Pete Aiello is more than just the booming voice who has mastered the art of storytelling as a live event unfolds at Gulfstream Park, he is a keen student of the game. Pete will join us to pass along a few gems he may have unearthed through his binoculars while watching many of Saturday’s entrants in competition. Pete has a long day in store for him with the first of fourteen races starting at 11:30 a.m. There will be six graded stakes on the card headed by two 100-40-20-10 points races for the Kentucky Derby and Oaks. The post position draw for the Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby was very fair to the top contenders with the short run to the first turn in the 1 1/8-mile race at Gulfstream Park. None of the four morning-line favorites drew outside post 7, which is where Holy Bull winner White Abarrio will break. He was established as the 3-1 second choice on the morning line behind 5-2 favorite Simplication, who came back from his second-place finish in the Holy Bull to win the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth with authority, under Jose Ortiz four weeks later. Simplification, who has trained extremely well since the Fountain of Youth, drew post 3 with Ortiz again named to ride. Tyler Gaffalione takes his regular seat astride White Abarrio. Both multiple graded stakes winner Classic Causeway, the likely pacesetter, and last-out maiden breaker Charge It were set at 7-2 in the morning line. In the Grade 2, $250,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks Todd Pletcher-trained Goddess of Fire has been given morning line odds of 9 to 5 off her game second-place effort in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra at Fair Grounds. So, who is the second favorite, you may ask? SHE IS! Kathleen O has been instilled as the early favorite at odds of 4 to 5. Trained by Shug McGaughey, she is now undefeated in three starts, and has two stakes wins at Gulfstream Park, her last being an impressive effort in the Grade 2 Davona Dale.
Byron King, Associate Editor of The Blood-Horse has been giving us updates on his weekly “Derby Dozen” and he will join us to talk about this week’s shake ups and this weekend's potential bracket busters. We’ll discuss Epicenter’s eye-popping performance while setting a track record in the Louisiana Derby. Saturday’s Grade 1 Arkansas Derby features D. Wayne Lukas-trained filly Secret Oath taking on the boys and at Turfway Park a very talented group of synthetic and turf performers will vie to take the Animal Kingdom route to Louisville via the Grade 3, $600,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks.