ftboa.com • Friday • March 26, 2021 FEC/FTBOA PUBLICATION FLORIDA’SDAILYRACINGDIGEST FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION or to subscribe, please call Antoinette at 352-732-8858 or email: [email protected] In This Issue: Al Quoz Sprint Could Be Quick Jump in Earnings for Extravagant Kid Sadler’s Joy Back for More Mucho Unusual Heads Solid Field of Distaffers in Santa Ana Stakes Mandatory Rainbow 6 Payout Set for Florida Derby Day Card Fulmini Returns to Stakes Company Greatest Honour/LAUREN KING PHOTO Greatest Honour Geared Up Gulfstream Park Charts for Curlin Florida Derby Florida Stallion Progeny List Florida Breeders’ List BY GULFSTREAM PARK “I’m looking forward to running him,” PRESS OFFICE ___________________ McGaughey said. “He’s been a pleasure all winter. He’s never missed a beat. Things Wire to Wire Business Place HALLANDALE BEACH, FL—Courtlandt have sort of been the same. We just hope it Farms’ Greatest Honour will have a lot continues.” going for him in Saturday’s $750,000 The mile-and-one-eighth Florida Featured Advertisers Curlin Florida Derby presented by Hill ‘n’ Derby, which has produced the winners of Baoma Corp Dale Farms at Xalapa (Grade 1). 60 Triple Crown events, will headline a Berrettini Feed The 3-year-old son of Tapit has shown a program with 10 stakes, including the Bloodstockauction USA distinct fondness for the Gulfstream Park $200,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) and Florida Department of Agriculture racetrack, over which he has won all three the $200,000 Pan American (G2) present- of his races during the Championship Meet. ed by Rood & Riddle. The blockbuster 14- FTBOA He also possesses a ground-devouring race program will also be highlighted by a Gulfstream Park stride and a pedigree geared for stamina. mandatory payout of the Rainbow 6 pool, Journeyman Stud Oh, and the homebred colt happens to which is expected to swell into the multi- Ocala Breeders’ Feed & Supply be trained by Shug McGaughey, a Hall of millions should the popular multi-race Ocala Stud Famer who has done and won all that. Seminole Feed See CURLIN FLORIDA DERBY on page 3 Back to Top Page 3 Curlin Florida Derby Continued from COVER wager go unsolved through Friday. There will also be $750,000 guaranteed pools in the Late Pick 5 and Late Pick 4. The Florida Derby will offer 170 qualifying points for the May 1 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) on a 100- 40-20-10 basis. It also offers a $100,000 bonus for Florida-breds who finish in the top three to be paid on a 70%-20%-10% basis and a $100,000 bonus for any Florida Sire Stakes-eligible winner. Both bonuses are presented by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association. Soup and Sandwich, Jirafales and Sigiloso are the three Florida-breds entered while Sigiloso is the only horse also eligible for the Florida Sire Stakes bonus. Greatest Honour, who followed up a Dec. 26 maiden score with victories in the Jan. 30 Holy Bull (G3) and the Feb. 27 Fasig- Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2), was installed as the 6-5 morning- line favorite Wednesday after drawing post position seven for the Florida Derby, which attracted a deep field of 11 3-year-olds. McGaughey is hoping his late-running powerhouse will follow the example of Orb, whom he saddled for late-rallying victories in the 2017 Fountain of Youth, the Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby. “They’re two different horses that have the same running style,” McGaughey said while noting Greatest Honour’s more imposing physical stature. “They may look the same, but it’s just on paper.” Greatest Honour, like Orb, possesses a strong late kick that has carried him to three straight victories in going-away fashion, all at a mile-and-one-sixteenth. After graduating by a length-and-a-quar- ter against special weight maidens in his fourth career start on Dec. 26, the Kentucky-bred colt employed a furious stretch run to win by five-and-three-quarters lengths in the Holy Bull on Jan. 30. In the Feb. 27 Fountain of Youth, Greatest Honour was five lengths back in mid-stretch, before unleashing an eye-catching surge to catch frontrunner Drain the Clock and go on to score by length-and-a-half. “I think he was doing—three times—what he wasn’t wanting to do—going a mile-and-a-sixteenth over a speed-favoring track— and he was able to catch up all three times against pretty good com- See CURLIN FLORIDA DERBY on page 5 Shug McGaughey on Greatest Honour: Click to View Back to Top Back to Top Page 5 Curlin Florida Derby page 3 The son of Union Rags, who was rated sec- Continued from pany,” McGaughey said. “So, I am looking ond at 4-1 in the morning line after drawing post forward to getting him stretched out where 10 is coming off a second-place finish behind maybe in the Florida Derby he’ll be laying Eclipse Award-winning Essential Quality in the like he was in the Holy Bull and not as far Feb. 27 Southwest Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park back as he was in the Fountain of Youth.” for owners SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Greatest Honour was winless in three Madaket Stables LLC, Golconda Stables, Siena starts last year, finishing third in his first Farm LLC and Robert Masterson. two career starts at Saratoga and Belmont, In his 2021 debut, Spielberg stumbled at the both at seven furlongs, before finishing sec- start of the Robert B. Lewis (G3) at Santa Anita ond in a photo finish at a mile-and-an- before finishing fourth behind Baffert-trained eighth on Nov. 8 at Aqueduct. winning Florida-bred Medina Spirit. “One of the things that impressed me was, Spielberg had a productive six-race juvenile with his pedigree and his make-up, he was campaign, in which he finished second in the able to make the races as early as he did, which Del Mar Futurity (G1) and third in the American was [September] at Saratoga,” McGaughey Pharoah (G1) at Santa Anita before breaking his maiden in his fourth start. He went on to win the said. “And he was very effective in those two Spielberg/SANTA ANITA PHOTO maiden races going seven-eighths.” Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) two starts later. As impressed as McGaughey may be about how much Greatest “He’s had a lot of races. Of all my horses, he’s had the most Honour has achieved thus far, he is more excited about the future. starts. He’s second to Concert Tour in money earned. He runs “He’s a big, tall horse. He’s grown a little over the winter. So, solid. He shows up,” Baffert said. “Once in a while he’ll run a flat that will be fun watching him develop. His pedigree says he’ll run race. He’s doing well and I think he will like the mile-and-an- as far as you want him to run,” McGaughey said. “With his stride, eighth. He sort of comes running, but he’s got to ship well and I don’t think he’s a horse with a quick turn of foot, but when he gets behave himself. And he’s got to break well. He can’t break like he going, he covers so much ground that he catches up in a hurry.” did the last time.” Jose Ortiz has the return mount aboard Greatest Honour. Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano is scheduled to ride the With Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert sending Spielberg to Baffert trainee for the first time from post 10. Gulfstream, the 70th running of the Florida Derby has the poten- Live Oak Plantation’s Soup and Sandwich, undefeated in two tial to turn into an East-meets-West showdown. See CURLIN FLORIDA DERBY on page 7 Back to Top Back to Top Page 7 Curlin Florida Derby page 5 game a little bit,” Pletcher said. “He’s a horse Continued from starts, is scheduled to make the jump we’ve always liked, and I think the further he from a first-level optional claiming gets to go, the stronger he’ll be.” allowance to Grade 1 company Irad Ortiz Jr., who teamed with Known Saturday. Agenda for the first time in his recent win, Trained by Hall of Famer Mark has the return call. Casse, Soup and Sandwich made an Three Chimneys Farm and e Five Racing auspicious debut at Gulfstream Jan. Thoroughbreds’ Collaborate is scheduled to 28, scoring by seven-and-a-quarter make the leap from the maiden ranks to lengths at six-and-a-half furlongs. In Grade 1 company in the Florida Derby. The his introduction to two-turn racing, son of Into Mischief graduated by 12 ½ Soup and Sandwich stalked the pace lengths under wraps on the Fasig-Tipton before drawing off to win by two- Florida-bred Soup and Sandwich/SV PHOTOGRAPHY Fountain of Youth (G2) undercard while and-three-quarters lengths a month completing a one-turn mile in 1:36.35. The later at Tampa Bay Downs. Kentucky-bred colt, who was purchased for Hall of Famer John Velazquez is $600,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton scheduled to ride Soup and Sandwich Saratoga sale, had finished a troubled fifth, from post eight. beaten a length by victorious Democracy, St. Elias Stable’s Known Agenda in his six-furlong career debut over a slop- will hold the distinction of being the py track Feb.