2022 Florida Derby: Field has depth and the “Pletcher Factor”

By Al BernsteinMar 30, 2022, 12:00 PM EDT

Horseplayers often use a term for an obvious handicapping factor. The term is MOTO, short for Master Of The Obvious. As much as the gambling dollar motivates them to seek out horses that pay off handsomely, sometimes the most obvious handicapping factors are right under their noses, and they should not be ignored.

When the discussion moves to the Florida Derby, there are two significant MOTO factors. The first is Todd Pletcher, the all-time leading trainer in the sport in purse earnings, with over $425 million. Pletcher has won 5 of the last 8 runnings of the Florida Derby, and is the all-time leader in the history of the race with 6 wins. Pletcher’s 3-year-olds, based on their elite pedigrees, should never be ignored, and especially when he enters them in the Florida Derby.

The second MOTO is to recognize that while the 100-point Kentucky Derby preps are theoretically equal in importance, the Florida Derby is clearly first among equals. An all-time look at 100-point prep races and the Kentucky Derby winners they produced shows a slight advantage to the Florida Derby:

PREP RACE	KENTUCKY DERBY WINS
Florida Derby	24
Blue Grass Stakes	23
Wood Memorial	20
Santa Anita Derby	19
Arkansas Derby	7
Louisiana Derby	4
Jeff Ruby Steaks	2
UAE Derby	0

Then there is the recency factor. When the numbers reflect every year since 2001, the Florida Derby remains the most important prep race.

PREP RACE	KENTUCKY DERBY WINS
Florida Derby	6
Blue Grass Stakes	1
Wood Memorial	2
Santa Anita Derby	5
Arkansas Derby	4
Louisiana Derby	0
Jeff Ruby Steaks	1
UAE Derby	0

How will the Pletcher factor affect this Florida Derby? The truth is we don’t know, as he has entered a horse who is talented, but inexperienced. Charge It has had only 2 starts, and this will be his first stakes outing. In the first start, he was 2^nd by a neck, and then he broke his maiden in his next start by a margin of 8 ½ lengths. He’s a son of the dynamic sire Tapit, who is an unquestionable distance influence.

On the female side of his pedigree, his dam was sired by Indian Charlie, who in 1998 was the winner of the Santa Anita Derby and was 3^rd in the Kentucky Derby. Both sides of his pedigree indicate that the mile and a quarter of the Kentucky Derby should be in his wheelhouse. It’s a huge step to go from a maiden win to the Florida Derby, but if Pletcher has entered the horse here, he must feel that it is a risk worth taking.

In regard to the 2^nd MOTO, all that needs to be said is that winning the Florida Derby is never an easy task. The race almost always has a deep and talented field, and this year is no exception. In particular, four horses deserve serious consideration. This group begins with Simplification, who is trained by the talented Antonio Sano. He has been the dominant horse in the series of 3-year-old stakes races at Gulfstream Park, and he could be the betting favorite in the Florida Derby. In order, he has won the Mucho Macho Man Stakes, was 2^nd in the Holy Bull, and won the Fountain of Youth.

Another major contender is White Abarrio, a Saffie Joseph trainee who was the winner of the Holy Bull in his only start this year. Also likely to be in the race is the Brian Lynch-trained Classic Causeway, who has been impressive in winning the Sam F. Davis Stakes and the Tampa Bay Derby in his 2 starts this year.

Finally, trainer Mark Casse is likely to run Pappacap, who was 2^nd in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He was a disappointment in the Risen Star Stakes last time out, and he will need a big performance here to make it into the field in Louisville.

In summation, when evaluating the Florida Derby, always give consideration to Todd Pletcher and always respect the history of the race and the depth of the field. This is a race that should provide some important answers regarding the ultimate makeup of the Kentucky Derby field.

How to watch the 2022 Florida Derby

With the 148th Kentucky Derby just five weeks away (Saturday, May 7th on NBC), the Grade 1 Florida Derby awards Kentucky Derby qualifying points on a 100-40-20-10 scale for the top four finishers. Coverage airs Saturday, April 2nd at 6pm ET on CNBC.

NBC Sports will also present the Gulfstream Park Oaks on Saturday, one of the major prep races on the “Road to the Kentucky Oaks.” Saturday’s show will also include live coverage of the Jeff Ruby Steaks, a 100-point Kentucky Derby qualifying race. Coverage will be streamed live on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.

Al Bernstein has worked as a statistician on NBC’s horse racing telecasts since the inaugural Breeders’ Cup in 1984.

Forte works out, waits for Belmont Stakes clearance

Associated PressMay 27, 2023, 3:14 PM EDT

Matt Stone/USA TODAY NETWORK

NEW YORK — Forte, the early Kentucky Derby favorite who was scratched on the day of the race, worked out in preparation for a possible start in the Belmont Stakes on June 10.

Under regular rider Irad Ortiz Jr., Forte worked five-eighths of a mile for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. It was the colt’s second workout since being scratched from the Derby on May 6.

“It seems like he’s maintained his fitness level,” Pletcher said. “It seems like everything is in good order.”

Forte was placed on a mandatory 14-day veterinary list after being scratched from the Derby because of a bruised right front foot. In order to be removed from the list, the colt had to work in front of a state veterinarian and give a blood sample afterward, the results of which take five days.

“There’s protocols in place and we had to adhere to those and we’re happy that everything went smoothly,” Pletcher said. “We felt confident the horse was in good order or we wouldn’t have been out there twice in the last six days, but you still want to make sure everything went smoothly and we’re happy everything did go well.”

Pletcher said Kingsbarns, who finished 14th in the Kentucky Derby, will miss the Belmont. The colt is showing signs of colic, although he is fine, the trainer said.

Another Pletcher-trained horse, Prove Worthy, is under consideration for the Belmont. He also has Tapit Trice, who finished seventh in the Derby, being pointed toward the Belmont.

Judge grants Churchill Downs’ request for summary judgment to dismiss Bob Baffert’s lawsuit

Associated PressMay 25, 2023, 9:36 PM EDT

Abbey Cutrer/USA TODAY NETWORK

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A federal judge has granted Churchill Downs’ motion for summary judgment that dismisses Bob Baffert’s claim the track breached due process by suspending the Hall of Fame trainer for two years.

Churchill Downs Inc. suspended Baffert in June 2021 after his now-deceased colt, Medina Spirit, failed a postrace drug test after crossing the finish line first in the 147th Kentucky Derby. The trainer’s request to lift the discipline was denied in February, keeping him out of the Derby for a second consecutive May.

U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings ruled in a 12-page opinion issued Wednesday that Churchill Downs’ suspension of Baffert did not devalue his Kentucky trainer’s license. It cited his purse winnings exceeding $1 million at Keeneland in Lexington and stated that his argument “amounts to a false analogy that distorts caselaw.”

Jennings denied CDI’s motion to stay discovery as moot.

The decision comes less than a week after Baffert-trained colt National Treasure won the Preakness in his first Triple Crown race in two years. His record eighth win in the second jewel of the Triple Crown came hours after another of his horses, Havnameltdown, was euthanized following an injury at Pimlico.

Churchill Downs said in a statement that it was pleased with the court’s favorable ruling as in Baffert’s other cases.

It added, “While he may choose to file baseless appeals, this completes the seemingly endless, arduous and unnecessary litigation proceedings instigated by Mr. Baffert.”

Baffert’s suspension is scheduled to end on June 2, but the track’s release noted its right to extend it “and will communicate our decision” at its conclusion.