At the Big A, a field of eight is entered in the $150,000 Jerome, with Studlydoright the only one with Derby points (two for finishing fourth in the Remsen).

The Maryland-bred son of Nyquist is trained by Jerry Robb and will be ridden by Xavier Perez from post 7. The chestnut colt ran in seven races in 2024 with three wins and a pair of seconds.

The field also includes two from trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr., Ican and McAfee, and Cyclone State for trainer Chad Summers.

At Oaklawn Park, the $250,000 Smarty Jones also has a field of eight, with Coal Battle coming with 10 Derby points from his victory in the Springboard Mile (G1) at Remington Park on Dec. 13.

Challengers include Brad Cox-trained Hot Property (Flavien Prat aboard) and Bon Temps trained by D. Wayne Lukas. Cox is looking for a fourth in the Smarty Jones.

The $200,000 San Vicente may be the toughest race of the three featuring a matchup of Mike McCarthy-trained trained Bullard (2-for-2) and Bab Baffert-trained Barnes (1-for-1). Baffert also entered Romanesque in the field of five, while McKinzie Street, with three Derby points via a third in the American Pharoah), also is entered.

The San Vicente is the first local stop on the California road to the Kentucky Derby. Bullard comes in off a win in the 7-furlong Bob Hope (G3) on Nov. 17.

Barnes is a $3.2 million colt owned by Zedan Racing and won by a head in his debut at Churchill Downs going 5 ½ furlongs on Nov. 27.

The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.