Road to the Kentucky Derby 2022: Florida Derby

Florida Derby:

This year’s Florida Derby was held on April 2nd. This annual Derby prep is held at Gulfstream Park in Florida. This is another win-and-you’re-in race, since it awards 100-40-20-10 points to the top four finishers and has a purse of $1,000,000.

 It was a fast and firm evening on the track, when White Abbario and his jockey, Tyler Gaffalione, took to the outside of the pack. Classic Causeway set the pace with Strike Hard and Simplification on his tail. Simplification fought Strike Hard for a front position. On the backstretch, Pappacap made an appearance in the front. At the far turn, White Abbario started to make his move into the lead; he passed Classic Causeway, Charge It, Pappacap, and then Simplification. In the last few seconds, Charge It pushed into second, Simplification stuck to his third place, and Pappacap fell back into fourth. 

White Abbario has earned a place in my heart and on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 112 points. He is currently third overall, and it is almost certain he’ll be a starter on Derby Day. Charge It is hanging on in nineteenth place, but at the Lexington Stakes he may be pushed off the board, if he loses. Simplification is in ninth, and has a high chance of being in the Derby. Pappacap is out of the running completely.