Gulfstream: Champion Fierceness Tops Noms List for G1 Curlin Florida Derby

By David Joseph —-

Joe Labozzetta Photo
Champion Fierceness Tops Noms List for G1 Curlin Florida Derby

Florida Derby Headlines March 30 Card with 9 Stakes Worth $2.3M

G2 Gulfstream Park Oaks Among 5 Graded Stakes on Derby Day Card

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Champion Fierceness is the most prominent name on the list of 36 nominees for the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa March 30 at Gulfstream Park.

The Florida Derby will headline a program with nine stakes, five graded, worth $2.3 million in purses.

Repole Stable’s Fierceness, who was voted the 2023 Eclipse Award for 2-year-old colt after capturing the Nov. 3 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Santa Anita, is scheduled to be entered in the 73rd running of the Florida Derby, a 1 1/8-mile stakes for 3-year-olds. The son of City of Light will seek to rebound from a troubled and disappointing third-place finish in the Feb. 3 Holy Bull (G3) at Gulfstream. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle the Repole homebred colt for a bid to extend his record number of Florida Derby victories to eight following Forte’s score last year.

Nine Pletcher-trained 3-year-olds are nominated to the Florida Derby, including likely entrant Bail Us Out, a Repole Stable-owned son of Lookin’ At Lucky who broke his maiden in his most recent start.

D. J. Stable LLC and Robert Cotran’s Hades, who registered a gutsy two-length triumph in the Holy Bull, has been nominated for a scheduled return in Florida Derby. The 3-year-old gelded son of Awesome Slew is undefeated in three career starts.

Courtlandt Farms’ Conquest Warrior, a two-time winner at the 2023-2024 Championship Meet, is also nominated to the Florida Derby, in which the son of City of Light is expected to start for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey. Conquest Warrior is coming off a five-length romp in his first start around two turns in a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Park March 1. McGaughey saddled Orb for a 2013 Florida Derby victory before teaming with the son of Malibu Moon for a Kentucky Derby (G1) triumph.

Victory Avenue, who finished second behind highly regarded Speak Easy in his Jan. 27 debut at Gulfstream, has been nominated for the Florida Derby by trainer Gustabo Delgado. Delgado saddled Mage for a victory in the 2023 Kentucky Derby following the son of Good Magic’s second-place finish behind Forte in the Florida Derby. Victory Avenue is owned by OGMA Investments LLC, J R Ranch, Upland Flats Racing, Morplay Racing LLC and High Step Racing LLC.

West Paces Racing LLC and partners’ Dornoch, Mage’s full brother who captured the Feb. 2 Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park, is also prominent on the nominations list. Vincente Stella Stables LLC’s Le Dom Bro, Frank DeLuca’s Frankie’s Empire, and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and partners’ Real Macho, who finished second, third and fourth, respectively, in the Fountain of Youth, are also nominees that are expected to return in the Florida Derby.

Brad Grady and David Grund’s Seminole Chief, a front-running victor of a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream March 9, and Peter Blum Thoroughbreds LLC’s Merit, second-place finisher behind Conquest Warrior last time out; are also nominated to the Florida Derby.

The $250,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2), a 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-old fillies, drew 18 nominations, including George Krikorian’s Just F Y I, the 2023 champion 2-year-old filly trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott.

Fellow Hall of Famer Pletcher has nominated four fillies to the 54th running of the Gulfstream Park Oaks, including Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners’ Candied, who was beaten by less than a length by Just F Y I in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) after winning her first two starts.

Stonehedge LLC’s Fiona’s Magic, who captured the March 2 Davona Dale (G2) after finishing second in the Feb. 3 Forward Gal, is also prominent among the Gulfstream Park Oaks nominees. The Michael Yates-trained daughter of St. Patrick’s Day is joined on the nominations list by Davona Dale runner-up Into Champagne, a daughter of Into Mischief who is trained by Ian Wilkes for Six Column Stables LLC and partners.

The 63rd running of the $150,000 Pan American (G2), a 1 ½ turf stakes for older horses, attracted 16 nominations, including Peter Brant’s Francesco Clemente, a Chad Brown-trained Irish import who scored an impressive 2 ¼-length victory in the Jan. 27 William L. McKnight (G3) at Gulfstream in his U.S. debut. Nice Guys Stables’ Starting Over, who finished second behind Francesco Clemente before rallying from far back to capture the Martch 2 Mac Diarmida (G2), is also prominent on the Pan American nominations list.

The 60th running of the $150,000 Orchid (G3), a 1 ½-mile turf stakes for older fillies and mares, drew 17 nominations, including Averill Racing and Two Eight Racing LLC’s R Callie Kim, who drew off to capture the March 2 The Very One (G3) by two lengths, and Klaravich Stables Inc.’s McKulick, a multiple graded-stakes winner coming off a disappointing finish in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) at Santa Anita.

The 29th running of the $150,000 Ghostzapper (G3), a 1 1/16-mile stakes for older horses, drew 14 nominations, including Arindel’s Octane, who captured the Feb. 24 Razorback (G3) at Oaklawn Park; as well as Michael Iavarone, Jules Iavarone and Carrie Brogden’s Steal Sunshine, the winner of the March 2 Gulfstream Park Mile (G2), and Amerman Racing LLC’s Tumbarumba, the Gulfstream Park Mile runner-up who won the Fred Hooper (G3) in his prior start.

The five graded stakes on the March 30 program will be supported by the $150,000 Appleton, a mile turf stakes for older horses that drew 20 nominations; the $150,000 Sand Springs, a 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for older fillies and mares that attracted 23 nominations; the $125,000 Cutler Bay, a 7 ½-furlong turf stakes for 3-year-olds that drew 26 nominations; and the $125,000 Sanibel Island, a 7 ½-furlong turf stakes for 3-year-old fillies that attracted 20 nominations.

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