Though based in Southern California, Stronghold will be making somewhat of a homecoming when he runs in the 150th Kentucky Derby on May 4 at Churchill Downs. Stronghold began his career in Kentucky, finishing second in a maiden race at Ellis Park last August before winning a maiden race going a one-turn mile on Oct. 1 at Churchill Downs. The race, which Stronghold won by 1 1/2 lengths, proved to be quite productive as the runner-up was Resilience and the third-place finisher was Track Phantom. Resilience has since gone on to win the Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, and Track Phantom took the Gun Runner and Lecomte stakes at Fair Grounds. Both will be in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby. “He’s been competing with the top of his crop throughout his campaign,” said Phil D’Amato, Stronghold’s trainer. Stronghold’s maiden win came in the faster of two divisions. Stronghold ran a mile in 1:35.99, while Catching Freedom won the other division in 1:36.58. Catching Freedom has since gone on to win the Smarty Jones and Grade 2 Louisiana Derby and also is a contender for the Kentucky Derby. D’Amato, whose primary base is Southern California, has, for the last few years, maintained a smaller string in Kentucky, looking to take advantage of the lucrative purses. D’Amato said it was always the intent to bring Stronghold back to Southern California for the winter. :: DRF Kentucky Derby Package: Save on PPs, Clocker Reports, Betting Strategies, and more. Stronghold made his stakes debut in the seven-furlong Bob Hope Stakes in November at Del Mar, where he finished a well-beaten second to the highly regarded Nysos. A month later, in his first start around two turns, Stronghold ran second behind Wynstock in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity. D’Amato said he was looking to space out Stronghold’s races more, which is why he eschewed the next Derby points race at Santa Anita for the Sunland Park Derby on Feb. 17. Sent off the 6-5 favorite, Stronghold drew clear to a 2 1/2-length victory. The Sunland Park Derby gave Stronghold seven weeks to the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, the race that would ultimately decide Stronghold’s fate regarding the Kentucky Derby. In that race, Stronghold outfinished San Felipe Stakes winner Imagination by a neck, earning the necessary points to get back to Kentucky. “We took down a good horse last time and kind of validated ourselves,” D’Amato said. D’Amato believes getting Stronghold around two turns, more distance, and the race spacing has helped him develop into a better horse. “I just think he’s a better two-turn horse,” D’Amato said. “It fits his tactical style more and he’s got stamina. He always seems to be coming at the end. He finished well in the Sunland Park race, and I think the light bulb mentally came on after that race. When I breezed him after that race in team drills, I had him sitting behind horses and he wanted to get to them and pass them. He seems to know what his job is.” :: Get the Inside Track with the FREE DRF Morning Line Email Newsletter. Subscribe now.  Stronghold is a son of Ghostzapper owned and bred by Eric and Sharon Waller. The Wallers owned the mare Spectator, whom D’Amato trained and who was a sprint-stakes winner at 2. She finished second to Midnight Bisou in the 2018 Santa Anita Oaks. Spectator died while foaling Stronghold, who will be D’Amato’s first starter in the Kentucky Derby. “I’ve been working to get to the Kentucky Derby for a while, just haven’t been fortunate to get a horse good enough to get there,” D’Amato said. “It’s pretty cool that I was able to train the mare of Stronghold. She was really good to us and she produced this horse and passed away foaling him. It means a lot to get him to the Derby. Hopefully, we can take it down.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.