Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC's Midnight Bourbon was one of the leading horses on the 2021 Road to the Kentucky Derby, finishing ninth with a total of 66 points and earnings of $630,000.

A three-year-old Tiznow colt, he has nine lifetime starts with two wins, three seconds and three third-place finishes. The runner has $661,420 in total purse earnings.

His greatest success this year was finishing second in the Preakness Stakes, two lengths behind winner Rombauer.

Midnight Bourbon was one of the top names on the 2021 Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard, sitting near the top of the standings with 66 qualifying points. He ended up finishing sixth at Churchill Downs on May 1.

The colt's first set of Derby qualifying points came all the way back on September 5 when he finished second in the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes presented by Ford at Churchill Downs, which was the first race of the series.

He kicked clear from the gate and moved past eventual winner Sittin at Go at the 16th pole. He then stalked three to four wide before setting his sights on the wire as the field turned for home. However, Midnight Bourbon couldn't pull off the victory as Sittin at Go ran him down.

With his runner-up performance, Midnight Bourbon received four qualifying points.

Next time out, he entered into the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park on October 10. In the race, Jackie's Warrior was bumped by Reinvestment Risk as the field broke from the gate.

Those two went on to be the first and second-place finishers respectively, as Midnight Bourbon made a run but weakened in the drive to settle in third.

With his third-place run in the Champagne Stakes, Midnight Bourbon received two qualifying points.

The Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds was next on the colt's radar. This time out, he was able to get the victory in what was his first-ever stakes win. He moved out into the lead fast after breaking from the gate and didn't face real pressure until the far turn.

He held off two rivals in the upper stretch and was urged forward by rider Joseph Talamo to finish first.

Midnight Bourbon finished ahead of Proxy and Mandaloun in the race and with the Lecomte victory, he received an additional 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points.

The runner went on to perform well in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes Presented by Lamarque Ford at Fair Grounds on February 13. He went three wide on the far turn and went five wide into the stretch before drifting out. He continued to run strongly and finished third behind winner Mandaloun and runner-up Proxy, two key rivals on the 2021 leaderboard.

Midnight Bourbon received 10 more points with the Risen Star performance.

Midnight Bourbon picked up a further 40 points in the Road to the Kentucky Derby by finishing second behind Hot Rod Charlie in the Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds on March 20.

Prior to his journey on the 2021 Road to the Kentucky Derby, Midnight Bourbon ran in two other events. He finished first in an August 22 maiden special weight race at Ellis Park and he took third in his debut in another maiden special weight race at the track on July 25.

Midnight Bourbon is another one of the runners on the 2021 Road to the Kentucky Derby that is trained by a Hall of Famer. Steve Asmussen has been responsible for the impressive colt since his first start.

Asmussen won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer in both 2008 and 2009, and he has won some of the biggest races in the sport, including the 2016 Belmont Stakes and the 2009 and 2007 Preakness Stakes. The trainer's top horse this year is undoubtedly Midnight Bourbon.

The colt is owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC, who have been responsible for runners like Untapable, Tapiture, Tenfold, Tapizar and Classify. The owners have over 320 wins, 240 seconds and 250 thirds from over 1,650 starts, while their horses have pulled in over $24million in total earnings.

Midnight Bourbon's regular rider is Joseph Talamo, who has a career record of over 2,140 wins, 2,000 seconds and 2,000 thirds from over 14,750 starts. The rider has earned over $115million in total purse winnings.

Talamo guided Midnight Bourbon in his Lecomte victory and third-place finish in the Risen Star. However, the racehorse was also joined by Jose Ortiz in the Champagne Stakes and Gerardo Corales in the Iroquois. Mike E. Smith took the reins for the Kentucky Derby, with Irad Ortiz Jr. on board for the Preakness Stakes.

Midnight Bourbon was bought as a yearling by Winchell Thoroughbreds for $525,000 at the Keeneland Association September Yearling Sale 2019. Tagged as Hip 1941, the consignor was Warrendale Sales.

The three-year-old colt is a son of sire Tiznow and mare Catch the Moon.

Cees Stable LLC's Tiznow was a California-bred runner trained by Jay Robbins. A son of Cee's Tizzy, he retired with a career record of 8-4-2 from 15 starts. His total purse earnings sit at $6,427,830.

Tiznow's leading progeny includes not only Midnight Bourbon, but also names like Tizamagician, Made in America and Prince James.

His last race before retirement was a victory in the October 27, 2001, Breeders' Cup Classic at Belmont Park. In the Grade 1 event, Tiznow registered an impressive 123 Speed Figure. That same year, he won the Grade 2 San Fernando Breeders' Cup Stakes, finished first in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap and ran third in the Grade 1 Woodward Stakes.

Tiznow was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009. He was awarded the Eclipse Award for Champion Three-Year-Old Colt in 2000, Horse of the Year in 2000 and Champion Older Horse in 2001.

Catch the Moon, who was never raced, was a daughter of Malibu Moon and bred in Kentucky by Castleton Lyons & Kilboy Estate.

First sold to Bob Austin at the Keeneland Association Horses of All Ages Sale in January 2013, she then moved to Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings at the Keeneland Association Breeding Stock Sale in November 2015.