Publisher out to reverse long standing form of maidens in Kentucky Derby

Apr 16, 2025 Vance Hanson/Brisnet.com

Publisher gets a work in a Oaklawn Park. (Photo by Coady Media)

Recent history has seen several horses record their first, and sometimes only, career stakes win in the Kentucky Derby (G1). Examples include Country House (2019), Rich Strike (2022), and Mage (2023).

With logical justification, bettors are typically cool towards Derby entrants without prior stakes-winning experience. Country House ($132.40) and Rich Strike ($163.60) are among the top five longest-priced Derby winners in history. Two others in the top five, Donerail (1910) and Giacomo (2005), also counted the Derby as their first stakes success.

Even rarer, though, is the Derby winner who has never won before, a maiden in racing parlance. Buchanan, in 1884, was the first to do so, but two others had more claim to fame. Sir Barton broke his maiden in the 1919 Derby and was retroactively acknowledged as racing’s first Triple Crown winner after later winning the Preakness and Belmont Stakes.

The last maiden to win the Derby was Brokers Tip in 1933, a legendary renewal in which jockeys Don Meade, aboard Brokers Tip, and Herb Fisher, on Head Play, grabbed and whipped at each other through the stretch drive. A memorable image of the tussle was caught on camera, and the race long ago entered Derby lore as “The Fighting Finish.”

Maidens starting in the Kentucky Derby are rare for obvious reasons, and their track record has not been good. Since 1937, Churchill Downs records show that the best finish by a maiden was an eighth-place finish by On the Mark in 1950. Only one other maiden starter since then has been among the top 10 finishers.

However, since the introduction of the Road to the Kentucky Derby series, seeing a maiden earn enough points to qualify for the Derby has become less unusual. All it takes is a respectable effort in one or more preps. Recent examples include Trojan Nation, who finished second in the 2016 Wood Memorial (G1); Sonneteer, who finished second in the Rebel (G2) and fourth in the Arkansas Derby (G1); and Bodexpress, second in the 2019 Florida Derby (G1).

This year’s Derby field is expected to include one maiden, Publisher. After troubled trips in the Southwest (G3) and Rebel, Publisher finally had an opportunity to put forth his very best effort in the Arkansas Derby. It wasn’t good enough to beat Sandman, but Publisher, newly equipped with blinkers, rallied for second, 4 1/2 lengths ahead of Coal Battle, a three-time prep winner in this cycle.

Although winless in seven career starts, Publisher will have some appeal on a few fronts. Pedigree-wise there is plenty to like, as Publisher is a son of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and out of a mare by Proud Citizen, the 2002 Derby runner-up.

Early projections suggest this Derby, like several recent editions, will have a fast, contested pace. That will benefit the likes of a closer like Publisher, who could enter the frame, if he is good enough and gets the right trip beforehand.

And for those that believe that Derby success eventually comes around to those who have come so close before, Publisher is trained by Steve Asmussen. The Hall of Fame inductee has won close to 11,000 races, making him the winningest trainer in North American history.

Asmussen has been a ubiquitous presence in the Kentucky Derby this century but has yet to smell the roses. Although he saddled Nehro (2011), Lookin at Lee (2017), and Epicenter (2022) to second-place finishers, his two best horses, future Hall of Fame inductees Curlin (2007) and Gun Runner (2016), could only finish third, proof how extraordinarily difficult the Kentucky Derby is to win.

While Asmussen will also have a more highly regarded contender in the Louisiana Derby (G2) winner Tiztastic, the irony of a possible upset by Publisher isn’t lost on Asmussen.

“Maybe both of us can break our maiden in the Derby,” Asmussen quipped after a recent workout by Publisher. “He's still capable of more.”