Florida Derby News & Notes: McGaughey: ‘I Feel Good’ about Conquest Warrior in Florida Derby

By David Joseph —-

Curlin Florida Derby News & Notes

McGaughey: ‘I Feel Good’ about Conquest Warrior in Florida Derby

Ozara Chasing Third Stakes Win in $125,000 Sanibel Island

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Courtlandt Farms’ Conquest Warrior will make his stakes debut in Saturday’s $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa in only his fourth career start, and Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey couldn’t be happier with the son of City of Light’s preparation for the 1 1/8-mile Triple Crown prep.

“I feel good. We’ve had two good races here and I still have a pretty fresh horse. He’s trained good over it,” McGaughey said. “He’s had a race going a mile and an eighth here, which he handled, obviously, very easily. He came out of it good. I don’t think we took anything out of him.”

Conquest Warrior is rated second on the morning line at 3-1 behind Fierceness, the 2023 juvenile champion who has been installed as the 8-5 favorite for the 73rd running of the Curlin Florida Derby, which will headline a 14-race program with 10 stakes, five graded, worth $2.425 million. The $1 million purchase at the 2022 Keeneland September sale finished third over a muddy Aqueduct track following a slow start in his Dec. 2 debut at seven furlongs. He graduated Jan. 13 after rallying from far back in a one-turn mile maiden special weight event at Gulfstream, where he came back to capture a 1 1/8-mile optional claiming allowance by five lengths.

“He learned a lot back at Aqueduct in the fall, and when he broke his maiden here, he kind of smashed away from the gate and got in a little trouble at the three-eighths pole. He was able to overcome it. The race here the other day, I thought was a really good race going a mile and an eighth,” McGaughey said. “I was a little bit worried about going that far after only two starts, but if I was going to run in the Florida Derby, that’s what I was going to have to do. I thought he handled it really well. He’s a very smart, straightforward horse, so he’s been able to overcome his problems.”

McGaughey saddled Orb for a Florida Derby win in 2013. The son of Malibu Moon, who went on to capture the Kentucky Derby (G1), had considerably more experience than Conquest Warrior going into the Florida Derby, having won a 1 1/8-mile allowance at Gulfstream in his fifth career start before capturing the Fountain of Youth (G2).

In addition to clashing with Fierceness, Conquest Warrior will meet Holy Bull (G3) winner Hades in the Curlin Florida Derby.

“It is a big step up. He’s going from a non-winners-of-one allowance race to a Grade 1 in the Florida Derby,” McGaughey acknowledged. “He’s meeting some pretty challenging horses, but it’s time to see if we’re going to go on down the road the way we hope to. He’s going to have to show up Saturday in the Florida Derby. It will be a nice test for him. There’s some nice horses in there. They’ve all been running in top-class races against some really nice horses.”

Nevertheless, Conquest Warrior is the only horse in the field of 11 3-year-olds that has won at the 1 1/8-mile distance of the Curlin Florida Derby.

“I think he’s a true router – a mile and an eighth and even farther,” McGaughey said. “One of the good things about him is you can do what you want with him. He’s got a really, really good mind.

Jose Ortiz returns on Conquest Warrior Saturday.

G1 Winner Marketsegmentation Defends Title in Sand Springs

Having parlayed a victory in last year’s race to Grade 1 success, Klaravich Stables, Inc.’s Marketsegmentation is set to make her 5-year-old debut in Saturday’s $125,000 Sand Springs for older fillies and mares on the grass at Gulfstream Park.

The son of 2015 Triple Crown champion American Pharoah has not raced since finishing fourth behind Chad Brown-trained stablemate Whitebeam in the 1 1/8-mile Diana (G1) last July at Saratoga, a span of 260 days.

The Diana snapped Marketsegmentation’s three-race win streak that began with a come-from-behind neck victory in the 1 1/16-mile Sand Springs, her second start of 2023. From there she went on to capture the Beaugay (G3), also at 1 1/16 miles, and 1 ¼-mile New York (G1) at Belmont Park. The runner-up in that race, Didia, went on to win Gulfstream’s Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf (G2) while third-place finisher McKulick is a Grade 1-winning millionaire entered in Saturday’s $150,000 Orchid (G3).

Marketsegmentation is 2-0 on the Gulfstream turf, also winning a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance Dec. 31, 2022. Jose Ortiz, aboard for each of her last two starts, returns to ride from Post 8 of 10.

Another horse with an affinity for the Gulfstream turf is Repole Stable and Town and Country Racing’s Cairo Consort, with two wins and two thirds from six tries. She bounced back from a disappointing 10th in the Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf to run third in the 1 3/8-mile The Very One (G3) March 2.

“Nothing went right [Pegasus] day but it was great to see her come back from that with another good effort,” Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said. “I thought she ran hard last time like she always does. I just think that the mile and three-eighths is just a tick further than she really wants to go. Cutting back toa mile and a sixteenth should be to her liking.”

Cairo Consort, 4, is a three-time stakes winner on grass, two of them coming last winter at Gulfstream after joining Pletcher – the one-mile Ginger Brew and 1 1/16-mile Sweetest Chant (G3). Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount from Post 6.

Championship Meet-leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. entered the trio of Candy Light, Angel Nadeshiko and Beechnut Trophy. Miller Racing’s Candy Light won the one-mile, 70-yard South Beach on Gulfstream’s Tapeta Jan. 27 and was a troubled fourth in the one-mile Honey Fox (G3) on the turf March 2. Ken Ramsey homebred Beechnut Trophy was fourth in the South Beach while Angel Nadeshiko, also owned by Myron Miller, won the Robert J. Frankel (G3) in December at Santa Anita and was 10th after setting the pace in the $150,000 The Very One.

Completing the field are stakes winners Fast as Flight, racing first time for trainer Marty Drexler, a 19-time winner at the Championship Meet, and Infinite Diamond; Typey and Fuente Ovejuna. Jan’s Girl will be scratched.

Ozara Chasing Third Stakes Win in $125,000 Sanibel Island

Cheyenne Stable’s multiple grass stakes winner Ozara and a trio of last-out winners over the Gulfstream Park turf course top a field of 10 3-year-old fillies entered in Saturday’s $125,000 Sanibel Island.

The 7 ½-furlong Sanibel Island is the fourth of 10 stakes, five graded, worth $2.425 million in purses anchored by the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa for 3-year-olds, the premiere race of Gulfstream’s prestigious Championship Meet.

Ozara, trained by Christophe Clement, will be making her fourth start of the meet in the Sanibel Island. The bay filly came from off the pace to win the 7 ½-furlong Wait a While Dec. 9 by a neck, before returning with a 2 ¼-length triumph in the one-mile Ginger Brew Jan. 6. Last out, Ozara took a short lead into the stretch but was unable to hold off winner Pounce and finished third, beaten two lengths, in the Herecomesthebride (G3) March 2.

Vive Veuve, Joyful Lass and Hello Hollywood all exit turf wins at Gulfstream. Sterling Stables’ Vive Veuve raced three times in Ireland before making her U.S. debut last fall, running third over the Gulfstream Tapeta. In her lone start this year, she rallied from eighth to get up by a head in a one-mile maiden special weight on turf Feb. 11.

Double Heart Racing’s Hello Hollywood, by Grade 1-winning multimillionaire Oscar Performance, was a determined three-quarter-length winner of a 7 ½-furlong maiden special weight Feb. 25. St. Elias Stable’s Joyful Lass ran twice on Gulfstream’s Tapeta before getting on grass for a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight Jan. 21, where she led from start to finish to win by three-quarters of a length.

“She had a good maiden win last time and really took to the course, so we thought she deserved a chance in the Sanibel Island,” Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said. “I think she has good natural speed. I don’t think she’s a have-to-have-the-lead sort, but we won’t take away anything that comes easily.”

Also coming out of a win is Americas Thoroughbred Investors’ Managing Mischief, who captured a six-furlong optional claiming allowance by 2 ¼ lengths in front-running fashion Feb. 28 at Tampa Bay Downs 18 days after finishing fourth in the one-mile, 40-yard Suncoast. The bay daughter of Maximus Mischief has yet to race on grass through five starts.

Destiny Star, Zo Lee, Golden Ghost, Pharoah’s Wine and Madness round out the field.

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