Mr. A. P. won't make Derby trail; out through March after setback

ARCADIA, Calif. – The high-class 2-year-old Mr. A. P., runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, is already off the Kentucky Derby trail.

“He had a little setback,” trainer Vladimir Cerin said Saturday at Santa Anita. “I’m hoping he’ll be ready at the end of the March, which makes everything difficult.”

The setback makes it virtually impossible for Mr. A.P. to make the Kentucky Derby, which is unfortunate because Mr. A. P. stamped himself one of the country’s leading 2-year-olds by finishing second to undefeated Ted Noffey in the BC Juvenile.

Although Mr. A.P. resumed training following the Breeders’ Cup, Cerin suspected something was amiss. The issue was subsequently diagnosed and resolved. “He needs a little more time,” Cerin said. He respectfully declined to elaborate.

Mr. A. P. was claimed from his runner-up debut on July 31 at Del Mar for $150,000 by Cerin and owners David and Holly Wilson. Mr. A. P. subsequently finished second in a maiden sprint at Del Mar, and improved when he stretched to two turns.

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A ridgling by American Pharoah, Mr. A. P. won a maiden route at Santa Anita on Oct. 13 in this third start, and wheeled back 18 days later to finish second in the BC Juvenile at Del Mar. Mr. A. P. finished only a length behind Ted Noffey, the presumptive champion juvenile colt whose 4-for-4 record includes three Grade 1 races.

The defection of Mr. A. P. softens the 2026 California 3-year-old division, which includes Jeff Mullins-trained Grade 1 winner Intrepido and a bevy of Derby prospects trained by Bob Baffert. Those include Litmus Test, Brant, Desert Gate, Boyd, Blacksmith, Plutarch, and Provenance.

The first dirt stakes of the Santa Anita winter meet for newly turned 3-year-olds is the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes, a seven-furlong sprint scheduled for Jan. 10.

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