Florida Derby

Approaching the four-week mark to the GI Kentucky Derby, trainer Todd Pletcher has three highly ranked contenders, and the most impressive thing about that collective is that the Hall-of-Fame conditioner has guided them through undefeated 2023 campaigns to date, meticulously mapping out their schedules to avoid overlap. Divisional champ Forte (Violence), now 6-for-7, won Saturday's GI Florida Derby with a mad-dash flourish. 'TDN Rising Star' Tapit Trice (Tapit), the winner of the GIII Tampa Bay Derby, will be heavily favored to improve his 3-for-4 record with another score in Saturday's...

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Forte (Violence), winner of Saturday's GI Curlin Florida Derby, will remain in South Florida for now to await his next assignment in the GI Kentucky Derby. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher reported Sunday that the champion 2-year-old colt emerged from his one-length victory over Mage (Good Magic) in good order and left Gulfstream Park early Sunday morning to return to Pletcher's winter base at Palm Beach Downs "He's good. He shipped back early this morning and he looks very well," Pletcher said. "We'll...

Coming from a culture where most wagering stipulates a fixed dividend, in the startling event that your horse happens to see through his part of the deal, I tend to view the morning line on American races as named for the hangover evidently being suffered by its compiler.

It's that time of the year, when Todd Pletcher is in the headlines virtually every weekend. He won last Saturday's GII Louisiana Derby with Kingsbarns (Uncle Mo), has the favorite in Saturday's GI Curlin Florida Derby in Forte (Violence) and the following week will head to Keeneland for the GI Toyota Blue Grass, where Tapit Trice (Tapit) could be the horse to beat. To get Pletcher's latest thoughts on his wealth of 3-year-old talent we had him join us on this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland. Pletcher...

Forte (Violence), who goes postward in Saturday's GI Curlin Florida Derby, was tabbed the 5-2 favorite in the field of 39 individual horses, plus a 40th option for all other 3-year-olds, in the final pool of the GI Kentucky Derby Future Wager. Unlike the first five Future Wager pools, Pool 6 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager will close Saturday at 6 p.m. ET., which is 40 minutes before the Florida Derby and one hour and 50 minutes ahead of GI Arkansas Derby. Here is the complete field for Pool...

Frank Sumpter's Wild On Ice (Tapizar), winner of Sunday's GIII Sunland Park Derby, is one of a dozen 3-year-olds nominated to the Triple Crown with a late payment of $6,000 by Monday's deadline. The other late nominees (pending late mail) are:  Middleham Park Racing's Road to the Kentucky Derby Condition Stakes winner Brave Emperor (Ire) (Sioux Nation); Adam Ference and Bill Dory's El Camino Real Derby winner Chase the Chaos (Astern {Aus}); John Salzman Jr., Fred Wasserloos and Anthony Geruso's multiple stakes winner Coffeewithchris (Ride on Curlin); Mrs. John Magnier,...

We've taken the plunge into the deeper end of the prep pool for the GI Kentucky Derby. Five nine-furlong stakes each awarding 100 qualifying points are scheduled over the next two Saturdays, after which this list will expand to the Top 20. 1) FORTE (c, Violence--Queen Caroline, by Blame) 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable; B-South Gate Farm (KY); T-Todd Pletcher. Sales history: $80,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV; $110,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Colt, MGISW, 6-5-0-0, $1,833,230. Last start: 1st GII Fountain of Youth S....

The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation will be hosting the first Fashionable Fillies Luncheon in Florida at The Flamingo Room at Gulfstream Park Mar. 31, the day before the GI Curlin Florida Derby. The luncheon will honor Beverly Jochynek, senior executive vice president of Client Management, Xpressbet, and will offer wines by Notorious Wines, Florida-inspired food stations and passed hors d'oeuvres, and the opportunity to shop from vendors such as equestrian artist Alaura Allen, Christine A. Moore Millinery, and a virtual pop-up shop by Kent Stetson Handbags. Live music will...

Only one contender within the Top 12 was in action last week. But Sunday's news about 'TDN Rising Star' Arabian Knight (Uncle Mo) being declared off the GI Kentucky Derby trail left a void within the top tier that widens the gap between the juvenile champ and a cast of aspirants aiming to define themselves at longer distances. 1) FORTE (c, Violence--Queen Caroline, by Blame) 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable; B-South Gate Farm (KY); T-Todd Pletcher. Sales history: $80,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV; $110,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP....

Gulfstream Park's 2022-23 Championship Meet will feature significant purse increases for maiden special weight and allowance races, the track announced Wednesday. The signature meet, gets underway Dec. 26. Gulfstream also announced substantial purse increases for the same conditions during the current Sunshine Meet from Dec. 1 through Dec. 24. Gulfstream's Championship Meet will once again feature Pegasus World Cup Day with the $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S., $1-million GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational S. and $500,000 GIII Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf S., as well...

Gulfstream Park's upcoming Championship Meet will offer 60 stakes--35 graded--worth $13.6 million. The stakes line up is headlined by the $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational, which will be run Jan. 28, and the $1-million GI Curlin Florida Derby, to be run Apr. 1. Gulfstream's Jan. 28 card will also include the $1-million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational and the $500,000 GIII Pegasus World Cup F/M Turf Invitational, as well as four other graded events. The Florida Derby is the culmination of Gulfstream's series of Triple Crown preps. The series...

When The Great Maybe (Upstart) left the blocks at Saratoga and strolled in eight lengths ahead of a lively-met field of fillies, she carried not only the silks of Lael Stables--whose name invokes great nostalgia and respect in the halls of the Thoroughbred community--but also the dreams of a small breeding operation an hour north of Lexington, run by Monica Egger. Now, that farm in Piner, Kentucky, has a 'TDN Rising Star' to add to their list of accomplishments. "I have really enjoyed my short foray into Thoroughbreds and have...