HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - While the trainers of Florida Derby one-two finishers Materiality and Upstart said the race was run over a demanding Gulfstream Park surface, both horses appeared to have emerged from the race in good order and will be pointed to the Kentucky Derby on May 2 at Churchill Downs. Upstart had earned his way to the Kentucky Derby with a victory in the Grade 2 Holy Bull and runner-up placing in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth. It wasn’t until Materiality won Saturday’s $1 million Florida Derby by 1 1/2 lengths over Upstart that he could be considered a Kentucky Derby candidate. The Florida Derby victory kept Materiality undefeated in three starts and earned him 100 qualifying points to the Derby under a system used by Churchill Downs to determine the field should more than 20 horses be entered, as  is usually the case. Materiality, a son of Afleet Alex, was making only his third career start and his graded stakes debut in the Florida Derby. He had won a six-furlong maiden race on Jan. 11 and the listed Islamorada Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on March 6. In the Florida Derby, Materiality, under John Velazquez, stalked the pacesetting Jack Tripp before taking over from that one leaving the half-mile pole. Upstart, ridden by Jose Ortiz, quickly drew alongside Materiality from the outside and the two ran in close proximity until the sixteenth pole, when it appeared that Materiality came in a step and brushed with Upstart. Materiality maintained a 1 1/2-length margin to the wire. :: ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays The final time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:52.30, making this the slowest Florida Derby in 60 years, or since Nashua won it in 1:53.20 in 1955. Materiality was assigned a Beyer Speed Figure of 110, a number that took into account that the track was at least two seconds slower than average for route races, according to Dick Jerardi, who makes Beyer Speed Figures, though he did not make the Florida Derby figure. Both Todd Pletcher, the trainer of Materiality, and Rick Violette, the trainer of Upstart, spoke Sunday about the demanding nature of Gulfstream Park’s surface. “If you can run a mile and an eighth on that type of track it gives you encouragement to think that you could run further,” Pletcher said Sunday morning in his Palm Beach Downs office. “The other side of that is it was such a demanding race and tiring race it could knock some horses out. Fortunately for Materiality, he’s a big, strong horse.” Pletcher left Materiality at his Gulfstream Park barn overnight and did not van him back to Palm Beach Downs until Sunday morning. “I liked the way he cooled out,” Pletcher said. “He caught his air pretty well. He didn’t seem particularly KO’d by it.” Pletcher did say that the Itsaknockout, beaten 21 lengths while finishing fourth in the Florida Derby, did not handle the surface well and was tired afterward. “He was like a lot horses at the end of the race - fatigued,” Pletcher said. Pletcher said Materiality and Itsaknockout likely would remain at Palm Beach Downs for the next three weeks before shipping to Kentucky. Materiality, a son of Alfeet Alex owned by Alto Racing, will try to become the first horse who did not race at 2 to win the Kentucky Derby since Apollo in 1882. “He’s got everything going for him except he didn’t race at 2,” Pletcher said. Pletcher said he will evaluate how Itsaknockout trains over the next several weeks and discuss with Jack Wolf and Don Lucarelli of Starlight Racing about whether to pursue the Kentucky Derby. Violette upset with maintenance crew, stewards Meanwhile, Violette was pleased with his colt’s effort, but little else as it related to the Florida Derby. Violette was upset with both the Gulfstream Park maintenance crew and the stewards over their performance on the day. The Gulfstream main track was deep, demanding and slow, Violette believes, due to a lack of water put on the track in the days leading up to the Florida Derby. And while the track maintenance crew made an effort to put more water on the track throughout Saturday’s marathon 14-race, seven-hour program, it didn’t help. Further, Violette was upset with the stewards, who did not allow jockey Jose Ortiz to claim foul against Materiality for an incident above the sixteenth pole. Ortiz said he put a hold on the race with an outrider, but the stewards, who told track management they were given the “all-clear” signal by the outrider, made the result official before Ortiz lodged his objection. After reviewing the replay, Violette said there was sufficient reason to at least scrutinize the stretch run more than what was done. Violette said he eventually spoke with Gulfstream steward Jeff Noe, who told him that the stewards did look at the stretch run once and determined no change was necessary. The inquiry sign was not posted. “We were straight as an arrow, Johnny hitting left-handed came out and bumped us and he was alongside of us when he bumped us and that gave him the separation he maintained the rest of the race,” Violette said Sunday morning at Palm Meadows. “To say that didn’t affect the outcome is mindboggling. That they didn’t stick around to listen to the jockeys and to adjudicate it and look at it multiple times is irresponsible.” Last month, Upstart finished first in the Fountain of Youth over Itsaknockout, but was disqualified by the stewards and placed second for interfering with Itsaknockout in the stretch. Violette said that Upstart would still be pointed to the Kentucky Derby. “I hope we didn’t tear the guts out of the horse over that racetrack,” Violette said. “You hope that both horses didn’t do too much over an incredibly demanding racetrack.” Ami’s Flatter, who finished third in the Florida Derby, was due to van back to Woodbine on Monday morning. Trainer Josie Carroll said she would let owner Ivan Dalos make any decisions regarding the Derby, but noted that Ami’s Flatter is the early favorite for the Queen’s Plate, Canada’s version of the Kentucky Derby, to be run July 5.