Litmus Test Ascends to Second in Kentucky Derby 2026 Standings
A shift in the landscape of the Kentucky Derby 2026 leaderboard has occurred, with Litmus Test surging into second place after a decisive victory. The 2-year-old colt earned 10 qualifying points for winning the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity on Saturday, bringing his total to 19 points and overtaking former top-10 contender Brant.
Litmus Test’s path to contention hasn’t been solely through victory. He also accumulated points with a third-place finish in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) and a fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, demonstrating consistent performance on the Derby trail. This win, however, came at the expense of Brant, who dropped to 11th on the board.
Currently, trainer Bob Baffert boasts seven 2-year-olds on the leaderboard, highlighting his continued dominance in preparing contenders for the prestigious race. Beyond Litmus Test and Brant, Baffert also has Desert Gate, Blacksmith, Provenance, Plutarch, and Cherokee Nation represented in the top 36.
The Los Alamitos Futurity proved to be a significant event for several up-and-coming horses. Following Litmus Test’s win, Blacksmith, Provenance, Acknowledgemeplz, and American King each secured their first Derby points as finishers in the race.
Despite the evolving standings, the road to the Kentucky Derby remains long. “There’s a long way to go, and the spring stakes on the Derby trail have many more points on offer,” a senior racing analyst stated.
Looking ahead, two upcoming races – the Gun Runner at Fair Grounds and the Remington Springboard Mile – will offer valuable opportunities for horses to gain ground. Both races, scheduled for next week, will award points to the top five finishers with a 10-5-3-2-1 distribution. Further opportunities arise on January 3rd with the Jerome at Aqueduct and the Smarty Jones at Oaklawn, each offering 10 points to the winner. The Lecomte (G3) at Fair Grounds on January 17th will then kick off a series of eight races awarding 20 points to the victor.
Here are the current standings after nine points preps:
| Horse | Points | Trainer | Sire | Earnings* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Ted Noffey | 40 | Todd Pletcher | Into Mischief | $1,602,963 |
| 2. Litmus Test | 19 | Bob Baffert | Nyquist | $302,188 |
| 3. Mr. AP | 15 | Vladimir Cerin | American Pharoah | $340,000 |
| 4. Fearless | 13 | Jeff Mullins | Maximus Mischief | $240,000 |
| 5. Universe | 13 | Kenny McPeek | Global Campaign | $178,400 |
| 6. Spice Runner | 11 | Steve Asmussen | Gun Runner | $247,426 |
| 7. Napoleon Solo | 10 | Chad Summers | Liam’s Map | $275,000 |
| 8. Further Ado | 10 | Brad Cox | Gun Runner | $242,470 |
| 9. Paladin | 10 | Chad Brown | Gun Runner | $137,500 |
| 10. Incredibolt | 10 | Riley Mott | Bolt d’Oro | $122,070 |
| 11. Brant | 9 | Bob Baffert | Gun Runner | $360,000 |
| 12. Comport | 5 | Eddie Kenneally | Collected | $264,050 |
| 13. Desert Gate | 5 | Bob Baffert | Omaha Beach | $210,000 |
| 14. Blackout Time | 5 | Kenny McPeek | Not This Time | $128,375 |
| 15. Talkin | 5 | Danny Gargan | Good Magic | $101,250 |
| 16. Renegade | 5 | Todd Pletcher | Into Mischief | $50,000 |
| 17. Blacksmith | 5 | Bob Baffert | Liam’s Map | $40,000 |
| 18. Very Connected | 5 | Kenny McPeek | Connect | $19,850 |
| 19. Balboa | 4 | Brittany Russell | Not This Time | $102,000 |
| 20. Plutarch | 3 | Bob Baffert | Into Mischief | $80,000 |
| 21. Soldier N Diplomat | 3 | Steve Asmussen | Army Mule | $57,350 |
| 22. Vost | 3 | Will Walden | Instagrand | $28,875 |
| 23. Provenance | 3 | Bob Baffert | Into Mischief | $24,000 |
| 24. Seventeen | 2 | Patrick Biancone | Clothes | $68,337 |
| 25. Civil Liberty | 2 | Doug O’Neill | Independence Hall | $54,000 |
| 26. It’s Our Time | 2 | Tom Amoss | Not This Time | $30,000 |
| 27. Courting | 2 | Todd Pletcher | Curl | $15,000 |
| 28. Nothing Personal | 2 | Greg Compton | Violence | $14,438 |
| 29. Acknowledgemeplz | 2 | Doug O’Neill | Bucchero | $12,000 |
| 30. I Did I Did | 2 | Mike Maker | Curl | $11,175 |
| 31. Maximus Prime | 1 | Anthony Mitchell | Maximus Mischief | $58,262 |
| 32. Road | 1 | Steve Asmussen | yaupon | $42,500 |
| 33. Cherokee Nation | 1 | Bob Baffert | Not This Time | $11,805 |
| 34. Grittiness | 1 | Todd Pletcher | Curl | $10,000 |
| 35. Ganas | 1 | Andrew McKeever | War Front | $5,955 |
| 36. American King | 1 | Ruben Gomez | American Pharoah | $4,000 |
As the Kentucky Derby 2026 draws closer, the competition will undoubtedly intensify, and the leaderboard is sure to see further shifts. The coming weeks will be crucial for these young horses as they vie for a coveted spot in the starting gate.
