Kentucky Derby Horse Profile: Coal Battle

Dec 17, 2024 John Mucciolo/TwinSpires.com

Norman Stable’s Coal Battle picked up 10 qualifying points on the 2025 Road to the Kentucky Derby challenge series after going last-to-first en route to posting a half-length triumph in the $300,000 Springboard Mile S. at Remington Park on December 13. Trained by Lonnie Briley and piloted by Juan Vargas, the dark bay clocked eight panels on the fast main oval in 1:39.25.

“I had planned to be in the middle of the pack and wait till the three-eighths to make my move,” Vargas said. “He is just getting better and better. This was good for him.”

Speed King, Dominant Spirit, Dr Ruben M, and Jolly Samurai rounded out the top five and earned points towards the Run for the Roses on a 5-3-2-1 structure.

Coal Battle joined the Road to the Kentucky Derby with a rallying triumph in the one-mile @RemingtonPark Springboard Mile.

This followed a similarly stretch-running win in the 6 1/2-furlong Jean Lafitte S.#KyDerby151 #PedigreeProfilehttps://t.co/3wcYl9lg9B

— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) December 16, 2024

Coal Battle was unveiled on July 25 at Evangeline Downs in an off-the-turf dash at five panels and rallied late to post a 3 1/2-length victory. Sent to Kentucky Downs to contest the lucrative Juvenile Mile S. second time out, the colt overcame a poor break to rally for a respectable fourth-place result, which was followed by an unplaced run on the grass at Keeneland on October 12. He preceded his Springboard Mile triumph by taking the Jean Laffite S. at Delta Downs on November 8. His career line now reads 5-3-0-0, $307,625.

The winner was bred in the Bluegrass State by Hume Wornall and Jay Adcock and fetched a final bid of $70,000 at the 2023 Texas Thoroughbred Association Summer Yearling Sale. He is the initial stakes winner out of the stakes-placed Midshipman mare Wolfblade.

Coal Battle is 3-for-3 in his dirt races to date, and the colt is an improving sort who has registered ascending Brisnet Speed figures of 73-85-91 in his last trio of assignments. His pedigree to peak at Classic distances is something of a question mark, and the youngster will also have to get faster to compete with the best in his division going forward, but he is getting better with experience and can’t be overlooked if he continues to move in the right direction.