Further Ado, Gun Runner’s leading earner of 2026, drew post 18 for Kentucky Derby (G1) 152 Saturday at Churchill Downs as he seeks to become the first winner of the Run for the Roses for his sire.
Gun Runner came agonizing close to having a Derby winner in 2024 when Sierra Leone was beaten just a nose. Sierra Leone would go on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) that fall and was named Eclipse champion 3-year-old colt of 2024.
Further Ado, who sold to his owner Spendthrift Farm for $550,000 at the 2025 OBS March Sale, created quite a stir when he broke his maiden by 20 lengths in October at Keeneland. He closed out his 2025 campaign with a solid win in the Kentucky Jockey Club S. (G2), his only start at Churchill Downs to date.
In 2026, Further debuted with a second-place finish in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) in early March, then romped to an 11-length win in the Blue Grass S. (G1), where he recorded the highest Beyer Speed Figure in the Derby field at 106.
Stabled at Churchill for trainer Brad Cox, Further Ado has posted a pair of works over the Louisville oval since the Blue Grass.
“I was very pleased with how he went,” Further Ado’s jockey John Velazquez said following his April 25 work. “I started paying attention to him after riding against him at Keeneland in his maiden race. He’s a very nice horse.”
With earnings of $1,146,328, Further Ado is the leading money-earner in the Derby field. The flashy chestnut was bred in Kentucky by John Oxley.
The Derby will be run at 6:57 pm ET and can be seen on the NBC family of networks.
