Repole Stable's Fierceness displayed the talent that made him last year's juvenile champion male when he dominated the field to win the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) by 13 1/2 lengths at Gulfstream Park March 30.
In setting a race record for margin of victory, homebred Fierceness earned 100 Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying points and clearly made a statement as his connections now look ahead to the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs.
The 3-year-old son of City of Light certainly vindicated himself after a third-place finish in the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) Feb. 3, when he struggled to get away from the gate.
There was no such obstacle in the 1 1/8-mile Florida Derby. Fierceness and jockey John Velazquez broke from post 8 in the nine-horse field, ran to the lead in the first turn, and remained in front the rest of the way.
"We weren't committed to being on the lead, we were committed to being forward and trying to get a good position in the first turn," trainer Todd Pletcher said. "Turns out he made the lead and got into a good rhythm and kept going."
Asked how relieved he was to see Fierceness break cleanly, Pletcher replied: "Very. I've been worried about that for eight weeks."
Fierceness seemed to cruise while setting fractions of :24.06, :47.50, 1:11.31, and 1:35.63. He maintained a 1-1 1/2 length lead ahead of Tami Bobo, Julie Davies, and George G. Isaacs' Catalytic and rider Julien Leparoux, and Granpollo Stable's Grand Mo the First and jockey Emisael Jaramillo until turning for home.
Then, the colt appeared to hit another gear. He crossed the line in 1:48.22 and paid $4.20, $3.20, and $2.80.
"When he broke, I was very confident in what he was doing," Velazquez said. "I was expecting this out of him. I was just thinking, he can't be lying to me, the way he works. He showed up today and did it today."
The Florida Derby victory extended records for Pletcher, who won his eighth, and Velazquez, who won his sixth.
Catalytic finished second by 2 1/2 lengths, paying $12.20 and $8, and earning 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points. Grand Mo the First was third, paying $6.40 and earning 25 points.
The Florida Derby win was the second straight for Pletcher and owner Repole Stables, who took last year's race with 2022 champion 2-year-old male in Forte , co-owned by St. Elias Stables.
"It's surreal. I don't know what to tell you," Mike Repole said after Fierceness' performance. "It's not normal to do it once, (but) twice in back-to-back years to win this race and go in with the Kentucky Derby favorite? As you guys know from the past, a lot can happen from now to post time, but we saw something pretty special today."
Fierceness, who won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Santa Anita Park in November by 6 1/4 lengths, now has Pletcher and Repole thinking about the Run for the Roses.
"From a talent perspective, he has it all," Pletcher said. "Then, like everyone else, you have to hope you get a good post and a good trip, that (the horse likes) Churchill Downs, and all those things. We'll enjoy this and start to worry about all that."
Third-crop sire City of Light stands at Lane's End Farm in Versailles, Ky., for an advertised fee of $35,000.
