As you would expect in a full field of 2-year-olds, there is plenty of speed signed on in the Springboard Mile on Friday at 11:26 p.m. EST at Remington Park, but only 1 of 12 juveniles is as fast early as he is late.

Speed King upset 11 rivals on debut when winning a six-furlong maiden special weight race on Nov. 1 at Churchill Downs at 22-1. The Ron Moquett-trained Volatile colt blitzed the group of youngsters early then earned a 91 Brisnet late-pace rating, a solid figure after setting the pace. The race came back fast on the Ragozin Sheets, too. With that early speed, there is little reason to think he cannot ration it out over this mile distance. His 7-2 morning line offers fair value.

Kentucky Derby prep: Springboard Mile odds & analysis.

Coal Battle is 10-1 on the morning line, and we’ll see if we actually get it. There are some wild cards here. The Coal Front colt never has run on fast dirt, but the two off-track tries were nice wins, and those turf waters were mighty deep. 

Jolly Samurai is undefeated in three starts and stretches for his two-turn debut. He is a deep closer and earned a superlative 104 Brisnet pace rating last out. Those 100-plus late-pace numbers are an indicator of real talent, so I’m excited to see this step up in class for him here, but reeling in Speed King is a real challenge. 

One thing is for sure. With Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen having a trio of outsiders in here, I think we have a real chance of getting fair value on one of the above three horses. I’m most interested in Speed King, of course, but will be looking at the exotic pools involving them as well.

Post	Silks	Horse / Sire	Rating	Trainer / Jockey	Last Start	Morn. Line
1		Coal Battle Coal Front	0.00	Lonnie Briley Juan P. Vargas	1st, Jean Lafitte	10-1
Last Race		1st, Jean Lafitte
2		Blue Angel Gun Runner	0.00	Steven M. Asmussen David Cabrera	1st, RP MSW (11/18/2024-R2)	15-1
Last Race		1st, RP MSW (11/18/2024-R2)
3		Speed King Volatile	0.00	Ron Moquett Rafael Bejarano	1st, CD MSW (11/1/24-R5)	7-2
Last Race		1st, CD MSW (11/1/24-R5)
4		Dominant Spirit Mohaymen	0.00	Jose L Alvarez W. Bret Calhoun	2nd, Clever Trevor	15-1
Last Race		2nd, Clever Trevor
5		Brooklyn Alley Cat Ministers Wild Cat	0.00	Iram Vargas Diego Danny Pish	1st, RP ALW (11/25/2024-R8)	20-1
Last Race		1st, RP ALW (11/25/2024-R8)
6		Essay Thousand Words	0.00	W. Bret Calhoun Richard E. Eramia	1st, RP ALW (11/16/2024-R8)	20-1
Last Race		1st, RP ALW (11/16/2024-R8)
7		Jolly Samurai First Samurai	6.03	Danny Pish Rene Diaz	1st, Clever Trevor	4-1
Last Race		1st, Clever Trevor
8		Complex Music Complexity	0.00	Steven M. Asmussen Stewart Elliott	1st, IND Allow (10/22/24-R2)	8-1
Last Race		1st, IND Allow (10/22/24-R2)
9		Dr Ruben M Vino Rosso	6.11	Doug F. O’Neill Edwin A. Maldonado	1st, SA MSW (10/14/24-R8)	6-1
Last Race		1st, SA MSW (10/14/24-R8)
10		Medicine Dog Constitution	0.00	Sarah Davidson Floyd Wethey Jr.	5th, RP ALW (11/16/2024-R8)	20-1
Last Race		5th, RP ALW (11/16/2024-R8)
11		Mister Omaha Omaha Beach	0.00	Joe S. Offolter Luis S. Quinonez	1st, Don C. McNeill	5-1
Last Race		1st, Don C. McNeill
12		Keeno Keen Ice	0.00	Steven M. Asmussen Jermaine V. Bridgmohan	2nd, RP ALW (11/25/2024-R8)	12-1
Last Race		2nd, RP ALW (11/25/2024-R8)