Long on miles and short on stakes wins, the jet-setting colt Buetane will ramble on to Colonial Downs as the likely favorite in the $500,000 Virginia Derby on Saturday. Though Buetane regressed in his first route attempt last time out, trainer Bob Baffert believes there’s still a path for the $1.15 million colt to reach the Kentucky Derby. “I think if he runs well there, if he really shows there, he could end up in the Derby,” Baffert said. “You don’t know. I think a lot of this is we’re trying to figure out their styles. I think I have figured out what he wants to do and how he wants to run, and he’s sitting on a big race.” The second running of the new iteration of the Virginia Derby will headline the final day of Colonial’s three-day spring meet, serving as the feature on a 10-race card featuring five stakes races. The one-turn, 1 1/8-mile race is also a qualifying event for the Kentucky Derby, awarding points to the first five finishers on a 50-25-15-10-5 basis. :: DRF Road to the Derby Package Available Now! Save 37% on key handicapping essentials through Kentucky Derby day. In three graded stakes since his debut victory at Del Mar last August, Buetane has never failed to finish in the money for Baffert, who has already shipped him to New York and Arkansas. Following an encouraging runner-up finish in the Grade 2 San Vicente at Santa Anita, the Tiz the Law colt did not seem quite as sharp at 1 1/16 miles in the Grade 3 Southwest at Oaklawn. Dueling for the early lead, he could not hold in the stretch and finished third, 3 1/4 lengths behind Silent Tactic. “He was a little soft on me,” Baffert said. “He got a little tired. I’m not sure about the two turns on him yet, but I think the one-turn mile and an eighth will be better for him. He came out of that race really well. He looks fitter.” Instead of backing off or cutting back, Baffert will instead try to target the Virginia Derby as a softer spot offering even more distance, this time around one turn. It could be the colt’s last chance to prove himself as a Triple Crown contender. “I think he’ll run the best race he’s ever run, and he’s going to have to [in order to] win that race,” Baffert said. “He’s doing the best he’s ever done, so hopefully he gets away fine [from the rail].” Baffert is one of several seasoned trainers with a chance in the Virginia Derby, but relative newcomer Riley Mott is the only trainer in the race bringing a graded stakes winner. Incredibolt, winner of the Grade 3 Street Sense at Churchill Downs last October, will ship to Colonial in search of a bounce-back effort after a dreadful 25 1/4-length defeat in the Grade 3 Holy Bull on Jan. 31. “Obviously, the Gulfstream race was highly disappointing,” Mott said. “He had been training really well, working really well, had high hopes, and he just ran abysmally. [He] came out of the race super, so I’m just chalking it up to not liking the racing surface on that particular day.“ :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2026: Top contenders, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more Brad Cox is another trainer left puzzled after Confessional withered from a stalking position in the $250,000 Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs last month. He will put blinkers back on for the Virginia Derby in hopes of clarifying things. “Not sure if he was uncomfortable, just not wanting to go forward, pass those horses that he obviously needed to pass,” Cox said. “We’re going back to the blinkers. Maybe they give him a little more courage.” Two more horses will also come out of the Sam F. Davis. Whit Beckman said he expected an improved effort from the maiden Ocelli, while Todd Pletcher acknowledged that Epic Desire will need more after her fifth-place finish. Regarding his four horses in the Virginia Derby and Oaks, Pletcher said, “All four will need to make a move forward.” For the Derby, Pletcher also entered the maiden Grittiness, a distant runner-up in the $200,000 Withers last month. In his second start for trainer Will Walden on Feb. 7, High Camp closed well to win a seven-furlong maiden special weight at Gulfstream Park, earning an 85 Beyer Speed Figure. The colt will be tested every which way at Colonial Saturday, stretching out for a steep class hike. Clocker Special returned from a seven-month layoff in February for his first start beyond a mile, finishing second in a $125,000 allowance at Oaklawn Park. “We were really, really happy with the effort,” trainer Rodolphe Brisset said. “We thought he ran a really good race, and the next logical spot is to see if he can pull himself into talks for the [Kentucky] Derby.” Lockstocknpharoah and Work round out the field of 10 and will switch surfaces. Lockstocknpharoah remains undefeated in two synthetic starts for Thomas Drury Jr., while Work earned his maiden victory last month in a turf sprint at Santa Anita for Doug O’Neill. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.