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Home / Kentucky Derby / Express Kid Shocks Field in 2025 Remington Springboard Mile Upset to Make Derby Leaderboard

Express Kid Shocks Field in 2025 Remington Springboard Mile Upset to Make Derby Leaderboard

Remington Park Racing Banner Canva

In a thrilling finale to Remington Park’s 2025 Thoroughbred season, Express Kid delivered one of the year’s biggest upsets in the $300,000 Remington Springboard Mile on December 20. The California-bred colt by Bodexpress, purchased for just $2,000 as a yearling, led gate-to-wire under jockey Jose L. Alvarez to win convincingly by 6¼ lengths in a time of 1:38.99 over a fast track.

Sent off at 34-1 odds (returning $71.00 to win), Express Kid earned 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, stamping his ticket to the 2026 Road to the Kentucky Derby. Trained by Wade Rarick for owner Steve Haahr, the victory marked a stunning form reversal—Express Kid had finished sixth in the local Clever Trevor Stakes, 12¾ lengths behind Essential Time, who could only manage seventh here.

Top Five Finishers and Kentucky Derby Points Earned

  1. Express Kid – 10 points
  2. Arctic Beast – 5 points
  3. Royal American – 3 points
  4. Western Man – 2 points
  5. Way Beyond – 1 point

Springboard Mile Race Recap

Breaking sharply from the outside post 12, Express Kid seized command early and never looked back. Jockey Jose Alvarez guided the colt through comfortable fractions, extending his lead in the stretch as the field chased in vain. Pre-race favorite Arctic Beast, undefeated in three prior starts, ran credibly to secure second but couldn’t threaten the runaway winner.

In a dominant performance Express Kid highlighted his affinity for the Remington Park surface—he had won a 7½-furlong turf allowance here in his previous outing. The upset lit up the toteboard, producing massive exotic payouts and underscoring the Springboard Mile’s reputation for producing longshot winners and legitimate Derby contenders like Coal Battle, the 2024 Springboard Mile winner, who delivered a breakout 3-year-old campaign, winning the Smarty Jones Stakes and the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park. These victories propelled him into the 2025 Kentucky Derby field, where he finished 11th.

What’s Next for Express Kid

Connections indicate plans to target Oaklawn Park’s Derby prep series in early 2026. As a lightly raced colt with front-running speed and proven stamina, Express Kid emerges as an intriguing prospect for the Triple Crown trail.