Street Sense heads Florida Derby list

Street Sense, winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, is among the 149 early bird nominees to the 2007 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park. The 55th running of the Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby will be held on March 31.

All early nominees become eligible for not only the Florida Derby but also for several other important preps leading up to the race this winter at Gulfstream Park, including the Swale and Holy Bull Stakes on Feb. 3 and the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on March 3.

Street Sense, trained by Carl Nafzger, rallied to a convincing 10-length victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Nafzger has already saddled two Florida Derby winners, Unbridled in 1990 and Vicar in 1999. Unbridled went on to win the Kentucky Derby.

Trainer Todd Pletcher has nominated 18 2-year-olds to the Florida Derby, including Circular Quay and Scat Daddy, the second- and fourth-place finishers in the BC Juvenile.

Other trainers well represented in the early nominations are Scott Blasi with 16 horses, Eoin Harty and Ken McPeek with six apiece, and Kiaran McLaughlin, who nominated five 2-year-olds to the race.

Nobiz Like Shobiz, another of the top 2-year-old prospects for this year's Kentucky Derby, was also nominated by trainer Barclay Tagg.

Barbaro used his victory in the 2005 Florida Derby as a springboard to capturing this year's Kentucky Derby five weeks later.