Express Kid out of Santa Anita Derby after spiking fever

Midwest stakes winner Express Kid will not be sent to California for Saturday’s Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby.

“He spiked a little fever at feed time” on Sunday, trainer Justin Evans said on Monday morning from Sunland Park in New Mexico. “It blew us all out of the water. We had to treat him this morning. I’ve had two or three in the last week that have spiked a temperature.”

Express Kid was second to Pavlovian in the $500,000 Sunland Park Derby on Feb. 15 in his last start. Pavlovian was second in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds on March 21, and is a candidate for the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 2.

Express Kid has won 3 of 6 starts and earned $345,802. He won the Springboard Mile by 6 1/4 lengths at Remington Park in December in his final start of 2025.

Without Express Kid, the $500,000 Santa Anita Derby at 1 1/8 miles has a probable field of seven – Cherokee Nation, Intrepido, Potente, Robusta, So Happy, Start the Ride, and Virtuvian Man.

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Evans said Express Kid will be moved in early April from Sunland Park to Lone Star Park. No race plans have been finalized.

“I think he’s a good horse and fits in a lot of spots,” Evans said.

The Santa Anita Derby is the richest race of the track’s winter-spring meeting, which ends on Sunday. A spring meeting runs from April 17 to June 14.

The first five finishers in the Santa Anita Derby earn 100, 50, 25, 15, and 10 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby.

Through Monday, Potente ranked 14th on the list of Kentucky Derby candidates with 50 qualifying points. Four other expected starters in the Santa Anita Derby field have qualifying points – Robusta (25), Intrepido (23), So Happy (15), and Cherokee Nation (3).

In all likelihood, the top 17 United States-based runners will earn berths, with three foreign berths expected to go to Danon Bourbon, Wonder Dean, and Six Speed, who won or placed in stakes in Japan and Dubai on Saturday.

Aside from the Santa Anita Derby, there are two other qualifying races on Saturday and one on April 11 for the Kentucky Derby. Through Monday, Grittiness, second in the Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs on March 14, ranked 17th with 36 qualifying points. The Kentucky Derby will have no more than 20 starters.

Saturday’s program at Santa Anita has four other stakes, including the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles, and the Grade 3 Monrovia Stakes for fillies and mares at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course.

There are two $125,000 races for California-bred 3-year-olds at 6 1/2 furlongs – the Echo Eddie Stakes and the Evening Jewel Stakes for fillies.

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