Everyone is looking for something – important stuff like a return to normal, or less important stuff like a horse to bet.
Jockey Manny Franco was looking for something Saturday afternoon at Gulfstream Park. Franco was riding favorite Tiz the Law in the Florida Derby, when he snuck a peak over his right shoulder at the five-sixteenths pole and again at the eighth pole.
Grade 1, $750,000 Florida Derby, 1 1/8 miles, Gulfstream Park, March 28, 2020
(100 Derby qualifying points for a win, 40 for second, 20 for third, 10 for fourth)
Winner: Tiz the Law, by Constitution
Trainer: Barclay Tagg
Jockey: Manny Franco
Owners: Sackatoga Stable
Beyer Speed Figure: 96
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – As a final Kentucky Derby prep, Tiz the Law’s 4 1/4 length triumph in Saturday’s Grade 1 Curlin Florida Derby would have been about as good as it gets under normal circumstances. That decisive yet not overly taxing victory came on the heels of an eight-week layoff that would likely have had the once-beaten New York-bred primed for his peak performance five weeks down the road on Derby day.
The three tracks that host the Triple Crown have agreed to postpone the late nomination period for those races, which would have closed Monday, owing to the postponement of the Kentucky Derby because of the coronavirus pandemic and its potential impact on the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, according to a release put out Sunday by Churchill Downs, which hosts the Derby.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Give the best horse the perfect trip in any race and the results usually turn out the way they did in Saturday’s Grade 1 Curlin Florida Derby. The 7-5 favorite Tiz the Law pulled away to a convincing 4 1/4-length victory over longshot Shivaree in the finale of an outstanding 14-race program decided in front of an eerily empty grandstand in deference to the coronavirus pandemic.
Kiaran McLaughlin will officially become the jockey agent for Luis Saez on Monday. When exactly his training career ends is not quite certain.
McLaughlin entered two maidens for Sunday at Gulfstream Park, and both wound up on the also-eligible list for their respective race. Both Prairie Wings, a filly entered in the fourth, and Ashiham, a colt entered in the sixth, would be live if they got in.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Taishan, who was an impressive winner on the Rebel Stakes undercard earlier this month at Oaklawn Park, is being pointed to the Grade 1, $750,000 Arkansas Derby, according to trainer Richard Baltas.
The 1 1/8-mile race has been moved to the closing-day May 2 card in response to the Kentucky Derby being postponed to September due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Arkansas Derby continues to carry points for the Kentucky Derby.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla – Chance It, considered a leading Kentucky Derby candidate prior to his disappointing performance in the Tampa Bay Derby, will spend the next two months on his owner’s farm in Ocala, Fla., trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. confirmed Friday.
Chance It won the Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream over As Seen On Tv to kick off his 3-year-old campaign. Joseph opted to skip the Fountain of Youth after Chance It drew post 11 to run the following week in the Tampa Bay Derby, where he finished a tiring fifth, beaten 8 1/2 lengths by longshot winner King Guillermo.
Who knows how much longer racing is going to keep going in the face of social distancing and stay-at-home, so let’s enjoy it while we have it – and there’s plenty to enjoy Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
Sometimes these mega multi-stakes days present as overkill. Not this one. The very first stakes, the $100,000 Cutler Bay for 3-year-old turf horses, could easily have come up allowance-like, but this race is excellent for the level and sets the tone for the card.
It wasn’t easy to just pick three races, but here they are.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – With an uncertain future ahead and an empty grandstand behind, a dozen 3-year-olds will take to the track late Saturday afternoon at Gulfstream Park to decide the premier event of the 2019-20 Championship meeting, the Grade 1 Curlin Florida Derby. The marquee race of the season highlights an outstanding 14-race program that will feature a mandatory payout of the Rainbow 6 pool, which will have a carryover in the vicinity of $1.5 million if it’s not hit Thursday or Friday.
First post time is 11:30 a.m. Eastern.
