The Florida Derby and The Louisiana Derby
Dateline: 03/10/00D. Wayne Lukas will take center stage this weekend as he sends out favorites in both of these major Triple Crown preps with purses of $750,000 each. On Saturday he will have High Yield in the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park which has been a stepping stone for many a successful Triple Crown participant. Then Sunday he will send out Exchange Rate in the Louisiana Derby at the Fair Grounds which will have its richest purse ever plus a $500,000 bonus should the winner also win the Kentucky Derby. Past performances for both races are available for free online from the Daily Racing Form here. Both races will also be televised:
 High Yield |
Louisiana Derby Sunday on ESPN2 4:30-5:30 p.m. EST and repeated at 9:30-10:30 p.m. PST
The Florida Derby
The Florida Derby has a field of 10 and includes several horses who are highly touted for the Kentucky Derby. Here is the field in post position order; distance is 1 1/8 miles (stakes record: 1:46 4/5) and all entrants carry 122 lbs.| PP | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | M/L Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | High Yield | Day | Lukas | 8-5 |
| 2 | Scottish Halo | Chavez | Rizzo | 6-1 |
| 3 | Postponed | Santos | Schulhofer | 15-1 |
| 4 | Hal's Hope | Velez | Rose | 6-1 |
| 5 | Elite Mercedes | Bailey | Walden | 4-1 |
| 6 | Bare Outline | Nakatani | Zito | 8-1 |
| 7 | Hades | Migliore | Albertrani | 12-1 |
| 8 | Settlement | Velazquez | Hennig | 20-1 |
| 9 | Deputy Warlock | Smith | McPeek | 20-1 |
| 10 | Tahkodha Hills | Coa | Ziadie | 10-1 |
Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show
4 Hal's Hope Roger I. Velez 15.80 5.20 3.60
1 High Yield Pat Day 3.00 2.40
10 Tahkodha Hills Eibar Coa 8.60
Winning Time: 1:51.49
Also ran: 8 - Settlement, 3 - Postponed, 2 - Scottish Halo,
9 - Deputy Warlock, 5 - Elite Mercedes,
6 - Bare Outline, 7 - Hades
$2 Exacta 4-1 34.20
$2 Trifecta 4-1-10 593.60
$2 Superfecta 4-1-10-8 10,262.20
Hal's Hope gave his 88 year old breeder, owner, and trainer Harold Rose a thrilling victory in the Florida Derby. He was always on or near the lead and was challenged twice by heavy favorite High Yield, once from the inside and again from the outside, but held his ground to win by a neck. Both of them were well clear of the rest of the field.
 Captain Steve |
| PP | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | M/L Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Captain Steve | Albarado | Baffert | 2-1 |
| 2 | Oro Negra | Martinez | Keen | 30-1 |
| 3 | Mighty | Sellers | Brothers | 8-1 |
| 4 | More Than Ready | Velazquez | Pletcher | 5-1 |
| 5 | Exchange Rate | Nakatani | Lukas | 7-2 |
| 6 | Peninsula | Meche | Stewart | 20-1 |
| 7 | Country Only | Castillo | Kimmel | 8-1 |
| 8 | Tribunal | Bailey | Baffert | 6-1 |
| 9 | Ifitstobeitsuptome | D'Amico | Wohlers | 10-1 |
| 10 | Mortal Cinch | Lanerie | Stidham | 30-1 |
This should be a Lukas vs. Baffert grudge match between Exchange Rate and Captain Steve, but don't count out last year's speedy star More Than Ready. If you are not able to catch the race on ESPN2, you can watch online with Real Video and Audio. I will be at this one live so look for photos online after midnight Sunday when I get home.
More articles and info:
- Gulfstream Park
- Florida Derby from Equibase - free program, past performances, ChartPlus, and articles
- Glenner's Picks for the Florida Derby
- Florida Derby Live Video
- Florida Derby Results Chart from Equibase (available late Saturday)
- News Index Search to find Florida Derby articles
- Fair Grounds
- Louisiana Derby from Equibase - free program, past performances, ChartPlus, and articles
- Louisiana Derby Live Video
- Louisiana Derby Results Chart from Equibase (available late Sunday)
- News Index Search to find Louisiana Derby articles
- Big Derby prep weekend on tap from the SportsLine
- Lukas has contenders everywhere from Fox Sports
- Harold Rose has Derby hopes at 88 years old from From Nola Live
- High Yield looks for repeat performance in Florida Derby from Fox Sports
