Florida Derby 2020 Entries

March 26, 2020 2020 Florida Derby – March 28th, 2020, 6:36 ET – Gulfstream Park – Purse $750,000. Florida Derby History First contested in 1952, the Florida Derby is a worthy prize, with $1 million and grade one status at stake. Originally staged in early or mid-March for most of its years – during which time its victors usually had another lead-up race to the Kentucky Derby – it was switched to five weeks before the Run for the Roses in 2005, meaning it’s now usually a final lead-up.

1. Florida Derby 2020 Gulfstream Park Entries
2. Ohio Derby 2020 Entries
3. Florida Derby 2020 Entries

Florida Derby Entries 2021 A host of the expected top-class sorts will make up the field given its status as a key trial for the Kentucky Derby. It is likely to be a closely-fought contest and given its recent illustrious roll of honour, it will be no shock if this year’s winner will go onto bigger and better things. Mike Welsch Mar 28, 2020 Tiz the Law further entrenched himself as one of the favorites for the Kentucky Derby when posting a convincing victory Saturday in the 69th running of the Grade 1.

MIAMI — The Florida Derby is set to have a full field and empty stands.

A field of 12 has been entered for Saturday’s Florida Derby, typically one of the biggest Kentucky Derby prep races and serves as the crown jewel of the Championship Meet at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. That won’t be the case this year, of course, with the coronavirus pandemic keeping virtually everyone — bettors, fans and even owners — away from the track for safety and health reasons.

Tiz the Law, a winner of three of his four career starts including the Holy Bull at Gulfstream last month, was installed as the 6-5 favorite at Wednesday’s race draw. Fountain of Youth winner Ete Indien, who ran second to Tiz the Law in the Holy Bull, was installed as the 4-1 second choice followed by Independence Hall (9-2).

Tiz the Law’s connections have hoped this would be the race to provide them with enough points to clinch a spot in the Kentucky Derby, which has already been rescheduled from May to September. The Florida Derby winner gets 100 points, the runner-up gets 50, and either of those places would be enough for Tiz the Law to wrap up a spot.

“We’re still hoping that, even though the Derby now has been moved four months,” Tiz the Law owner Jack Knowlton said.

If all 12 entrants go to the post – that’s the biggest field Gulfstream can have for this race – it would be the largest Florida Derby field since 2008. The purse was cut earlier this week from $1 million to $750,000, a change that was made because there won’t be any on-track handle for the race and because Gulfstream has also shut down its on-track casino in recent days.

Gulfstream Park has been racing without fans for more than a week, and plans to continue through Sunday’s end of its meet. A handful of tracks around the country have remained open, which trainers like Todd Pletcher have said is important. But no one knows how long racing will continue, with the pandemic only seeming to be growing in the U.S.

“It’s just been a frustrating time for everyone,” said Pletcher, who has 8-1 shot Gouverneur Morris in the field for Saturday. “So, juggling some horse schedules seems like unimportant stuff considering what’s going on in the rest of the world.”

When the horses cross the finish line after their 1 1/8 mile run Saturday they’ll be headed toward an uncertain future. Races like the Florida Derby are often preps for the Triple Crown races, starting with the Kentucky Derby. But with virtually everything on hold, it’s going to be difficult for owners and trainers to make a plan for the spring and summer. The rescheduled Arkansas Derby on May 2 may provide an option, or owners and trainers may simply give their horses a long layoff.

“Nobody knows what any next races may be,” Knowlton said. “It’s a blank sheet in front of us with no idea where we go, what we do.”

Tiz the Law, Independence Hall and Gouverneur Morris were all sired by Constitution, the 2014 Florida Derby winner. Tiz the Law drew the No. 7 post, Independence Hall will start from the No. 9 position and Gouverneur Morris will be in the No. 5 spot in the gate.

The rest of the field, from the rail out: No. 1 As Seen On TV (12-1), No. 2 Shivaree (30-1), No. 3 Disc Jockey (20-1), No. 4 Soros (30-1), Gouverneur Morris, No. 6 Ajaaweed (20-1), Tiz the Law, No. 8 My First Grammy (50-1), Independence Hall, No. 10 Candy Tycoon (20-1), No. 11 Sassy But Smart (50-1) and Ete Indien.

The Florida Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses held annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Since 2005, it has been run five weeks before the Kentucky Derby, which is held on the first Saturday in May. Thus the Florida Derby is currently run either at the end of March or the beginning of April. Added to the racing schedule in 1952, the Grade I race is run at ​1¹⁄₈ miles on the dirt for a purse currently set at $1 Million.

History[edit]

The Florida Derby was first run in 1952. It has long been a prestigious prep race for the Kentucky Derby and since 2013 has been part of the official Road to the Kentucky Derby.

The race was originally run in early to mid-March and Kentucky Derby hopefuls would then run in another major prep race in April. In 2005, Gulfstream Park shifted its scheduling to run the race five weeks before the Kentucky Derby. This was originally believed to be a liability, as the preferred spacing of races is typically three to four weeks.^[2] When Barbaro won the 2006 Kentucky Derby,^[3] the five-week spacing began to be viewed as a potentially positive feature, allowing a horse to come into the Kentucky Derby well rested.^[4]

In 1977, a large field resulted in the race being run in two divisions.

Between 1926 and 1937, the Flamingo Stakes was known as the Florida Derby.

Triple Crown Classic Winners[edit]

In total, 20 winners of the Florida Derby have gone on to win one or more Triple Crown Classics (Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes).

Kentucky Derby Winners:Needles (1956), 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), Orb (2013), Nyquist (2016), and Always Dreaming (2017).

Preakness Stakes Winners:Nashua (1955), Tim Tam (1958), Bally Ache (1960), Carry Back (1961), Candy Spots (1963),Northern Dancer(1964), Forward Pass (1968), Spectacular Bid (1979), Snow Chief (1986), and Big Brown (2008).

Belmont Stakes Winners: Nashua (1955), Needles (1956), Swale (1984), Thunder Gulch (1995), Empire Maker (2003), and Tiz the Law (2020).

• In 1968, Dancer's Image won the Kentucky Derby, but was disqualified and moved to last place after traces of phenylbutazone (a drug that was illegal at the time) was found in a post-race urine analysis. Forward Pass, the Derby runner-up, was awarded the honor of first placing.

• In 2019, Maximum Security won the Kentucky Derby, but was disqualified and moved to 17th place. This was the first disqualification due to a racing infraction in Kentucky Derby history.

Florida Derby 2020 Gulfstream Park Entries

Records[edit]

Ohio Derby 2020 Entries

Speed Record:

• 1:46.80 – Gen. Duke (1957), equaled the world record for ​1¹⁄₈ miles at the time.

Most wins by an owner:

• 5 – Calumet Farm (1957, 1958, 1968, 1971, 1978)

Most wins by a jockey:

• 5 – John R. Velazquez (2009, 2013, 2015, 2017,2018)

Most wins by a trainer:

• 5 – Todd Pletcher (2007, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018)

Largest margin of victory:

• ​9³⁄₄ lengths – Empire Maker (2003)^[5]

Shortest priced winners:

• $2.10 (1/20 on) – Honest Pleasure (1976), Spectacular Bid (1979)^[5]

Longest priced winner:

• $183.60 (~91/1) – Williamstown Kid (1966)^[5]

Winners[edit]

• †1966 – Abe's First finished 1st but was disqualified to 4th
• ‡1977 – Run in Divisions
• †1998 – Lil's Lad finished 1st but was disqualified to 2nd
• Winners in bold won a Triple Crown Race

Special Bonus[edit]

Paths to $5,500,000 Preakness Bonus:

1. winHoly Bull Stakes+ win the Florida Derby + win The Preakness Stakes
2. winFountain of Youth Stakes+ win the Florida Derby + win The Preakness Stakes

Paths to $550,000 XpressBet Consolation Bonus:

1. + win, place or showHoly Bull Stakes+ win, place or show in the Florida Derby or win, place or show in the Santa Anita Derby+ win The Preakness Stakes
2. + win, place or showFountain of Youth Stakes+ win, place or show in the Florida Derby or win, place or show in the Santa Anita Derby+ win The Preakness Stakes

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^'Florida Derby Profile'. Equibase. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
2. ^'Florida Derby stars bucking history'. Daily Racing Form. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
3. ^'Scat Daddy Wins in Florida; Next Stop Is Kentucky Derby'. The New York Times. 1 April 2007. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
4. ^Hoppert, Melissa (1 April 2016). 'A Showdown Between Mohaymen and Nyquist Before the Kentucky Derby'. The New York Times. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
5. ^ ^abcMoore, Christina (27 March 2017). 'Florida Derby by the Numbers'. TJ Media Ventures. Retrieved 30 March 2017.

External links[edit]

Florida Derby 2020 Entries