It wasn't easy getting there, but a field of nine 3-year-olds were finally entered for Saturday's grade I, $1 million Florida Derby, each hoping to move on from Gulfstream Park to Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby just five weeks away.

Battling changing weather, viruses, and quarentines due to an infectious disease outbreak, the sophomores that will line up for the mile and an eighth event are a hearty group and include a pair of recent winners for two-time Kentucky Derby winning trainer Nick Zito. Zito will saddle two-time stakes winner High Fly as well as the improving but lightly raced Noble Causeway, and while both have had to contend with various complications, their Brooklyn-born conditioner remains optimistic.

"It all takes a toll on you, but it's a good toll," he said recently. "Next to the Kentucky Derby, the thing I love most is the Final Four. Both are tournaments. The next round could be your final round. We had that good run of weekends, but you know that you can't have all good weekends. You've just got to stay positive and keep going forward. I tried to take a couple years off from it, but it only makes you want to get there that more."

Owned by Live Oak Plantation, High Fly captured the Aventura Stakes earlier in the season, was transferred to Zito's barn and captured the Fountain of Youth Stakes a few weeks ago. The colt came down with a slight temperature last week but appears to have recovered. In the meantime, both Zito horses have had to train at Gulfstream apart from the rest of the equine population due to an outbreak of the equine disease "Strangles" at Palm Meadows Training Center where they were based for most of the winter. The Strangles outbreak and consequent quarantine procedures forced several trainers of top 3-year-olds to change their plans, including Rick Violette, Jr.

"The loss of Bandini and Closing Argument was pretty significant," said the trainer of Wallstreet Scandal, a last minute addition to Saturday's Florida Derby field.

"And High Fly having a temperature a few days ago means he may or may not be at his best. These developments make us want to take a look at the $1 million purse here."

"Sometimes, you just have to be in the right pace at the right time," he added.

Violette captured the Fountain of Youth Stakes last year with Read the Footnotes. While Klaravich Stable's Wallstreet Scandal isn't as established as Violette's runner last year, the colt finished fourth in the grade II Louisiana Derby in his most recent start. Jim Ryerson, the trainer of Park Avenue Ball, is another conditioner who made a last minute decision to run in the Florida Derby.

"We had been looking at either the Wood Memorial or Illinois Derby," Ryerson said of his colt who won the grade II Futurity last fall at Belmont Park. "But with the situation here for two of the favorites not starting, and with the uncertainty of moving horses around the country, we have to take a look at this race now." "I don't want to give him too much of an excuse for his performance last time," he added, referring to the colt's sixth-place finish in the Fountain of Youth, "But he did have a little bit of a rough trip in there."

The field for the 54th running of the Florida Derby, from the rail out:
Noble Causeway, Edgar Prado, 3-1; Bea Oxenberg and laurie Plesa's B.B. Best, Jorge Chavez, 8-1; Char Marin Stable's Park Avenue Ball, Ramon Dominguez, 15-1; Dogwood Stable's Vecarage, John Velazquez, 6-1; Puglisi Stable's Mighty Mecke, Cornelio Velasquez, 10-1; Greg Norman's Papi Chullo, Robby Albarado, 8-1; Wallstreet Scandal, Javier Castellano,12-1; and Namcook Stable's Evil Minister, Clinton Potts, 20-1.

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