Instant Coffee

Instant Coffee was the winner of the Grade 2 $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs on Nov. 26, 2022, to stamp himself as one of the early contenders for the 2023 Kentucky Derby.  In addition to being a two-turn win on the same track the Derby will be run on, the Kentucky Jockey Club was a points race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby series, netting Instant Coffee 10 qualifying points in the hunt for the starting gate on the first Saturday in May. Instant Coffee topped a nine-horse field to win the Kentucky Jockey Club by 1 1/4 lengths in a time of 1:45.25 for the 1 1/16 miles.

Instant Coffee began his career with a win at first asking in a seven-furlong maiden special weight race for 2-year-olds at Saratoga on Sept. 3, 2022. He raised in class for his second career start in the Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland on Oct. 8, but settled for fourth that day, beaten seven lengths in a 14-horse field.

Instant Coffee began his 3-year-old campaign with a Grade 3 win in the $200,000 Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds on Jan. 21, 2023. Instant Coffee trailed the six-horse field in the Lecomte for the first half of the race before launching his move from the back of the pack late on the backstretch run.  He passed horses around the turn and took command at the top of the stretch en route to a 2 1/2-length win in a time of 1:45.12 for the 1 1/16 miles. Sent off as the 1.30-1 favorite, Instant Coffee paid $4.60 to win. The Lecomte was a points race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, and the first-place finish netted him another 20 points for a total of 32 points good towards entry into the starting gate on the first Saturday in May.

Instant Coffee is trained by Brad Cox. He was bred in Kentucky by the sire Bolt d'Oro out of the mare Follow No One by Uncle Mo.