Appleton, Orchid, Skip Away serve as Florida Derby Day warmups

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Friday’s 11-race program will serve as a nice prelude to Saturday’s 14-race Florida Derby Day card, with three stakes on the docket, including two Grade 3 events on the turf – the $100,000 Appleton at a mile, and the $100,000 Orchid at 1 3/8 miles for fillies and mares.

The $100,000 Skip Away, which lost its graded status this year, rounds out the stakes lineup.

The Appleton is wide open with the nine-horse field led by Doctor Mounty and Krampus, both of whom have already won Grade 3 races here this winter. The lineup also includes the return of Hawkish, winner of the Grade 2 Penn Mile last fall at Penn National but idle since his seventh-place finish in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby.

Santa Monica, a close second as the 2-1 favorite over yielding ground in the Grade 3 La Prevoyante on Jan. 26, will be heavily favored when she takes on eight others in the Orchid.

Saez remains in title hunt

Defending jockey champion Luis Saez seemed destined to relinquish that title this winter when he fell nearly two dozen wins behind Eclipse Award winner Irad Ortiz Jr. after serving back-to-back five-day riding suspensions in February. But Saez has been on an incredible roll since returning to the saddle March 2 and, with an assist from a five-day suspension meted out to Ortiz earlier this month, will begin the final week of the meet Thursday just one off the lead after turning in yet another triple Sunday.

Saez has ridden 14 days locally since March 2 (he was at the Fair Grounds along with Ortiz on Saturday), posting an astounding 41 victories from 125 mounts during that period, which included seven hat tricks, a couple of four-baggers, and a five-win day March 20.

Saez is named on eight mounts Thursday, including Day by Day in the afternoon’s main event. Ortiz will ride 10 of the 11 races on the card, including key contender Mybigitalianfriend for trainer Jason Servis in the feature.

– additional reporting by David Grening