There are important cards Saturday at Aqueduct and Santa Anita, but without question, the main focus of the day concerns major final Kentucky Derby preps.
Michael Hammersly's Trip Notes for the weekend of March 31, 2012 to April 1, 2012 -- including the Florida Derby, Louisiana Derby, and more.
BreezeFigs Quick-Pix Saturday March 31st, 2012
BreezeFigs Quick-Pix Saturday March 31st
I see upset potential in Trend, racing in the Grade 3 Appleton Stakes in the eighth race Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
The biggest days of the Gulfstream Park and Fair Grounds race meets take place this weekend. Gulfstream’s big day is Saturday, when the Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby tops a card that includes six other stakes, the most noteworthy being the Grade 2, $300,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks and the Grade 3, $150,000 Rampart, which attracted the brilliant Awesome Maria.
If the season continues on its surprisingly predictable path, a ticket on the field in any of the three pools in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager will be a loser.
As the final round of major Kentucky Derby preps begins, our analysts answer 10 questions about the top contenders and key races that have been run so far. What do you make of the two-month layoffs for Alpha and I'll Have Another? Did El Padrino's narrow win in the Risen Star mark him as a top contender? Watch replays of the key preps and find out the answers.
By all indications, Union Rags looks set for a big move forward in Saturday's Florida Derby.
Michael Hammersly's Trip Notes for the weekend of March 24-25, including such stakes races as the Sunland Derby and the Vinery Spiral Stakes.
