The trail to the 150th Kentucky Derby is underway and following the first four very early stepping-stone stakes, there are plenty of unusual storylines.

The most impressive winner of those stakes, NYSOS (a son of Derby winner Nyquist) ran fast in his big win in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita on Feb. 3, posting a 105 Beyer Speed Figure in a 7 1/2-length score to remain unbeaten. However, Nysos is not currently not eligible to race in the Derby on the first Saturday in May because his trainer, Bob Baffert, is banned from Churchill Downs. Owners of possible Derby horses trained by Baffert were eligible to move their horses to another trainer by Jan. 29 but that deadline has passed and not one owner moved a horse. The race wrap-up is below.

The three other Derby preps were in Florida, New York and Arkansas. Florida’s Gulfstream Park held the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) and it was HADES who sizzled while last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) champ and Eclipse Award-winning juvenile colt FIERCENESS faded. Read more here.

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