a good pedigree to handle 1 1/16 miles and distances even longer than that in the future. Look for him to be rallying into contention when the field turns for home in the Holy Bull under red-hot jockey Tyler Gaffalione.

New to racing? Let us explain…

A homebred is a horse that is owned and bred by the same entity. In this case, the international racing and bloodstock operation Juddmonte bred Burning Glory and did not offer him in a public auction. If he does exceptionally well on the track, he’ll be considered to join Juddmonte’s stallion roster, which is one of the most prestigious in the world.

7. Burnham Square

Jockey: Edgard Zayas

Trainer: Ian Wilkes

Owner: Whitham Thoroughbreds

Career record: 3 starts – 1 win – 1 second – 1 third

Career earnings: $50,430

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 92

Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 0

Pedigree: Liam’s Map – Linda, by Scat Daddy

Color: Bay

Running style: Press the pace/stalker

Analysis: After finishing second and then third in his first two starts last fall using a come-from-behind running style, Burnham Square shipped to Gulfstream Park and changed tactics under new jockey Edgard Zayas in his final 2024 race on Dec. 28. He broke from the inside post in that 1 1/16-mile maiden event and tracked in third through the first turn and midway through the backstretch, before Zayas nudged him to move forward and take the lead. He did so smoothly and then drew away from the field on the far turn en route to winning by nine lengths. Zayas is back aboard in the Holy Bull and could attempt a similar pace-pressing trip, although this time Burnham Square will be breaking from the far outside post position and may have to expend some energy soon after the race starts to get clear of his opponents and then angle in to save ground. This gelding should be part of the early pace in the Holy Bull along with Guns Loaded and Kinetic Control, and stands a chance at pulling the upset if he can improve off of his December win.

New to racing? Let us explain…

A gelding is a male horse that has had both testicles removed. Since geldings won’t move on to possible second careers as stallions, many of them have longer tenures on the track, and some of the sport’s very best racehorses in history were geldings. Nine geldings have won the Kentucky Derby, including Funny Cide (2003) and Mine That Bird (2009) this century.