HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Although he came to south Florida undefeated and the reigning juvenile champion, Nyquist may not have received the respect he truly deserved entering Saturday’s Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park. But 2015 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Nyquist erased any doubts he’s the undisputed leader of the 3-year-old division and the undeniable favorite for the Kentucky Derby with a convincing 3 1/4-length victory over Majesto in the $1 million Florida Derby.

FLORENCE, Ky. – The winds of fortune blew in favor of Ken Ramsey once again when Oscar Nominated carried his red and white silks to a 23-1 upset Saturday in an eventful 45th running of the Grade 3, $500,000 Spiral Stakes, the annual showcase event at Turfway Park.

Oscar Nominated and jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. won the 1 1/8-mile Polytrack race in a scramble, as less than a length separated the top five finishers in a field of 12 3-year-olds. Azar was second by a neck, followed in very quick order by Surgical Strike, Two Step Time, and Ralis.

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – Plans for a trio of Todd Pletcher-trained 3-year-olds came more into focus Saturday, with Tampa Bay Derby winner Destin training up to the Kentucky Derby, Tampa Bay Derby runner-up Outwork confirmed for the Wood Memorial, and Fountain of Youth runner-up Zulu likely headed to the Blue Grass Stakes.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Mohaymen was a lukewarm favorite through the first full day of wagering into the fourth and final pool of the 2016 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which opened Friday at noon Eastern for the customary three-day run.

Odds are not locked in until the pool closes Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern, so surely many fans will refrain from wagering until after the Florida Derby is run Saturday at Gulfstream Park, where the unbeatens Mohaymen and Nyquist will square off. They were the top two choices on the Pool 4 morning line issued by Churchill Downs.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Signs that the Racing Festival of the South is right around the corner at Oaklawn Park were everywhere on Friday.

The champion Untapable was out for an early gallop as she continues preparations for a defense of her title in the Grade 1, $600,000 Apple Blossom Handicap on April 15.

Southwest Stakes winner Suddenbreakingnews worked a half-mile in 48.80 seconds for an intended start in the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby on April 16.

Cherry Wine still needs qualifying points to secure a spot in the Kentucky Derby, and trainer Dale Romans believes the best place to get them is in the Grade 1, $1 million Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 9.

“It looks like it’s going to be a fairly small field, and we need to pick up points with a closer,” Romans said Friday at Gulfstream Park. “The less horses to have to pass, the better off you are; the less chance you’re going to get stopped or something’s going to happen and you’re not going to get the points you need.”

The showdown between Nyquist and Mohaymen in Saturday’s $1 million Florida Derby is a rare treat. It is a throwback to the days when top classics contenders actually raced against one another before the Kentucky Derby instead of being kept apart until the main event through a bloated schedule of inflated Derby prep races. Nyquist and Mohaymen ran 1-2 in the Eclipse Award balloting for champion 2-year-old male and have been favored in every round of Derby Futures betting.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – It will be East vs. West, No. 1 vs. No. 2, a clash of the unbeatens when 3-year-old division leaders Nyquist and Mohaymen square off in one of the most anticipated Kentucky Derby preps in recent memory, Saturday’s $1 million Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park.

The Grade 1 Florida Derby, which offers 170 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, will be the last of 14 races on Saturday’s program, which includes six other graded stakes. Post time for the first race is 1 p.m. Eastern.

Horses competing in the Blue Grass Stakes on April 9 at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., will again be subject to additional security precautions before and after the race, the track announced Thursday.

That shiver of excitement being felt across the racing landscape can be blamed on the showdown Saturday between the marquee 3-year-olds Nyquist and Mohaymen in the $1 million Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park.

This is not how it is supposed to work. Top 3-year-olds are supposed to stay in their little corners of the Triple Crown universe until the curtain goes up for the Kentucky Derby. Suspense must be maintained, gratification delayed. Why give away the plot in the first reel when the payoff deserves a full house and a worldwide audience?