Since the turn of the century, no fewer than eight horses have parlayed a victory in the GI Xpressbet Florida Derby into success in the GI Kentucky Derby, including the two most recent winners of the Run for the Roses–Nyquist (Uncle Mo) and Always Dreaming (Bodemeister). The latter was, of course, trained by Todd Pletcher, who won his first Florida Derby 11 years ago with the late Scat Daddy, then added scores in 2014 and 2015, respectively, with 'TDN Rising Stars' Constitution (Tapit) and Materiality (Afleet Alex). Audible (Into Mischief) was the 8-5 favorite to make it four wins in five years in the marquee race of the so-called championship meet at Gulfstream Park and, despite a few anxious moments in the middle stages, cemented his status as the 'Beast of the East' with a sound three-length defeat of Hofburg (Tapit), with Mississippi (Pioneerof the Nile) a distant third.
With Javier Castellano in Dubai for Saturday's World Cup card, it was John Velazquez at the controls, and the Hall of Famer is confident that Audible can improve further still.
“Once he got to the horses on the lead I just tried to keep him busy down the lane and he kicked pretty good,” he said. “[The distance] didn't seem to bother him at all. I think the farther he goes the better he gets.”
The Florida Derby looked on paper to have plenty of speed to set things up for the likes of Audible and his chief market rival Catholic Boy (More Than Ready), and so it proved, even if the race mapped out faster than anyone expected. A washy Promised Fulfilled (Shackleford), first-up winner of the GII Xpressbet Fountain of Youth S. Mar. 3 and that heat's runner-up 'TDN Rising Star' Strike Power (Speightstown) were ridden away from the gate as if the derby was going to be contested over 870 yards, and the duo immediately opened up a gap on Mississsippi, as Audible settled behind midfield after being asked some early to get a good spot. Things began to look a bit dicey for the favorite, who looked to be going in the wrong direction as the Derby field banked into the backstretch.
“Just watching the race, I was a little concerned at the five-eighths pole because he started to drop back a little bit, but I could tell Johnny wasn't panicked,” said Pletcher. “He kind of grabbed him up and sometime midway down the backstretch he started to pick up horses and I started to feel better and better.”
Kept out in the middle of the track, Audible began to advance while wide, as did Catholic Boy one path to his inside, and that duo raced more or less in tandem into and around the turn. In full flight nearing the stretch, Audible was able to sustain his momentum and circled up outside of Mississippi, surged past with better than a furlong to travel and galloped in an easy winner despite a slight late drift. Trying winners for the first time, Hofburg traveled sweetly while tracking the favorites around the turn and closed off well for second while Catholic Boy flattened out to finish fourth.
Added Velazquez, “The only thing that concerned me was when he got to the backstretch he started backing up a little bit. I thought I was overdoing it so I had to give him a little chance on the backstretch to regroup again and once he got his stride back together and when he started moving again on the backstretch I was very happy with the way he was doing it.”
Despite his inexperience, Hofburg will be considered for the Kentucky Derby as well.
“Naturally, winning would have been the only thing that would have been better, but he ran well and he galloped out well,” said trainer Bill Mott. “He took a lot of dirt and he was very professional. He did everything right. He was much more seasoned today when he came down here and was in the post parade and everything. He seemed to be more at home. We had him down here for a few days. He was the perfect gentleman and a professional today.”
Pedigree Notes:
Audible becomes the third Grade I winner for his sire, whose reputation–from a pedigree standpoint at a minimum–was enhanced even further by Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy)'s towering victory in Saturday's G2 UAE Derby (see TDN Europe/International). His dam Blue Devil Bel is a half-sister to MSW & GSP Akilina (Langfuhr), who is the dam of breeder Oak Bluff Stables' SW & MGSP Governor Malibu (Malibu Moon). The 13-year-old mare aborted a foal by Munnings in 2016, produced a Lookin at Lucky filly in 2017 and was bred back to the aforementioned Constitution. Audible descends from the family of MGISW Classy Cathy (Private Account) and Noble Causeway (Giant's Causeway), runner-up in the 2005 Florida Derby. Blue Devil Bel RNA'd for $55,000 at the 2017 KEENOV sale.
XPRESSBET FLORIDA DERBY-GI, $1,000,000, GP, 3-31, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:49.48, ft.
1–AUDIBLE, 122, c, 3, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Blue Devil Bel, by Gilded Time
2nd Dam: Fahamore, by Gulch
3rd Dam: Cathy's Gal, by Easy Goer
1ST GRADE I WIN. ($175,000 Ylg '16 SARAUG; $500,000 2yo
'17 FTFMAR). O-China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners LLC,
Starlight Racing & WinStar Farm; B-Oak Bluff Stables, LLC (NY);
T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-John R. Velazquez. $595,200. Lifetime
Record: 5-4-0-1, $882,920. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”crupi-trained”][bullet ad=”equix-optimatch”]2–Hofburg, 122, c, 3, Tapit–Soothing Touch, by Touch Gold.
O/B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-William I. Mott. $192,000.
3–Mississippi, 122, c, 3, Pioneerof the Nile–Katz Me If You Can,
by Storm Cat. ($280,000 Ylg '16 KEESEP; $700,000 2yo '17
FTFMAR). O-M. Magnier, M. Tabor, J. Oxley, D. Smith & M.
Jooste; B-Whisper Hill Farm (KY); T-Mark E. Casse. $96,000.[bullet ad=”justincasse-recommended”][bullet ad=”timber-town-consigned”]Margins: 3, 7 3/4, 1 1/4. Odds: 1.60, 8.60, 10.50.
Also Ran: Catholic Boy, Millionaire Runner, Tip Sheet, Storm Runner, Strike Power, Promises Fulfilled. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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