2010 Florida Derby (G1)

Date/Track:
3/20/2010, Gulfstream Park
Distance:
1 1/8 m (Dirt)
Age/Sex:
3 M
Time:
1:49.19

What the Nation is saying about the 2010 Florida Derby (G1)...

Performance of the week was turned in by D'Funnybone, but he is not being considered for the Kentucky Derby. The Rick Dutrow trainee is a terror around one turn, and he captured the G2 Swale in easy fashion. He has now captured four graded sprints, and the G3 Withers (April 24th) at the Big A might ...Read More
Longshot Ice Box, sent off at 20-1, lit up the tote board of the Florida Derby with a nose victory over 29-1 Pleasant Prince. Read More
  • Show All 7 Comments
  • arazi · Musket Man - Eskendereya ran the FOY in 1:48 4/5, not two seconds faster than Ice Box. Also, GP had a really good day on Saturday. Great attendance, great handle. Tracks have to decide what business they are in? The business of producing top Derby contenders like Dunkirk and Quality Road, or producing nice increases in handle/attendance like they did on Saturday. · 131 days ago
  • gardenesque1 · If using BSF's, Eskendereya got a 106 in the FOY. Ice Box got a 99 in the Florida Derby. 2 Beyer points equal a length in routes, so Eskendereya ran about 3.5 lengths faster. Great to see a successful Florida Derby day at the Gulf. · 131 days ago
It’s the sort of news that typically generates exactly no coverage in the mainstream media and not much in racing media: a three year-old of modest accomplishment, on the extreme fringes of the Kentucky Derby conversation, runs in a Florida Derby dramatically weakened by the defection of the two bes...Read More
Is Ice Box a legitimate Kentucky Derby contender? Does he have the pedigree to wear roses? We turn to Iron Maidens Thoroughbreds to find out. Read More
A lot of people will be quick to say how much the Florida Derby result flatters Eskendereya. Keep in mind that on Fountain of Youth day, the track was speed-biased, the race was slow and there was little speed - that made Eskendereya look much better and closers Ice Box and Pleasant Prince looked a lot worse.
  • Show All 4 Comments
  • mdracing69 · ...And there's the rub. If Eskendereya is the real deal, he should be able to track an above par pace and blow the doors off the competition. Expect the Derby pace to be at least that fast. · 133 days ago
  • cigar · I think those are fair points. I would say, however, that Eskendereya is still getting good and if he sat fourth in the Florida Derby, he does win, probably by 3-5 lengths. · 132 days ago
Ken Dunn (President and General Manager of Gulfstream Park) – “I was more than satisfied. We had an absolutely fantastic racing card, with one of the largest crowds here in years. The final numbers certainly support the decision to move the race back one week, and given the results we’re optimistic ...Read More
I had a good feeling it was going to be bombs away in the Florida Derby. I told those who purchased my selections that. My top pick, Pleasant Prince, narrowly missed at odds of 29-1. He nearly gave me a heart attack, because I thought I was in the clear during the late stages of the race...Read More
FLORIDA DERBY Stakes Quotes Nick Zito (trainer, Ice Box, 1st) –  “I have to take it one step at a time with this horse and be thankful that he won this race. That’s the way we’re gonna approach it. You can think about running him back in three weeks and then another three weeks (Derby), but we’...Read More
Even with him finishing 3rd in the Florida Derby today, I still have Rule on my "Top 5" 2010 Kentucky Derby potentials list. The reason being, for 95% of the race, Rule was much the best. He even still hit the stretch looking very strong. But, IMO, Johnny V. allowed Rule to get into a bit of a speed duel early, upfront with Pulsion. Had Johnny V. backed Rule off just a bit, off of the early pace, as strong as he looked when he hit the stretch, Rule would have came home much the best in the Florida Derby. IMO.
Todd Pletcher certainly has two of the potential "Big Guns" of the 2010 Kentucky Derby prospects going into Churchill Downs this year. I'm just curious, even off the record, which of the two between Rule and Eskendereya he considers the better colt, and the most likely to have a legitimate chance of winning the 2010 Kentucky Derby? Rule, has won 4 straight on dirt, and has never been worse than 3rd in six career starts. Eskendereya has won his last 2, an allowance race at Gulfstream, and then the Fountain of Youth Stakes. I'm wondering since maybe Pletcher decided to go with Rule in the Florida Derby if he considers him a slight favorite of the two. They're both excellent 3yr.old prospects, but I think, up to this point in their racing careers, Rule has a few more races on dirt, and is possibly just a little more accomplished than Eskendereya. But with Eskendereya's ability, that could certainly change overnight. I must say, having both Rule and Eskendereya in the barn together headed for Churchill Downs very soon is a problem that most trainers certainly wouldn't mind having at all!!
Barbaro's full brother could be one strong run away from the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).Lentenor makes his stakes debut March 20 in the $750,000 Florida Derby (gr. I) at Gulfstream Park. A victory or second-place finish would give Lentenor enough graded-stakes earnings to run in...Read More
Turns out that Smart Strike colts CAN win big races on synthetics and dirt, ala LOOKIN AT LUCKY in last Saturday's G2 Rebel at Oaklawn. Guess that blows a hole in the argument that the carpet single-handedly beat Curlin in the 2008 Breeders' Cup. You might recall, Curlin also was sired by Smart Stri...Read More
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s website, NTRA.com, will offer free, live video streaming of the March 20 Florida Derby (gr. I) from Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Fla. The Florida Derby is an important prep race for the May 1 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I). Two Kentuc...Read More
Jason, Evan, and James Scully of twinspires.com preview the Florida Derby (gr. I) and Bonnie Miss (gr. II).Read More
What’s that old expression often repeated in the legal world: He who represents himself has a fool for a client? I think a similar statement can be said of some horse owners: He who makes decisions on where and when his horses should run has a fool for a trainer. That phrase came to mind, not once, ...Read More
Lentenor will attempt to duplicate the feat of his full brother by winning the Florida Derby and has drawn the No.2 post at morning line odds of 6-1. Trainer Michael Matz said he opted to enter the son of Dynaformer-La Ville Rouge in Saturday race at Gulfstream Park over the Wood Memorial at Aqueduc...Read More
Normally, the second wave of 3-year-olds doesn’t hit the shore all at once in a grade I, $750,000 race, but Gulfstream’s decision to run the Florida Derby (gr. I) six weeks before the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), has chased a number of the top 3-year-olds out of town, including t...Read More
Certainly, Rule is the most accomplished dirt runner going into the 2010 Florida Derby. But Radiohead could prove to be a difficult competitor for Rule in the race. Radiohead has raced basically all of his 2yr.old campaign on Turf in Great Britain. In the UK, he's 6-2-2-1. With win's in the EBF Novice Stakes, and the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes. He also ran a strong 2nd to Awzaan, an undefeated colt starting his 3yr.old campaign, in the Group 1 Shadwell Middle Park Stakes. Rule has won 4 straight on the dirt, and has never been worse than 3rd in seven lifetime starts, all on conventional dirt tracks. Both Rule and Radiohead like to run up front, although Radiohead will set a little further off of the pace than Rule generally does. This should be an interesting match-up between two high caliber 3yr.old colts.
Todd Pletcher's other horse, Rule, the #3 horse in this week's HRN Derby Power Rankings, will be favored in the Florida Derby over Lentenor and 9 others.Read More
  • Rossington · I really like Rule as one of my potential Kentucky Derby horses to use this year. Winner of 4 in a row on conventional dirt, and never off of the board in 7 lifetime starts, all on dirt. Rule is a big, physical horse that likes to run up-front and wear down the competition. His biggest challenge in this race will likely come from the colt from Great Britain, Radiohead. I've watched replays of Radiohead's races in the UK on attheraces.com and RacingUK. He's a quick colt with a very nice turn of foot. I haven't as of yet seen him race over dirt, but he did look quite impressive in the UK on Turf. · 136 days ago
  • medlocke · I don't think there's any question that Rule should be the favorite for the Florida Derby. With 4 straight wins, and never off of the board in 7 starts, all on dirt, he certainly has the most established credentials of any of the other horses going into the race. But one potential contender, Radiohead, has already established some credentials of his on, allbeit on Turf, in Great Britain. Here are Radiohead's races and their results during his 2009, 2yr.old campaign in Great Britain: 1. 5-13-09 Newmarket- stanjames.com Maiden Stakes: 2nd to High Spice 2. 5-18-09 Bath- Online Betting Forum EBF Novice Stakes(class 5): Won 3. 6-18-09 Ascot- Norfolk Stakes (Group 2): Won 4. 8-21-09 York- Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes (Group 2): 3rd to older horses. Won by 8yr.old Borderless Scott. 5. 9-19-09 Newbury- Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes (Group 1): 4th to undefeated Awzaan. 6. 9-02-09 Newmarket- Shadwell Middle Park Stakes: 2nd to undefeated Awzaan Now in the U.S., He finished a far back 7th in the 09' B.C. Juvenile won by Vale of York. He most recently just defeated Homeboychris in an allowance race at Gulfstream Park. So, IMO, Radiohead may be the one horse in the Florida Derby established enough so that he could really step up and challenge Rule. He's got an impressive turn of foot, and has raced all of the best 2yr.old's now turning 3yrs.old in Great Britain. Plus, as a 2yr.old, raced older horses in the Nunthorpe Stakes. I still give Rule the edge because he's much more accomplished on dirt, but Radiohead's Turf accomplishments leads me to believe he may be a factor in the race. JMO. NOTE: In Radiohead's first race, the initials EBF, for those who don't know, stands for (European Breeders Fund). · 136 days ago
HRTV will offer on-site coverage of the March 20 Florida Derby (gr. I), a key prep race for the May 1 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I). The HRTV show will be hosted by Laffit Pinacy III, Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, Jeff Siegel, and Scott Hazelton, who will provide information, i...Read More
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