LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Balnikhov hasn’t raced at a mile in two years and has only won two of his last 22 starts over the past three years. Still, there are some things to like about the 7-year-old gelding in Thursday’s $350,000 Opening Verse Stakes at Churchill Downs. First, there is a chance of rain mid-week, and Balnikhov, according to trainer Phil D’Amato, “loves a turf course with a little give in the ground.” Second, even with the scratch of Layabout, there appears to be ample pace in this field to set up Balnikhov’s strong late kick, and Balnikhov is a three-time stakes winner going a mile. Lastly, though it was four years ago that Balnikhov ran second in the Grade 2 American Turf, his lone start at Churchill. Balnikhov is coming off a fifth-place finish in the Grade 3 San Luis Rey Stakes at Santa Anita. D’Amato said Balnikhov doesn’t necessarily like the Santa Anita turf course, and Balnikhov’s form shows that he runs well in his next start following a race at Santa Anita. :: DRF Kentucky Derby Package: Save on Past Performances, Clocker Reports, Betting Strategies, and more. “He’s not a big fan of the pool-table turf course like Santa Anita. That’s why we’re taking our swing,” D’Amato said. Joel Rosario rode Balnikhov to a third-place finish to Layabout at odds of 21-1 in the Grade 3 William L. McKnight at Gulfstream on Jan. 21 and will be aboard Thursday. Layabout was entered in the Opening Verse but has already been scratched, according to trainer Patrick Biancone, who said the horse had a bad endoscopic examination following a workout at Palm Meadows last Friday. With him out, Quatrocento and Mi Bago look to have enough speed to keep the pace honest up front. Quatrocento is 2 for 2 this year, with front-running victories in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Stakes and the Appleton at Gulfstream. The Appleton was at one mile, a distance at which he is 4 for 5. Fausto Gutierrez, the trainer of Quatrocento, likes the idea of running his 5-year-old War Front horse every five weeks and keeping him at a mile. His goals are Kentucky Downs and then Breeders’ Cup Mile at Keeneland later in the year. Quatrocento has done his best work when able to dictate the pace. Thursday, there is the potential of a speed duel with the Mark Casse-trained Mi Bago. “We don’t have to enter into suicide fractions. We just need to run our race,” Gutierrez said. “He’s not a real front-runner. We just need the horse to run free. The jockey [Julien Leparoux] will have the authority to make the decision.” Mi Bago set the pace but faded to last in the Grade 2 Frank Kilroe Mile last out. He won a second-level allowance on the front end on Jan. 24. Lagynos will shorten up to a mile after two graded stakes wins going 1 1/8 miles at Fair Grounds. Trainer Steve Asmussen said Lagynos was “a hard-luck horse” earlier in his career, with a couple of tough trips in graded stakes. “Now, all of a sudden, he’s got that behind him and showed a new level of confidence with winning,” Asmussen said. :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2026: Top contenders, point standings, news, and more Asmussen said the breakthrough race for Lagynos was at Kentucky Downs last August, when he won the Tapit Stakes going a mile and 70 yards. “That’s the fastest he’s ever run,” Asmussen said. “I look back at what we’d done. We’ve adjusted how we trained him a bit and he’s responded nicely to it.” Lagynos is just 1 for 8 at Churchill Downs, but he has finished in the money in seven of eight starts over this turf course. Minaret Station is 3 for 4 in his career, including a victory in the American Derby here last June 28. That was his only – and most recent – start since he won the Grade 2 Bourbon as a 2-year-old. Giocoso, trained by Keith Desoremaux, will make his 4-year-old debut in this spot. He hasn’t run since he won the Grade 2 Commonwealth Stakes over the Churchill course last November. Desormeaux said going from facing just 3-year-olds to facing older horses is like “going from the college to the pros.” “But this is a really good horse,” Desormeaux added. “His pedigree says it, his numbers say it, and his record says it. He’s been off five months, he’s training great, but you always wonder if he’s going to be at his best.” Chasing the Crown, fourth in the Mervin Muniz last out, and West Hollywood, an allowance winner going a mile at Fair Grounds on March 20, complete the field. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.