Several 2025 Kentucky Derby horses are considered "mudders," meaning they have experience and success racing on wet, muddy, or sloppy tracks:
- Coal Battle: Perfect 2-for-2 record on wet tracks, including wins on sloppy and muddy surfaces.
- Luxor Cafe (Japan-based): 3 wins in 4 starts on wet tracks, showing strong performance in muddy conditions.
- American Promise: Won a maiden race on a muddy track at Oaklawn and has additional races on wet surfaces.
- Neoequos: Won a Florida-bred allowance race on a sloppy surface and has multiple starts on wet tracks.
- Publisher: Placed second and third in races on muddy and sloppy surfaces respectively.
- Baeza: Has some experience and moderate success on muddy tracks.
- Sandman: Has favorable wet-track bloodlines.
- Chunk of Gold: Sired by a progeny with a 23% winning percentage on wet tracks.
- Owen Almighty: Also ranked highly for sire's progeny performance on muddy tracks.
Other horses with bloodlines or pedigree suggesting they handle mud well include Journalism, Grande (though scratched), Sovereignty, and Citizen Bull, linked to premier sires known for their offspring's wet track success like Curlin and Into Mischief. Six of the 19 horses in the Derby actually have wet track racing experience, and four of those have won in the mud. These horses are often considered betting interests when rain or muddy track conditions are expected at the Derby.
In summary, the best mudders to watch in the 2025 Kentucky Derby include Coal Battle, Luxor Cafe, American Promise, Neoequos, Publisher, Baeza, Sandman, and Chunk of Gold. Also consider horses with muddy track-preferred pedigrees like Journalism and Citizen Bull.
