
Neoequos trainer, jockey, owner and more to know about 2025 Kentucky Derby horse
Neoequos trainer, jockey, owner and more to know about 2025 Kentucky Derby horse
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Kentucky Derby 2025 contender Neoequos trains at Churchill Downs
Watch Kentucky Derby 2025 contender Neoequos train on April 28 at Churchill Downs. Trainer is Saffie Joseph Jr. Horse is 2-2-2 in seven starts.
Neoequos will enter the Kentucky Derby off a third-place finish in the Florida Derby on March 29
Neoequos will try to become the first Florida-bred to win the Kentucky Derby since Silver Charm in 1997
Neoequos is one of 20 horses expected to enter the 2025 Kentucky Derby on May 3 at Churchill Downs.
Spots for the Run for the Roses are earned by gaining points through a series of Kentucky Derby prep races that began last September.
The post-position draw for the Kentucky Derby is set for Saturday, April 26. Post time for the Kentucky Derby is set for 6:57 p.m. on Saturday, May 3.
Neoequos will enter the Kentucky Derby off a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 29 at Gulfstream Park. He currently ranks 17th on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard with 40.
Color: Bay.
Bred in: Florida.
Sire: Neolithic.
Dam: Bold Birdie, by Birdstone.
Price tag: $22,000 at 2023 Ocala Breeders' October Yearling Sale.
Owners: C2 Racing Stable (Clint and Mark Cornett); Ian Parsard; Shining Stables; Stefania Farms. This is the second Derby for C2 Racing Stable, which finished 16th with White Abarrio in 2022. It's the first Derby for the others.
Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr. He's 0 for 3 in the Derby, best finish coming with Ny Traffic (eighth) in 2020.
Jockey: Luis Saez. He's 0 for 11 in the Derby, best finish coming with Essential Quality (third) in 2021.
Record: 2-2-2 in seven starts.
Career earnings: $291,050.
Road to the Kentucky Derby points: 40 (No. 17).
Last race: Third in Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 29 at Gulfstream Park.
Running style: At or near the front early.
Notes: All seven of Neoequos' races have come at Gulfstream Park. He finished third in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on March 1 before matching that result in the Florida Derby. … Neolithic, the sire of Neoequos, earned $2.2 million over his career but was distance-challenged and never won a race longer than 1 1/16 miles. … Six Florida-breds have won the Kentucky Derby, the last being Silver Charm in 1997.
What they're saying: 'The distance (of the Kentucky Derby) is still a question mark, but he keeps running well enough and fast enough on the figures to keep going and try,' Joseph said.
Last May, NBC Sports announced a partnership with Churchill Downs to present the Kentucky Derby on NBC and Peacock through 2032.
The extension includes multiplatform rights to the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks and Derby and Oaks Day programming, which will be presented on NBC, Peacock, USA Network and additional NBCU platforms.
You can stream the 2025 Kentucky Derby on Fubo and Peacock.
Post time for the 151st Kentucky Derby is set for 6:57 p.m. on Saturday, May 3.
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com. Follow on X @KentuckyDerbyCJ.
More horse racing: Here's how Journalism, likely Kentucky Derby favorite, got his name from a former editor
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


San Francisco Chronicle
5 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Journeyman defenseman Nate Schmidt surprisingly leads Panthers in scoring in the Stanley Cup Final
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Panthers' leading scorer through two games of the Stanley Cup Final is not Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov or Sam Reinhart. It's Nate Schmidt. Yes, the journeyman defenseman who was bought out last summer and is playing for just above the NHL veteran minimum. Schmidt has four points, three of them primary assists, against the Edmonton Oilers. 'He's been great,' teammate Gustav Forsling said Sunday. 'He's been playing unreal, making some huge, huge plays for us in key moments.' Schmidt is 33 and seven years removed from his first trip to the final, losing with Vegas in the Golden Knights' inaugural season to the Washington Capitals, who he broke into the league. He is one of the newcomers who were not part of Florida's title run last year and are looking to hoist the Cup for the first time. 'It's incredibly hard to get back to this stage, and this time I'm just trying to slow it down and enjoy it,' said Schmidt, who has gone from fresh faced with floppy hair to a shaved head and full beard. 'This is the pinnacle of our sport, and be able to be here at the end is special." Schmidt said it's 'kind of reminding yourself that you have that game in you and you're just unlocking it.' He has reminded coach Paul Maurice of the player he was earlier in his career. 'He's getting up the ice, and he looks like he did when he was a kid when he first came into the league in Washington,' Maurice said. "He was dynamic with the way he'd get up the ice. And then coaches beat that out of you and take the fun out of the game for you, but it looks like he's found his fun again.' Oilers changes At their practice in Sunrise, the Oilers unveiled defense pairs that were all different from the first two games. Darnell Nurse and Evan Bouchard were put together, Swedes Mattias Ekholm and John Klingberg, and Brett Kulak with Jake Walman. They quickly downplayed the impact, saying assistant Paul Coffey, a Hall of Fame defenseman as a player, has been changing things up like this all season. 'Our D corps all year long, it depends on sometimes what day of the week, we could be playing with someone new,' Nurse said. 'Even over the course of a game, you'll be playing with three or four different people, so there's a comfort level everyone has with whoever you're out there playing with.' Ryan Nugent-Hopkins did not skate, with healthy scratch Jeff Skinner taking his place on the top line. Coach Kris Knoblauch started to say he thinks Nugent-Hopkins will be in for Game 3 on Monday night before calling Edmonton's longest-tenured player a game-time decision. Ekblad is fine Florida's Aaron Ekblad took a puck off his left hand in the second overtime of Game 2 on a shot by Nurse and was writhing in pain on the bench. He missed one shift before returning, practiced Sunday and declared himself good to go. 'It's just a routine blocked shot,' Ekblad said. 'Stick your hand out for it and try and get it knocked down and get off the ice as quickly as possible, because when you get that stinger you can't really grip for a second. But all good now.' McDavid's assist Connor McDavid wowed in Game 2 when he deked around Barkov and Ekblad and passed the puck to Leon Draisaitl for a one-timer power-play goal that was still getting talked about two days later. 'That was pretty routine in Erie back in the day," said Oilers winger Connor Brown, who was junior teammates there with McDavid more than a decade ago. "To do what he's doing (on) the stage that he doing it at, we're lucky to have him.' Ekblad said McDavid having multiple options is the biggest challenge in defending the undisputed best hockey player in the world with otherworldly abilities. 'You're trying to block a shot, you're trying to block a low pass, a backdoor pass and a walk-on-water toe drag,' Ekblad said. 'So, yeah, McJesus.' McDavid blushed when asked about what it takes to make that kind of play, fumbling over words like opponents fumble to try to contain him before coming up with, 'A lot goes into that.' ___
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Panthers' Paul Maurice Raises Eyebrows With Stanley Cup Final Comments
Panthers' Paul Maurice Raises Eyebrows With Stanley Cup Final Comments originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Edmonton Oilers came away with a massive win to open the 2025 Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers. The Oilers won the game 4-3 in overtime, which saw multiple ebbs and flows throughout the contest. Advertisement Florida led 3-1 at one point in the game before the Oilers came storming back to tie the game. The Panthers have normally been excellent in holding leads, but in this instance, they let their guard down. However, nobody on the Panthers seems overly concerned with the late-game meltdown. Florida head coach Paul Maurice weighed in on the loss after the fact. 'These games are tight,' Maurice said. 'I don't think that you have domination of the third period in tight games. We were in pretty good shape in 3-1. I think we had some real good pressure. They get it back and then, there were some plays we didn't complete. Not really particularly worried about those." Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice is seen taking questions during media day in advance of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Tychnowicz-Imagn Images Maurice additionally said that this series has the potential to be a seven-game one if the contests are this close. Advertisement 'It [has] potential to be just a spectacular seven-gamer,' Maurice said. These two teams played in an epic seven-game series last year, with Florida coming out on top. But this season, Edmonton owns home-ice advantage, potentially giving them a slight edge. If this series were to go seven games once again, fans would be in for a treat. These are the two best teams in hockey right now, and each matchup seems to be electric. Game 2 between the two sides is scheduled for Friday, June 6, at 8 p.m. ET. Related: Maple Leafs Predicted to Trade For Predators All-Star in Offseason Move Related: Golden Knights Predicted to Reunite With Jonathan Marchessault in Blockbuster Move Related: Oilers' Stuart Skinner Reveals Honest Admission on Stanley Cup Final Rematch This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Panthers' Brad Marchand Receives Eye-Opening Free Agency Prediction
Panthers' Brad Marchand Receives Eye-Opening Free Agency Prediction originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Florida Panthers are in the middle of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers, and the team is directly focused on winning the series. But once the season is over, the front office is going to have some tough decisions to make. Advertisement Star center Brad Marchand will be entering free agency and is expected to command a lot of money on the open market. When the Panthers traded for Marchand, they knew that he could be a rental, but there is always a chance he stays in town as well. But NHL insider Chris Johnston provided an eye-opening prediction on the free agency of the star player. 'I think next season he's going to make the most money he's ever made in the NHL,' Johnston said. 'I think he's getting a raise. I've been led to believe that $8 million is about the number it's going to take — again, it might be a little higher, a little lower, but that's essentially the range for Marchand.', Johnston said. Florida Panthers center Brad Marchand (63) reacts after scoring a goal against the Edmonton Oilers during the first period in game one of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Nelson-Imagn Images Marchand has posted five goals and 10 assists over 18 playoff games with the Panthers this season. The veteran has been a big reason why Florida was able to get back to the Stanley Cup Final, and he remains a very productive player. Advertisement There will likely be multiple teams going after him on the open market, and everything will depend on what Marchand wants. The center has fit in very nicely alongside the other players on the Panthers, but whether the team will open the checkbook remains unknown. Florida also needs to resign center Sam Bennett, and it could force them to make some hard choices. Either way, Marchand is focused on helping Florida win the Stanley Cup for now and will deal with the free agency stuff after the fact. Related: Stars Release Statement After Shocking Firing of Peter DeBoer This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.