Horse Racing Odds to Win: Florida Derby at Gulfstream

by Patricia Woo | Mar 15 2010

The Florida Derby will be the last stop on the 2010 Kentucky Derby trail for many of this year's top contenders. On Saturday, March 20, Gulfstream Park will host the $750,000 Gr. 1 Florida Derby for 3-year-olds. Among those expected for the 1 1/8 mile race are Eskendereya, Pulsion and Ice Box.

Eskendereya rocketed to the top of many Top 10 rankings after his 8 1/2 length romp in the $250,000 Gr. 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes on Feb. 20 for trainer Todd Pletcher. The 3-year-old Giant's Causeway colt kicked off his 2010 campaign by winning a mile-long allowance race, also at Gulfstream Park, on Jan. 7, bouncing back from a ninth-place finish in the 2009 Breeders' Cup Juvenile in November where traffic problems likely contributed to his disappointing outcome. He has been training at Palm Meadows, recently registering a half-mile breeze in :49 1/5, and regular rider John Velazquez, aboard for Eskendereya's last two victories, should get the mount on Saturday. Eskendereya currently has $150,000 in graded stakes earnings.

Also trying to rebound from a poor Breeders' Cup Juvenile performance is Patrick Biancone's trainee Pulsion; this son of Include finished 11th in that race, hampered by a poor start. He improved to sixth in the Fountain of Youth Stakes but again faded in the stretch after encountering traffic mid-race – he will need a clean trip to keep up with the likes of Eskendereya on Saturday. He posted a 5-furlong work in 1:01.15 at Gulfstream Park on March 1 and will likely have Mike Smith in the irons for the Florida Derby. Pulsion currently has $65,000 in graded stakes earnings for owner Kin Hui of Flying Zee Stable.

Another Kentucky Derby hopeful who was unlucky enough to come up against Eskendereya in the Fountain of Youth was Ice Box, whose antics in the loading gate and effortful five-wide bid on the turn resulted in a fifth-place finish and derailed his consecutive win streak. He had gone into the Fountain of Youth Stakes off an allowance race win at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 18 and his maiden-breaking victory at Meadowlands on Oct. 30. Ice Box is trained by Robert La Penta and is a son of Pulpit; he currently has $7,500 in earnings and will need a big score to get to the starting gate of the 2010 Kentucky Derby. Kent Desormeaux has the mount.

Also among the expected are Radiohead (trained by Rick Dutrow, Jr.), Pleasant Prince (Wesley Ward), First Dude (Dale Romans) and Game On Dude (Michael Mareina).

In 2008, Big Brown captured the Florida Derby on his way to winning the Kentucky Derby. Will we see a Kentucky Derby winner in the 2010 edition of the Florida Derby? Bet on horse racing at Gulfstream Park at the Bodog Racebook!