Saturday’s 14-race Florida Derby Day card gets under way at 11:30 a.m. from Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., and the Grade 1 Derby will feature a full field of 3-year-olds competing for $750,000 and 170 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby, now scheduled for Sept. 5 (100 points to the winner, 40 to second, 20 to third, and 10 for fourth).
In today’s installment of the Triple Crown News Minute, Ray Paulick takes a closer look at the primary contenders for the race that has historically been the most productive prep leading up to the G1 Kentucky Derby.
Tiz the Law – 3-for-4 lifetime and coming off a victory in the Feb. 1 Holy Bull Stakes (G3) – is the deserved favorite, at 6-5 on the morning line. Second choice is Ete Indien, who will be starting from the outside No. 12 post position and comes off a front-running Fountain of Youth (G2) victory after running second to Tiz the Law in the Holy Bull. Third choice on the morning line at 9-2 is Nashua Stakes (G3) winner Independence Hall, who won three straight before finishing second in the Sam F. Davis Stakes (G2) at Tampa Bay Downs Feb. 8 last out. Rounding out the main contenders is recent Tampa Bay Downs allowance winner Gouverneur Morris at 8-1 on the morning line. Like Independence Hall, Gouverneur Morris is by the top young sire Constitution, a son of leading sire Tapit.
Watch today’s Triple Crown news minute below:
New to the Paulick Report? Click here to sign up for our daily email newsletter to keep up on this and other stories happening in the Thoroughbred industry.
Copyright © 2020 Paulick Report.
