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Florida Derby (GI)

Gulfstream Park • Hallandale Beach, FL, USA 100-50-25-15-10
March 30, 2024

Florida Derby Race History

Twenty-five Kentucky Derby winners. That’s right—between 1953 and 2023, a span of 71 years, the Florida Derby (G1) produced the Kentucky Derby (G1) winner on 25 occasions, a record of success unequaled by any other Road to the Kentucky Derby prep race.

When writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr noted “the more things change, the more they stay the same,” he could very well have been writing about the Florida Derby. The race has barely changed at all since its inaugural running in 1952. It’s always been held over 1 1/8 miles at Gulfstream Park, and it’s always been a key steppingstone toward the Run for the Roses, producing multiple Kentucky Derby winners every decade.

Ironically, the first Florida Derby participant to achieve fame under the Twin Spires went thoroughly unheralded at Gulfstream Park. After finishing 13th in the 1953 Florida Derby, Dark Star pulled off an unforgettable upset in the Kentucky Derby, stemming off a late charge from superstar Native Dancer to win by a head.

In the decades to follow, Iron Liege (1956), Tim Tam (1958), Venetian Way (1960), Kauai King (1966), Cannonade (1974), Foolish Pleasure (1975), Strike the Gold (1991), and Go for Gin (1994) all followed Dark Star’s lead by turning defeat in the Florida Derby into victory at Churchill Downs.

But winning both races has been an even more common feat, with the Florida Derby/Kentucky Derby frequently serving as a springboard to champion three-year-old honors. The Florida-bred standout Needles was the first to complete the double 1956, followed by Tim Tam (1958), Carry Back (1961), Northern Dancer (1964), Forward Pass (1968), Spectacular Bid (1979), Swale (1984), Unbridled (1990), Thunder Gulch (1995), Monarchos (2001), Barbaro (2006), Big Brown (2008).

The 2010s saw continued success for the Florida Derby as Orb (2013), Nyquist (2016), and Always Dreaming (2017) parlayed triumphs in Gulfstream’s signature race into victories under the Twin Spires. Maximum Security (2019) also crossed the wire first in both races, but was disqualified from Kentucky Derby glory after causing interference on the far turn.

In 2023, Mage parlayed a fast-closing second in the Florida Derby into a late-running triumph at Churchill Downs.

Since the 1950s, no Road to the Kentucky Derby prep race has come close to producing as many Kentucky Derby winners as the Florida Derby. It’s easy to see why the race ranks as a top-tier prep awarding points on a 100-50-25-15-10 split to the top four finishers.

By J. Keeler Johnson/TwinSpires.com

Results

Win

Place

Show

10

Fierceness100

$4.20

$3.20

$2.80

7

Catalytic50

$12.20

$8

4

Grand Mo the First25

$6.40

9

Conquest Warrior15

2

Hades10

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Entries

Jockey

Owner

Trainer

Current odds

Wagers

1

Frankie's Empire

Miguel Angel Vasquez

Frank DeLuca

Michael Yates

2

Hades

Paco Lopez

D.J. Stable, LLC and Robert Cotran

Joseph F. Orseno

3

Bail Us Out

Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Repole Stable

Todd Pletcher

4

Grand Mo the First

Emisael Jaramillo

Granpollo Stable

Victor Barboza, Jr.

5

Real Macho

Javier Castellano

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Rohan Crichton, Daniel L. Walters and Dennis G. Smith

Rohan Crichton

6

Le Dom Bro

Edwin Gonzalez

Vicente Stella Stables LLC

Eniel Cordero

7

Catalytic

Julien R. Leparoux

Tami Bobo, Julie Davies and George G. Isaacs

Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.

8

Seminole Chief

Joel Rosario

Brad Grady and David Grund

Jack Sisterson

9

Conquest Warrior

Jose L. Ortiz

Courtlandt Farms

Claude R. McGaughey III

10

Fierceness

John R. Velazquez

Repole Stable

Todd Pletcher

11

Iris's Dream

Jorge Ruiz

Iris Cotto

Cheryl Winebaugh

Road to the Kentucky Derby

No Upcoming Races.

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