Nearly two months after a 1-2 finish in the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) Feb. 5, White Abarrio and Simplification meet again in the April 2 Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa (G1) at Gulfstream Park.
At stake for the duo and nine others, besides the $1 million purse, is the stallion-making prestige of a grade 1 race and Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) qualifying points. The 1 1/8-mile Florida Derby, which has produced 24 Kentucky Derby winners, most of any prep, awards points on a 100-40-20-10 scale to its top-four finishers.
Tami Bobo's Simplification was made the 5-2 morning-line favorite, though he finished 4 1/2 lengths behind White Abarrio when they met in the Holy Bull. That loss came with an excuse—he blew the break and raced wide while playing catchup. Simplification subsequently won the March 5 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2), a race White Abarrio passed to leave him fresh for the Florida Derby and the Triple Crown.
Video
Besides winning the Fountain of Youth, Simplification also won the Mucho Macho Man Stakes Jan. 1 at Gulfstream.
"I love this horse," trainer Antonio Sano said. "He has so much heart."
Sano, who ventured from Venezuela to South Florida in 2009, saddled 2017 Fountain of Youth winner Gunnevera for a third-place finish in that year's Florida Derby. Gunnevera would later run seventh in the Kentucky Derby.
A Florida Derby win remains a priority for Sano, Venezuela's all-time winningest trainer with more than 3,000 victories.
"I'd be very proud for me, my family, my clients, and for Gulfstream," said Sano, who has saddled more than 860 winners in the U.S. "My house is Gulfstream. I'd be happy to win this race in my house."
Simplification (Not This Time ), who has already earned sufficient points to be included in the Kentucky Derby field, is one of four entrants in the Florida Derby field that is eligible for a share of the $100,000 Florida-Bred Bonus, which will be distributed on a 70-20-10 basis for an in-the-money finish.
There will also be a $100,000 "Win Only" bonus available to offspring of Florida Sire Stakes-nominated stallions, though the only such eligible horses in Saturday's race are longshots.
Simplification has a versatile running style, having won races on the lead or from off the pace. He drew post 3, with Jose Ortiz set for a return ride. The 5-2 morning-line favorite is drawn immediately outside Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3) and Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2) winner Classic Causeway , who breaks from post 2 under Irad Ortiz Jr. The latter is pegged at 7-2 odds.
Quick-starting Classic Causeway could prove the pacesetter in the 1 1/8-mile race.
Other favorites in the race include fast maiden winner Charge It and White Abarrio, who break alongside one another in posts 6 and 7. Charge It is co-third choice at 7-2 odds, the same price as Classic Causeway, just behind White Abarrio at 3-1.
The field is completed by Strike Hard (post 1, 20-1), King of Truth (post 4, 50-1), Pappacap (post 5, 10-1), Cajun's Magic (post 8, 20-1), O Captain (post 9, 20-1), Clapton (post 9, 30-1), and Steal Sunshine (post 11, 30-1).
Shipsational, who had been considered a likely starter earlier in the week, was not entered due to a suspensory injury.
MITCHELL: Suspensory Tear Takes Shipsational Out of Florida Derby
C2 Racing Stable and La Milagrosa Stable's White Abarrio had his final work leading up to the Florida Derby delayed by a fever, but was sharp in a workout March 29, blowing out three furlongs in :34.96 at Gulfstream.
Video
"All his works had gotten better and better. But things never seem to go the way you want them to, and we got a curveball thrown at us," said trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. "We'll hope he shows up in the race. If he does, I think he's as good as any of the horses."
With 12 existing Kentucky Derby points, White Abarrio will likely need a top-three finish to comfortably secure a spot in the Kentucky Derby, which can oversubscribe. Churchill Downs uses the points system for publicity and as a preference system when more than 20 3-year-olds are entered.
"If you're good enough, you're going to make it," Joseph said. "You don't want to be there if you don't have a chance to win. He acts like he's good enough. His Holy Bull was impressive. If he would repeat that you would think he'd have a very good chance."
The son of Race Day has lost just once in his career when third in the Nov. 27 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs behind Smile Happy and Classic Causeway after he raced behind horses for much of the race.
Since the Kentucky Jockey Club, Classic Causeway is 2-for-2 against easier stakes competition at Tampa Bay Downs. The son of Giant's Causeway is also safely in the Kentucky Derby on points for owners/breeders Kentucky West Racing and Clarke Cooper.
"I never get too far ahead of myself. I live for today and pray for tomorrow," trainer Bryan Lynch said. "We'll take it one day at a time and hopefully, he keeps taking us in the direction he's taken us and keeps improving, because the waters will get deeper. But he does seem like the right horse to be doing it with.
"
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher seeks a record seventh Florida Derby success. He starts Charge It, a son of Tapit coming off a quick 8 1/2-length maiden victory at Gulfstream Feb. 12. Charge It has outworked a couple of Pletcher's graded stakes-winning older horses in breezes leading up to Saturday's race.
Pletcher has previously captured the Florida Derby with lightly raced horses, having saddled Constitution (2014) and Materiality (2015) for wins in their third starts.
Luis Saez rides Charge It.
Seeking a form rebound is Rustlewood Farm's graded stakes-winning Pappacap, who ran eighth in the Risen Star Stakes Presented by Lamarque Ford (G2) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots Feb. 19. That followed a third there in the Lecomte Stakes (G3) Jan. 22.
"I've scratched my head trying to figure out why he hasn't run better. Every indication is that he's a really good horse," Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse said. "There are a lot of questions, especially after his last performance."
Gulfstream Park, Saturday, April 2, 2022, Race 14Entries: Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa (G1)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Strike Hard (KY) Junior Alvarado 122 Matthew J. Williams 20/1 2 2Classic Causeway (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 122 Brian A. Lynch 7/2 3 3Simplification (FL) Jose L. Ortiz 122 Antonio Sano 5/2 4 4King of Truth (KY) Jose E. Morelos 122 Amador Merei Sanchez 50/1 5 5Pappacap (FL) Edwin Gonzalez 122 Mark E. Casse 10/1 6 6Charge It (KY) Luis Saez 122 Todd A. Pletcher 7/2 7 7White Abarrio (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 122 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 3/1 8 8Cajun's Magic (FL) Jesus M. Rios 122 Michael Yates 30/1 9 9O Captain (KY) Joel Rosario 122 Gustavo Delgado 20/1 10 10Clapton (FL) Emisael Jaramillo 122 Juan Alvarado 30/1 11 11Steal Sunshine (KY) Leonel Reyes 122 Bobby S. Dibona 30/1
