Florida Derby possible for Flashpoint

Barbara D. Livingston

Hutcheson winner Flashpoint will try to stretch his speed 1 1/8 miles in the Florida Derby.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. –  While Mucho Macho Man will skip the 1 1/8-mile Florida Derby, trainer Rick Dutrow said there is a chance that Flashpoint could make his two-turn debut in the Grade 1 fixture. Flashpoint remained undefeated with a spectacular 7 1/4-length victory over Travelin Man in Saturday’s Grade 2 Hutcheson, a performance for which he earned a 102 Beyer Speed Figure.

Dutrow said Wednesday that nothing definite has been picked out for Flashpoint’s next start but that many options are being considered, including the Florida Derby.

“We’ll nominate him to the Florida Derby, the Swale, the Wood, the Santa Anita Derby, and the Bay Shore,” Dutrow said. “Then we’ll wait and see who’s going where. If we do decide to try him two turns next time, we’d like to find the easiest spot. And it would probably make the most sense to stretch him out now, because we already know he can go seven furlongs. He’s already run big over this track, and I’d hate to send him out of here.”

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Dutrow used the Florida Derby as a final prep for Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown in 2008.

“Everybody has got Derby fever, and we do, too,” Dutrow said. “So we might as well take our shot now with him going two turns. And if it turns out our horse is looking to go two turns, he’s going to be very dangerous.”

Dutrow also reported that Boys At Tosconova, who was his top Derby hopeful when the winter began, is currently at Emerald Farm in Versailles, Ky., and will not return to his barn for at least another month. Dutrow was targeting the Grade 3 Holy Bull for Boys At Tosconova’s 3-year-old bow but took him out of consideration, saying the horse just wasn’t himself.

“He’s doing well, is happy and getting around good up there,” Dutrow said. “We still don’t really know what his problem was. We did all sorts of testing, and everything came back negative. He’ll stay on the farm for at least one more month, maybe two, but it’s a long year and as long as he comes back right, it really doesn’t matter when.”

Dutrow also said he remains hopeful that an invitation will be tendered to I Want Revenge for the $10 million Dubai World Cup. I Want Revenge opened the year finishing a game fourth in the Grade 1 Donn Handicap here earlier this meet.

“I see some of the horses who have already gotten invited and I think our horse is better than all of them,” Dutrow said. “And he’s also proven himself already on” synthetic tracks.

Dutrow said that if I Want Revenge does not receive an invitation to the World Cup, he’ll run in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Handicap on March 12.