Horse Racing in Florida set for Derby Duels
By Space Coast Daily // February 28, 2024
Horse racing fans in Florida are in for a treat in March, with two of the state’s racetracks scheduled to stage important trials for the 2024 Kentucky Derby.
The Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby is first on the agenda on March 9 and is followed by the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 30. Tampa Bay Downs hosts the first Derby of the month and could provide punters with some useful form pointers along the road to Churchill Downs.
Recent Sam F Davis Stakes winner No More Time is on track to contest the Tampa Bay Derby as he strives to secure more qualifying for points for the Kentucky Derby. The Rich Mendez-trained horse earned 20 points for his most recent victory and could collect another 50 if he follows up in the Tampa Bay Derby.
Agate Road and Domestic Product are also expected to be in the line-up for a race that was previously run as a Grade 2 from 2011-2022. Sam F Davis runner-up of Agate Road will attempt to reverse the form with No More Time and could be a big danger if he is sharper out of the gate.
Domestic Product, the runner-up to Hades in the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park on February 3, is another horse who could be competitive in the Tampa Bay Derby. His performance will be worth monitoring with a view to wagering on the Florida Derby – a race where Hades will attempt to showcase his Kentucky Derby credentials. The Joe Orseno-trained horse produced a gritty front-running display on that occasion to see off Domestic Product’s late charge by a comfortable two-length margin. However, the result was made more noteworthy as Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Fierceness finished behind that pair in third place. Fierceness had been touted as a potential Kentucky Derby contender but had no answer as Hades powered away from him on the home stretch. A repeat performance in the Florida Derby at Gulfstream would force online bookmakers into taking evasive action, with Hades currently rated as a 33.00 shot to win the Kentucky Derby.
The current ante-post favorite for the first leg of the Triple Crown is Sierra Leonne, who recently recorded an eye-catching victory in the Group 2 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course. The Chad Brown-trained son of 2017 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Gun Runner looks to be another star for the hugely successful Coolmore Stud breeding operation.
The Republic of Ireland-headquartered organisation knows what it takes to win top-class races and their ownership of the horse has sparked a flurry of betting activity in their homeland. Leading betting apps in Ireland rate Sierra Leonne as the 7.00 favorite to win the Kentucky Derby and those odds will be slashed if he wins the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 6. Brown, who is yet to train the winner of the Kentucky Derby, was understandably delighted with the horse’s performance in the Risen Star. The sloppy track conditions were less than ideal, but the horse produced an excellent turn of foot under jockey Manuel Franco to win by a length and a quarter. Brown admits that training an expensive purchase for Coolmore gives him sleepless nights, but believes the horse could be the one to beat in the Kentucky Derby.
“When they give you a horse that cost $2.3 million at the sales, yes, there’s a little bit more pressure,” Brown said. “The expectations are certainly high, being that he was a sale-topping yearling at the prestigious Saratoga sale, and rightfully so. The expectations should be high.”
