Florida Derby: Acid test for Big Brown

Beat the favorite? This may be the spot

Big Brown, officially anointed horse-of-the moment after two starts, both lengthy victories six months apart on different surfaces and in soft spots, is the overnight favorite to win the Grade I Florida Derby on Saturday at Gulfstream despite having drawn the outside post in a race with a dozen starters.

Tepid a favorite though he may be, Big Brown has bet-against written all over him in a race that has drawn a number of Kentucky Derby candidates with considerably more experience and established stakes credentials. Having crushed suspect opposition on the grass at Saratoga in early September and another in an off-the-turf entry level allowance at Gulfstream that was contested by only four others, Big Brown will have his hands full while attempting to establish a place in the still unsettled Kentucky Derby chase. If he is genuine, it will be evident on Saturday, but he goes to the gate with many questions to answer and should he win the Florida Derby and continue to the Derby in Kentucky, which would be only his fourth career start, Big Brown would again be an inviting bet-against proposition in Louisville. His one attractive quality is speed in a crop of three-year-olds that generally lacks early tactical weapons.

Elysium Fields more closely fits the profile of a leading Kentucky Derby prospect with five starts for trainer Barclay Tagg, three as a juvenile. He was very impressive when beaten by a half-length in the Fountain of Youth last month and has run well in all of his starts, beginning with a pair of runner-up efforts at Laurel Park in November and a third-place finish at Calder in late December. The colt has flourished here since then, breaking his maiden by eight lengths prior to his good effort in the Fountain of Youth and may well be moving forward at exactly the right time.

Fierce Wind, another developing force, has won all three of his starts in Florida since shipping south for the winter after a pair of sprint tries at Saratoga and Delaware Park last year, both at distances apparently too sharp. In two-turn races, the son of Dixie Union broke his maiden at Calder by 10¼ lengths in December, won an allowance at Gulfstream in January and stepped up to capture the Sam Davis Stakes most recently at Tampa Bay Downs in mid-February, defeated Big Truck, subsequent winner of the Tampa Bay Derby.

Fierce Wind raced for Four Roses Thoroughbreds through the Sam Davis, but has since been purchased privately by Halsey Minor’s Minor Stable with Nick Zito retained as trainer.

Two unknown factors could play significant roles in the Florida Derby. Majestic Warrior with Rene Douglas aboard for trainer Bill Mott, breaks from post 10; and Jet Set Racing Stable’s Tomcito will depart post four with Jorge Chavez to ride for trainer Dante Zanelli Jr. One will be attempting to right the listing ship, the other come from Peru with a glittering record, major stakes victories and unknown potential.

Majestic Warrior was regarded highly as a two-year-olds last year after winning the Grade I Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga in only his second start, but failed to fire when sixth as the favorite in the Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park won by eventual Eclipse champion War Pass and in his only start since then finished seventh in the Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds while racing wide on both turns -- a better-than-it looks effort in a paceless race from which he is likely to have benefitted.

Tomcito is a Kentucky-bred colt by Street Cry purchased for a modest $7,500 at the Keeneland September yearling sales, but has made all five of his career starts in Peru, winning four, most recently the Derby Nacional going 1½ miles at Monterrico in November.

This is easily the most interesting of the Kentucky Derby preps to date and the winner will take a place immediately behind Pyro, the favorite pro tem on the strength of two slowly run races in New Orleans, and, with a $1-million purse, is invaluable to those in need of graded stakes earnings, the key to admission if more than 20 are entered in Kentucky.

Kentucky Derby betting