From the Derby to Preakness—Who’s Going from Florida

The Triple Crown action is moving from the Kentucky Derby (Grade 1) at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., to Pimlico in Baltimore where the Preakness (Grade 1)will be run on May 20.

This past Saturday’s Kentucky Derby had ten horses that raced  at  Gulfstream Park and/or at Tampa Bay Downs.

Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming raced at both Florida tracks.  He won a maiden race at Tampa Bay, an optional claiming race at Gulfstream and the Florida Derby (Grade 1) at Gulfstream.

Here is where the ten “Florida horses” finished in the Kentucky  Derby, along with an early look at whether they will run in the  Preakness.

Preakness status as of Monday and is  based on information the Churchill Downs and Pimlico media offices received from trainers.

Derby Finish   Horse                   Status for Preakness

First – Always Dreaming              almost certain

Fourth -- Classic  Empire                  very likely

Fifth --  Practical Joke                  unlikely

Sixth – Tapwrit                            unlikely

Seventh – Gunnevera                  50 percent chance

Eighth  -- McCraken                   very unlikely

Tenth --   Irish War Cry              very unlikely

Fourteenth --  Patch                         unlikely

Seventeenth – Fast and Accurate    very unlikely

Nineteenth – State of Honor            very unlikely

--Jim Freer

Tampa Bay Ends Regular Part of Meet

Tampa Bay Downs will end the regular portion of its 2016-2017 race meet on Sunday.

First post is 12:35 p.m. for a nine-race Sunday card.
Gulfstream Park has a ten-race card on Sunday, with first  post of 1:15 p.m.

On its first race, Gulfstream has  a carryover of  $2,255 on the Super  Hi-5.

Gulfstream has  a  carryover  of $81,833 on its Rainbow 6, on races five through ten.

Conditions are fast and  firm at both tracks.
*Sunday is the 90^th day of Tampa Bay’s 91-day meet that began Dec. 3.

Tampa Bay will  be  dark until June  30, when it will begin its annual two-day  Summer Festival of racing.

Florida begins its fiscal year on July 1.

By racing every July 1 and June 30  and holding a regular race meet of at least 40 days, Tampa Bay under Florida law  is able to be a year-round host track for simulcasting.

A host track brings  in simulcasts from thoroughbred tracks in other states and then sells those signals to other pari-mutuels in Florida.
Gulfstream  also is a year-round host track.

Always Dreaming Wins Kentucky Derby

Always Dreaming won Saturday's Kentucky Derby (Grade 1)  on a sloppy track at Churchill Downs.

Lookin at Lee, at 33-1, rallied to finish second by 3 1/2 lengths.

Battle of Midway, at 40-1, finished third. Classic Empire, at 6-1, came in fourth.

Always Dreaming was the  9-2 favorite. John Velazquez rode him for trainer Todd Pletcher.

In his race prior to the Kentucky Derby, Always Dreaming won the Florida Derby (Grade 1) at Gulfstream Park on April 1.

Always Dreaming paid $11.40 on a $2 win ticket.
The $2 Exacta; 5/1 paid $336.20, while the $1 Trifecta paid a handsome $8,297.

Churchill: Rain Expected to End Before Derby

By Jim Freer

Rain is falling in Louisville with the main track listed as sloppy and the turf course listed as good at Churchill Downs.

Rain is expected to stop around 2:00 p.m.  There is the prospect that the dirt track could start drying out and that it could be upgraded to good by 6:46 p.m.--the scheduled post for the Kentucky Derby (Grade 1).

The Derby and all of other Churchill Downs races are being simulcast at Gulfstream Park and  at Tampa  Bay Downs.

Tampa Bay has a ten-race Saturday card with first post at 12:25 p.m. 

Gulfstream has an 11-race card with first post of 12:55 p.m.

Conditions are fast and firm at both Florida tracks.

*At 3:00 p.m. Eastern, we will have our preview of the Kentucky Derby—giving all of us time to consider track conditions.

Also at 3:00 p.m. Eastern, we will have our recommended Kentucky Derby bets.

This will be our fourth straight year of making suggested Kentucky Derby bets.  

Our Kentucky Derby bets made money in 2014, 2015 and  2016.   

That included hitting the exacta each year.  Combined, our return on investment was 71 percent.