Gulfstream: Sovereignty ‘Moving Well’ for Saturday’s $1 Million Curlin Florida Derby

By David Joseph —-

Sovereignty: Lauren King Photo
Sovereignty ‘Moving Well’ for Saturday’s $1 Million Curlin Florida Derby

G2 Coolmore Fountain of Youth Hero Favored at 8-5 in 10-Horse Field

Kentucky Derby Points Go to First 5 Finishers on 100-50-25-15-10 Scale

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Godolphin LLC’s Sovereignty, who made a strong impression while winning his 2025 debut in the March 1 Coolmore Fountain of Youth (G2), will seek to solidify his standing as a top contender for the 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) in Saturday’s $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream Park.

The 74th running of the tradition-rich Curlin Florida Derby will headline a 14-race program with 10 stakes, five graded, worth $2.62 million in purses. First-race post time is set for 11:30 a.m.

Sovereignty has been installed as the 8-5 morning-line favorite in a field of 10 3-year-olds assembled for the 1 1/8-mile prep on the Road to the Triple Crown. The Curlin Florida Derby will offer Kentucky Derby qualifying points on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale to the first five finishers, respectively.

Sovereignty has pleased Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott with his preparation for the Curlin Florida Derby.

“He looks great. He’s been moving well, and his works have been good,” Mott said. “We’re pleased with him going into it. Up until this point everything has been going good.”

Unfortunately, Junior Alvarado, who has been aboard the Godolphin star in all four of his races, will not be aboard Saturday after sustaining a fractured shoulder blade in a mishap Sunday. New York-based Manny Franco will fill in for Alvarado Saturday. Franco, who is currently atop the Aqueduct jockey standings, and Mott have teamed up on a very limited basis in New York.

“I can rarely get him. He’s never been easy to get to ride, but I think he won a couple of Grade 1s for us on Channel Maker,” said Mott, who gave Franco a leg up for back-to-back victories in the 2020 Sword Dancer (G1) at Saratoga and Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1) at Belmont. “He’s done well with the ones he’s ridden for us.”

Sovereignty settled in the back of the six-horse Fountain of Youth field before making a four-wide sweep into the stretch and overtaking previously undefeated River Thames near the wire to prevail by a neck.

The son of Into Mischief drew the far-outside No. 10 post position for his return in the Curlin Florida Derby.

“If you had given me my druthers, I probably would have picked something inside of that, but we can’t change it,” Mott said.

Going from 1 1/16 miles to 1 1/8 miles may lessen any post position disadvantage, Mott said.

“It’s a little bit longer race, which seems like it should be a positive for us,” he said. “He’s got a race under his belt after a bit of a layoff. Hopefully, it moves him a step forward.”

Sovereignty blossomed while making the final start of his juvenile campaign and first around two turns in the 1 1/16-mile Street Sense (G3), in which he rallied from last to win going away by five lengths, Oct. 27 at Churchill Downs.

The Godolphin homebred made a belated rally to finish fourth in his career debut going six furlongs at Saratoga Aug. 24. He was forwardly placed in a mile maiden race at Aqueduct a month later before falling a neck short of catching Praetor, a recent 7 ½-length winner in his recent 2025 debut at Gulfstream.

Mott will seek to saddle the first Curlin Florida Derby winner of his Hall of Fame career. He has finished second with Hofburg, a runner-up to Audible in 2018, and Blue Burner, who was second-best behind Harlan’s Holiday in 2002.

Trainer Bob Baffert will also seek to add a Curlin Florida Derby victory to his Hall of Fame resume with Madaket Road, who most recently finished second in the Feb. 23 Rebel (G2) at Oaklawn Park. The son of Quality Road, who is owned by SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert Masterson, Tom Ryan, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan, will make his Gulfstream debut without the blinkers he has worn in the three races following a second-place finish in his Nov. 17 debut in the Bob Hope (G3) at Del Mar.

“I really don’t think he needs blinkers. He has his own natural speed,” Baffert said.

Madaket Road, who is rated second at 7-2 on the morning line, set an uncontested pace into the stretch of the 1 1/16-mile Rebel before shortening stride and being overtaken by Coal Battle. The gray colt was beaten by 1 ¼ lengths while finishing second, a half-length in front of Sandman.

“He ran well at Oaklawn. We have another horse in there, so we decided to ship him down there,” said Baffert, who will be represented in Saturday’s Arkansas Derby (G1) by Cornucopian, the 7-5 morning-line favorite coming off an impressive debut victory.

Madaket Road, a $650,000 purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, broke his maiden at six furlongs Dec. 26 at Santa Anita before finishing an even third behind Baffert stablemates Citizen Bull and Rodriguez in the mile Robert B. Lewis (G3) at Santa Anita.

Tyler Gaffalione is scheduled to ride Madaket Road, who arrived early Wednesday morning.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will seek his record-extending ninth success in the Curlin Florida Derby with Disruptor, who is set to make his stakes debut following an eye-catching maiden score in his second career start. A $1.15 million purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September sale, Disruptor, who was a beaten odds-on favorite in his Jan. 25 debut on the Pegasus World Cup undercard, made a considerably stronger impression in his second start on the Coolmore Fountain of Youth undercard.

The son of Gun Runner, who is owned by Repole Stable, Spendthrift Farm LLC, Big Easy Racing LLC, Titletown Racing LLC, Winners Win, Golconda Stable, Ali Goodrich and Mark Parkinson, drew off to graduate by 9 ¼ lengths in a seven-furlong maiden test.

“We were very high on the colt going into his debut. In retrospect, we might not have had him as ready as we thought we did, but it certainly propelled him forward for his next start,” Pletcher said. “It was what we were hoping to see based on how he always trained. We thought based on his potential and his maiden win it was worth it to take a shot and see how he can handle a step up in class and distance [in the Curlin Florida Derby]”

Disruptor, who is rated third at 4-1 on the morning line, will make his first start around two turns Saturday.

“He’s got a mixed pedigree. He has speed on the bottom side, but he’s got some stamina on both sides,” Pletcher said. “He’s always been an efficient-moving horse. We feel like that will help carry him.”

Leading jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. has the return mount on Disruptor.

WinStar Farm LLC, CHC Inc. and Cold Press Racing’s Tappan Street, who finished second in the Feb. 1 Holy Bull (G3) at Gulfstream, returns in the Curlin Florida Derby after bypassing the Coolmore Fountain of Youth.

The son of Into Mischief, a $1 million purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, rallied from off the pace with a four-wide move into the stretch to take the lead in the Holy Bull before being passed late by Burnham Square.

Tappan Street won on debut at Gulfstream Dec. 28 after stalking the pace and kicking in through the stretch to win by 1 ¾ lengths in a seven-furlong maiden event.

Luis Saez has the return mount aboard Tappan Street., who is rated at 5-1 on the morning line.

Ian Parsard, Shining Stables LLC and Stefania Farms LLC’s Neoequos, who set the pace before fading to third in the 1 1/16-mile Coolmore Fountain of Youth, will likely be a forward factor again in the Florida Derby, for which the son of Neolithic will break from the rail post position.

“If he breaks well, he can be on the lead,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “That may be our best shot – being on the lead.”

Neoequos broke his maiden in his second start before finishing second behind undefeated Rated by Merit in the first two legs of last year’s Florida Sire Stakes series, the six-furlong Dr. Fager and seven-furlong Affirmed, to close out his juvenile campaign. He scored a front-running 3 ½-length optional claiming allowance victory at six furlongs in his 3-year-old debut Jan. 23 before stretching out around two turns for the first time in the Fountain of Youth.

“Distance is the question mark,” Joseph said. “If you look at the horse, physically he looks like a horse that can go a route of ground. Training-wise, you don’t really get 100 percent. He’s a horse that only does what he has to. Pedigree-wise on the dam’s side, she only has sprinters.”

Edgard Zayas has the call on Neoequos, who has been set at 10-1 on the morning line.

Donald R. Dizney LLC’s Jimmy’s Dailys is slated to make his stakes debut in the Curlin Florida Derby off a runner-up finish in a 1 1/8-mile optional claiming allowance won by Grande, a well-regarded undefeated colt trained by Pletcher. The Brian Lynch-trained son of Vekoma graduated in his prior start in a seven-furlong maiden test in which Disruptor finished third.

Jimmy’s Dailys, who is rated at 12-1, will be ridden for the first time by Joel Rosario.

AMO Racing USA’s Cool Intentions makes a return to action from a fifth-place finish in the Jan. 4 Mucho Macho Man that followed back-to-back victories at Gulfstream,

Javier Castellano has been named to ride the Jorge Delgado-trained son of Authentic, who is rated at 20-1.

Chester A. Bishop and partners’ Enterdadragon is slated to make only his second start on dirt in the Curlin Florida Derby while coming off a runner-up finish in the March 1 Colonel Liam over Gulfstream’s turf course. Dylan Davis has the call on the son of Outwork.

Just for Fun Stable Inc.’s Indecisiveness, a winner of one of four career starts, finished third last time out behind undefeated Grande and Jimmy’s Dailys in a 1 1/8-mile optional claiming allowance. Jorge Ruiz has the mount.

KEM Stables’ Smoken Boy, a Grade 1 winner in Puerto Rico, enters the Curlin Florida Derby off an off-the-board finish in a Feb. 27 optional claiming allowance. The Cheryl Winebaugh-trained son of Catholic Boy was claimed for $75,000 out of that race. Edgar Perez has the mount.

Enterdadragon, Indecisiveness and Smoken Boy are all rated at 30-1 on the morning line.

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