ftboa.com • Tuesday & Wednesday • April 6 & 7, 2021 FEC/FTBOA PUBLICATION FLORIDA’SDAILYRACINGDIGEST Kentucky Awaits FL-bred FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION Medina Spirit, Soup and or to subscribe, please call Antoinette at 352-732-8858 or Sandwich on the Bubble email: [email protected] Medina Spirit, a game second as the 9-10 favorite behind Rock Your World in In This Issue: the Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (Grade 1) Saturday Pletcher Winners Staying At Keeneland at Santa Anita, came out of the race in good order and will attempt to give Bob Juan Carlos Diaz Jr. Returns to Gulfstream Baffert his seventh victory in the Kentucky Derby pre- sented by Woodford Champion Filly Gamine Wins Las Flores Reserve (G1) on May 1. Medina Spirit earned 40 Kentucky Derby Leaderboard qualifying points for the Derby with his second- place finish in the Santa NYRA CARES: Benefits Backstretch Families Anita Derby, increasing his total to 74 and a No. 9 Gulfstream Park Charts ranking, which is enough to guarantee a spot among the 20 allocated for a starting Track Results & Entries gate slot in the Run for the Roses. Florida Stallion Progeny List “[Medina Spirit] ran a game race like he always does,” Baffert said of the Florida Breeders’ List $35,000 bargain son of Protonico out of Wire to Wire Business Place Mongolian Changa, by Florida-bred sire Brilliant Florida-bred Medina Spirit/SANTA ANITA PHOTO Speed bred in Florida by Featured Advertisers Gail Rice. “The winner was into the Kentucky Derby San Felipe and Santa Anita very impressive, but our off of two second-place Derby, both to Free House. CJ Thoroughbreds horse showed up, he ran his finishes in the San Felipe to Baffert also sent out race, he came out of it well Life is Good and in the maiden sprint winner Florida Department of Agriculture and we’ve got four weeks Santa Anita Derby to Rock Defunded in the race and FTBOA to sharpen him up. Your World. the gelded son of Dialed In “He’ll be right there. Baffert’s first Kentucky rallied to finish fourth. Journeyman Stud He’s always going to be Derby winner, Florida-bred “He got real tired tough; he tries hard all the Silver Charm, went into the towards the end,” Baffert Ocala Breeders’ Feed & Supply time.” 1997 Kentucky off of sec- said. “He wasn’t ready for Ocala Stud Medina Spirit will go ond place finishes in the something like that but we Seminole Feed See KENTUCKY DERBY on page 3 Back to Top Page 3 Kentucky Derby Continued from COVER had to take a chance at it. I don’t know where I’ll run him next.” Meanwhile, Baffert has Rebel winner Concert Tour and run- ner-up Hozier set for this Saturday’s Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park. Toyota Blue Grass (G1)-winner Essential Quality tops the pre- Derby standings with 140 points followed by TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby (G2)-winner Hot Rod Charlie with 110, Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3)-winner Like The King with 104, Curlin Florida Derby presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm at Xalapa (G1)-winner Known Agenda with 102; and UAE Derby sponsored by Emirates NBD (G2)-winner Rebel’s Romance (Ire), Santa Anita Derby (G1)-win- ner Rock Your World and Wood Memorial presented by World’s Resort Casino (G2)-winner Rock Your World, each with 100. Soup and Sandwich on Derby Bubble Five horses are on the Derby bubble, all currently tied for 16th with 40 points each, including Florida-bred Soup and Sandwich. Trained by Mark Casse for Charlotte Weber’s Live Oak Plantation located in Ocala, Fla., Soup and Sandwich earned his 40 points when second to Known Agenda in the Florida Derby. He is currently tied with UAE Derby (Group 2) runner-up Panadol; Wood Memorial second-place finisher Dynamic One; Wood Memorial third-place finisher Crowded Trade and Sainthood, who was second in the Jeff Ruby Steaks. However, Soup and Sandwich is second behind Panadol among that group in the tie-breaker, non-restricted stakes earn- ings. Panadol has $240,000 in non-restricted stakes earnings com- pared to $161,000 for Soup and Sandwich. Dynamic One has $140,000, Crowded Trade ($135,000) and Sainthood ($47,000). There are 20 starting positions in the Kentucky Derby starting gate of which 18 will be offered to the top ranked on the North American leaderboard. Derby starting opportunities are also offered to the point leaders in the European and Japanese Kentucky Derby standings. There are two more races offering points including the Arkansas Derby and Lexington Stakes Saturday. Oaklawn Park’s Arkansas Derby offers 170 points on a 100-40-20-10 scale while the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland has 34 points up for grabs to be allocated on a 20-8-4-2 basis. See KENTUCKY DERBY on page 5 Florida-bred Soup and Sandwich/LAUREN KING PHOTO Back to Top Back to Top Page 5 Kentucky Derby page 3 Continued from Essential Quality Headed to Churchill Downs Trainer Brad Cox was a happy camper Sunday morn- ing, pleased with all aspects of the gutty victory by Godolphin’s undefeated champion Essential Quality in Saturday’s $800,000 Toyota Blue Grass (Grade 2). “He looks good this morning and I am happy with the way he came out of the race,” Cox said of Essential Quality, who extended his unbeaten streak to five with his neck victory over Highly Motivated. “I liked that he got a test yesterday. It was not like he just galloped up to the leader and went on by.” Essential Quality was scheduled to go to Churchill Downs Monday morning after training hours to join Cox’s string there and continue preparations for the $3 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) on May 1. Essential Quality might be joined soon at Churchill by Highly Motivated, according to Whit Beckman, assistant to trainer Chad Brown. “He is good this morning,” Beckman said Sunday of Highly Motivated. “He put in a valiant effort yesterday Essential Quality (left) and Highly Motivated (right)/COADY PHOTO going two turns for the first time. He took all the heat and kept battling. “He is good this morning,” trainer Vicki Oliver said. “We will “I am not sure [how long he will stay here], but knowing Chad, see what the owners want to do – either the Derby or, if he looks I would not be surprised to see him go to Churchill for a couple of tired, wait for the Preakness or Belmont.” works.” The Kentucky Derby dream ended for Cypress Creek, Arnold John and Diane Fradkin’s Rombauer, who picked up 20 points Bennewith and Spendthrift Farm’s Keepmeinmind with his fifth- on the Road to the Kentucky Derby with his third-place finish in place finish in the Blue Grass, a position that earned him no points the Blue Grass, might wait for the Preakness (G1) on May 15, toward the Run for the Roses. Keepmeinmind, runner-up to trainer Michael McCarthy said via text. Essential Quality in the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (G1) and Rombauer has 34 points, which is good for 21st on the leader- third to him in the TVG Breeders’ Cup Juvenile presented by board. Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1) here last fall, has 18 points Prior to the Toyota Blue Grass, Rombauer won the El Camino and stands 28th on the leaderboard. Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields and earned an automatic berth “I don’t know what to tell you [about the Blue Grass perform- into the Preakness. ance],” trainer Robertino Diodoro said before heading back to his BBN Racing’s Hidden Stash picked up 10 Derby points for his main string at Oaklawn Park. “Obviously we don’t have enough fourth-place finish to boost his total to 32, good for 23rd on the points and what’s next, that’s the million-dollar question.” leaderboard. The day was not a total loss for Diodoro as Cypress Creek’s Ava’s Grace finished second in the Fantasy (G3) at Oaklawn and picked up 40 points toward the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) and a likely spot in the 14-horse starting gate. “We are pretty excited about her,” Diodoro said. “I don’t know if she will come here first and then go to Louisville but either way we have to get her up here ASAP from Oaklawn.” Rock Your World Ready for Big Stage in Kentucky Rock Your World was on the wash rack at 7:30 Easter morning cleaning up as readily as he dusted off eight rivals in the Santa Anita Derby, earning him a place in the Kentucky Derby. Trained by John Sadler for owners Kosta and Peter Hronis and Talla Racing, and bred by Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally and his wife, Debbie, Rock Your World went to the front and never looked back, winning by four-and-a-quarter lengths, giving two-time Italian riding champion Umberto Rispoli his first Grade 1 victory in the United States. Rock Your World, a son of Candy Ride out of the Empire Maker dam Charm the Maker, earned 100 Kentucky Derby Rock Your World/BENOIT PHOTO See KENTUCKY DERBY on page 7 Back to Top From coast to coast, Florida’s tax-friendly, pro-business environment is poised and ready to attract new companies and create new employment opportunities. No tax on stallion seasons No personal state income tax No individual capital gains tax National leader in veterinary and equine research Ranks second in the U.S. for number of thoroughbred horses Feed and animal health items, along with other specific items, are also exempt Horses are exempt from sales tax when purchased from their original breeder Florida’s greenbelt exemption provides property tax breaks for Florida horse farms Physical climate allows for year-round training, racing, showing and business opportunities Florida..