Trainer Michael McCarthy, as expected, confirmed Thursday with Churchill Downs officials that Stark Contrast will not compete in the Kentucky Derby and instead run in the Grade 1 American Turf on May 2.

The departure of Stark Contrast makes room for Intrepido — fourth in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 4 — in the field of 20 for the Kentucky Derby.

Stark Contrast finished second in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks on March 21 at Turfway Park, giving him enough points to qualify for the Kentucky Derby.

But McCarthy views Stark Contrast as a bigger threat on turf. Stark Contrast made his debut on dirt at Del Mar last August, finishing fourth, but hasn’t raced on dirt since. He made four straight starts on turf before the runner-up finish in the Jeff Ruby on Turfway Park’s synthetic surface.

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Stark Contrast is 3-2-0 in six career starts.

“He may win on the first Saturday in May; I don't think it'll be in the Kentucky Derby,” McCarthy said after the Jeff Ruby. “Being by Caravaggio out of a Quality Road mare, we just think something like the American Turf would be in his wheelhouse.”

McCarthy was in the same situation in 2024 with Endlessly, who won the Jeff Ruby Steaks. McCarthy preferred to enter Endlessly in a turf race but entered the horse in the Kentucky Derby at the request of owners John and Jerry Amerman, who also own Stark Contrast.

Endlessly finished ninth in the Kentucky Derby and was 0-0-1 in the final nine races of his career.

Intrepido, a son of Maximus Mischief, is 2-1-0 in six career starts. Trained by Jeff Mullins, Intrepido won the Grade 1 American Pharoah at Santa Anita as a 2-year-old and finished fifth in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

He opened his 3-year-old campaign with a second-place finish behind Plutarch in the Grade 3 Robert Lewis on Feb. 7 and then returned in the Santa Anita Derby.

Intrepido breezed four furlongs in 47.4 seconds on Sunday at Santa Anita Park before shipping to Churchill Downs.

“I didn’t (expect that),” Mullins said after the speedy workout. “But we often get what we don’t expect.”

Hector Berrios will have the ride on Intrepido in the Kentucky Derby.

Litmus Test, trained by Bob Baffert, is now No. 21 on the points leaderboard and needs one defection to make the Kentucky Derby field.

The Kentucky Derby draw is set for 2:15 p.m. Saturday. The race is limited to 20 runners, but four also-eligibles may enter and make the field if another horse drops out before 9 a.m. on May 1.

Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com. Follow on X @KentuckyDerbyCJ.

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This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Derby 2026 field adds Intrepido as Stark Contrast pulls out