ARCADIA, Calif. - Pavlovian will be ready for a fight should a speed duel develop in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 2. “He doesn’t want anyone passing him,” jockey Edwin Maldonado said at Santa Anita on Sunday morning. A few minutes earlier, Maldonado was aboard Pavlovian for the colt’s final workout in California before a scheduled departure to Kentucky on Tuesday. Working in company with stablemate Robusta, Pavlovian went six furlongs in 1:15. Robusta was timed in 1:16. Pavlovian began behind Robusta, racing on the outside. Maldonado timed Pavlovian in 1:01 for five furlongs. Earlier in the morning, Intrepido, fourth of seven in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 4, worked a half-mile in 47.20 seconds. Intrepido is a candidate for the Kentucky Derby. :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2026: Top contenders, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more Pavlovian, who is trained by Doug O’Neill for owners and breeders Paul and Zillah Reddam, has won 2 of 10 starts. O’Neill and the Reddams have won the Kentucky Derby twice – with I’ll Have Another in 2012 and Nyquist in 2016. Maldonado has been aboard for Pavlovian’s last two starts – a nose win in the Sunland Park Derby at 1 1/16 miles in New Mexico on Feb. 15, and a head loss to Kentucky Derby candidate Emerging Market in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby at 1 3/16 miles at Fair Grounds on March 21. In the Sunland Park Derby, Pavlovian was second early and always within a length of the front. In the Louisiana Derby, Pavlovian set the pace. He finished a length clear of third-place finisher Golden Tempo, yet another Kentucky Derby probable starter. Maldonado expects a similar trip in the Kentucky Derby at the distance of 1 1/4 miles. “He can be up there with the leaders and he likes the pressure,” Maldonado said. “I’m not worried about going too fast. He got the pressure in the Louisiana Derby. “I’m not worried about the distance. He galloped out strongly after the Louisiana Derby.” Maldonado, 43, began riding in North America in 2002 and had 1,679 wins through Saturday. Pavlovian will be his first mount in the Kentucky Derby. Maldonado rode on the Kentucky Derby program in 2024, finishing third in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile aboard the O’Neill-trained Vlahos. “It feels like an accomplishment,” Maldonado said of the forthcoming milestone. “I’ve been riding 25 years. I have the opportunity and I’m grateful. I’m very confident, super-confident.” O’Neill said Robusta is a candidate for the Preakness Stakes at Laurel on May 16. Robusta was second by a head to Kentucky Derby probable Potente in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes on March 7, but last of seven in the Santa Anita Derby. Regarding Sunday’s workouts, O’Neill said that Pavlovian and Robusta “both brought their A-game.” Intrepido, best known for winning the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita last October, had a faster workout than expected on Sunday. “It wasn’t what I wanted to have happen,” trainer Jeff Mullins said. “He went out a bit sharper than I wanted him to.” Intrepido, a winner of 2 of 6 starts, was ridden in the workout by Hector Berrios, who has the mount in the Kentucky Derby. Berrios has never ridden at Churchill Downs. Intrepido, who races for Dutch Girl Holdings and Irving Ventures, is winless in three starts since the American Pharoah Stakes, including a fifth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last November and a second by three-quarters of a length in the Grade 3 Robert Lewis Stakes at a mile at Santa Anita on Feb. 7. Mullins acknowledged that Intrepido will need to improve to be a factor in the Kentucky Derby. “We’ll have to step up to the plate,” he said. As of Sunday, Intrepido ranked 22nd on the list of candidates for the Kentucky Derby. Only 20 will start, but two candidates may be redirected to other races – Stark Contrast to the Grade 1 American Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 2, and Iron Honor to the Preakness Stakes. Entries for the Kentucky Derby will be taken on Saturday. An also-eligible list will include up to four runners. Those horses would start in the Kentucky Derby only if there are withdrawals from the first 20 before scratches are announced on May 1, the day prior to the race. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.