The CD (Grade 1)- $1,000.00 Purse
CD- For Four Year Olds and Upward
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt
May 2, 2026

As the anticipation for the KYD grows on Saturday, we will get a look at those who prefer to not run quite as long in the 23rd running of the CD. This long sprint is for older horses on the main track, and has seen the likes of Ljosalfar, Bold Star, and Residue grab a win in the race, and then Shoot Skyhigh do so in both in 2010 and 2011. Back then, the purse was much smaller, being $200.00 at inception and just $300.000 when Shoot Skyhigh won the second time. The purse has been gradually increased, especially since 2020, and has been at $1,000.00 now for the last two years. Edward The Good grabbed the win here in 2025, for Mb Stables, and he is continuing to run at a high level, having won a graded race in February and being strong in his last, similar, start. Mb Stables will not shoot sky high with him in this race, but does start two of the ten runners this time. Here’s a look at our entire field!

1- Diametric (Mb Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Diametric has put together four consecutive triple digit SRF’s. He ran well in all four of those races, and secured victories in both the Grade 3 Fayette at KEE and the Grade 3 Mineshaft at FG. Those are races that are a little more than a mile, but he’s been fine as a sprinter as well. None of his stake wins are in a sprint as of yet, but as a horse that has hit the board in 20 of 21 starts, and been in the top four in all of them, his consistency is to be admired.

2- Wild Girl (Delta Farms, ridden by F Pennington)- As a filly in this race, wait, nevermind. This six year old gelding has six wins over 24 starts, with three of them coming in his last starts. None of those are at the stake level, but they are solid open allowance or optional claiming wins at high level tracks, and we know they are usually unofficial stakes in terms of quality, too. His only graded attempt came on a TC day, running at PIM last May in the MD Sprint Stakes where he was not a factor. He’s on a winning streak right now, so it’s understandable that now is a great time to take this shot, but I’ll pass.

3- Capiche (Ajm Stables, ridden by B Curtis)- Ran in the BC Sprint last fall, and finished respectably in the middle of the field. To get there, he had won the Grade 1 Forego a couple months prior. The BC would be his last race for his prior trainer, as Ajm Stables picked him up for $102.00 in private sales. Capiche was not put back out on the track quickly, and it would not be until late March where he’d be seen again, and it was in an allowance at SUN. Perhaps he didn’t work well right after the BC, and he’d run medicore at SUN before winning an allowance at KEE three weeks later. Is he back? Did he really never lose it? We will see!

4- General Zod (Royalty Stables, ridden by L Machado)- After winning the Crosby, and placing second in the Phoenix, General Zod was also able to find his way to the BC Sprint last year, and he would be made the post-time favorite for the race. He’d struggle there, but quickly bounced back when running longer in winning the Grade 2 Clark. General Zod has not been entered into a sprint since then, and with hit and miss efforts over his last four, Royalty Stables moves him back to a distance he had been very comfortable with. Working very well in anticipation of this.

5- Superbush (Acber Farms, ridden by F Geroux)- Began 2025 red-hot, on a three-race winning streak and continuing to run well in overnights for most of the year. Ultimately, the trainer would move him up the class ladder, and Superbush would finish off his four year old campaign hitting the board in three ungraded stakes. Now, his 2026 has begun in exactly the same manner, winning his first three races, but against tougher company. When we last saw him, it was out at KEE for the Grade 2 Commonwealth, a seven furlong race, where he won convincingly by two lengths. Works great, and his speed figures have been in the triple digits in his last two. I see no reason why he would not stay hot.

6- Electric (Angelos Stable, ridden by Ar Bocachica)- Electric has also been red-hot as of late, with wins in his last four races. Going back a little further, the eight year old Neon Wolf gelding won both the Grade 3 Bold Venture at WO and the Vosburgh at AQU to be able to join the party at the BC Sprint. Unfortunately for the trainer, Electric did not step up, and finished in the double digits. The result seemed to hit hard, as he was dropped in class significantly at one point, running at TUP in January. That’s where his current win streak started, which has seen him rebound to victories in the Grade 3 Palos Verdes at SA and the Grade 3 Whitmore at OP.

7- Eight West Party (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by M J Sanchez)- Over his 57-race career, Eight West Party has won nine times and is just a little bit shy of $2,500.00 in earnings. None of his wins were bigger than last fall, when he captured the BC Dirt Mile as a 39/1 longshot. Since then, he’s won two of three, struggling in the Pegasus World Cup before stepping up with wins in the OP Mile and the GP Mile, each being a Grade 3. Cutting a furlong off of what he’s been best at should not be an issue with him, though he is typically a closer, so he’ll need to start hsi run a little sooner. He seemed to struggle with that the last two times he ran seven furlongs.

8- Gold (Spankys Barn, ridden by T Gaffalione)- Early in his career, Gold did race in ungraded stakes but they seemed to be a little much for him at the time. He’d pass through a couple barns in private sales, and then a couple more via claimers as he had a lengthy career in overnights. When Spankys Barn claimed him for $40.00, he had bigger ideas and immediately entered him into the Grade 2 Cigar Handicap, and it would not go well. Not deterred by that, the trainer gave him two more such races and Gold would break out in the seven furlong Grade 2 Carter Handicap, winning while earning a 102 SRF. Can he do that again? We’ll have to see, but this trainer is underrated when it comes to striking gold with horses like Gold.

9- Universal Speed (Babyhead, ridden by A Jimenez)- This is a horse that knows how to win, doing so in half of his eighteen starts, but that percentage is even more impressive when looking at his time in Babyhead silks. Originally a $6.25 claim, Universal Speed has never failed to cash a check in his new barn, and arguably with a little more luck at the wire, you could say he may have won all eleven of these races. Instead, he’s won seven, and none are bigger than the Grade 1 Malibu last December. He’ll be happy to run this distance again, and while this is the biggest test of his career, he has every bit of ability that is needed to take home the win.

10- Agent Zero (Mb Stables, ridden by R Santana Jr)- Not a horse you would have expected to be in this field, given that he has never run less than a mile on the dirt in this career, or that he has only made one dirt start in total. That came last time out, and it was a good one, running second in the Grade 2 Essex Handicap. Prior to that, the bulk of Agent Zero’s races were turf sprinters, and he was successful in them, including a win in the $100.00 Turf Sprint two back. So, we know he can sprint, and we know he run on the dirt, so there’s no reason to think that he cannot handle what is being asked of him here. He’s cashed a check in every race he has been in since July 2024.

Prediction: 5-6-9-1

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES