Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
ECHOES OF VICTORY
AUDIBLE LOOKS TO BECOME PLETCHER’S FIFTH FLORIDA DERBY WINNER,
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – He’ll never catch your eye when he works in the morning, but every time you look up, there is Audible in the winner’s circle again. On Saturday, trainer Todd Pletcher will have yet another Florida Derby victory squarely in his sights when he sends the New Yorkbred out as the likely favorite against eight other 3-year-olds in the key Kentucky Derby prep, which highlights an outstanding 14-race program. First post is 11:30 a.m. Eastern.
The Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby, which offers 170 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby, will take on added importance this year for handicappers as the closing leg of a Rainbow 6 sequence that will have a mandatory payout of a pool expected to be $20 million or higher if not hit Thursday or Friday.
Audible came up a little short with his bid when launching his career going 6 1/2 furlongs last fall at Belmont Park, finishing third after dropping far back early. He has been perfect ever since, posting three onesided victories, including a very impressive 5 1/2-length triumph in the Grade 2 Holy Bull in his 3-year-old debut here Feb. 3.
Audible’s works since the Holy Bull, however, have just been average looking, including a half-mile in 49.20 seconds last Saturday at Palm Beach Downs, where he was second best on the inside of Wood Memorial contender Vino Rosso.
“He’s not an overzealous work horse,” said Pletcher. “But he’s been training consistently with the way we’ve seen him train leading up to the Holy Bull and his other races.”
What Pletcher likes best about Audible ahead of Saturday’s race is that he seems to possess the same characteristics as his three recent Florida Derby winners: Constitution (2014), Materiality (2015), and 2017 champion 3-year-old male Always Dreaming, who used his victory in this race a year ago as a stepping-stone to winning the Kentucky Derby five weeks later. Pletcher captured his first Florida Derby in 2007 with Scat Daddy.
“He has the same trait that over the years has proven successful at Gulfstream Park – enough tactical speed to put himself in position to win these races,” said Pletcher of Audible. “What was most impressive about the Holy Bull was how he was able to kick on after prompting solid fractions to find another gear in the lane. And we feel if he can come over and duplicate that effort Saturday, we’ll have a good chance.”
Audible’s sternest challenges figure to come from Promises Fulfilled and Strike Power, the one-two finishers in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth here four weeks ago, or Catholic Boy, the winner of the Grade 2 Remsen at 2 and second as the odds-on choice in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs in his only start at 3.
The remainder of the Florida Derby field is Storm Runner, Mississippi, Hofburg, Tip Sheet, and Millionaire Runner.
Trainer Dale Romans is making no bones about his strategy with Promises Fulfilled, who broke running to the lead in the Fountain of Youth and never looked back, edging away to a 2 1/4-length decision over Strike Power. It was the third win in four career starts for Promises Fulfilled, with his only setback a thirdplace finish behind Enticed in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs to close out his 2-year-old campaign.
“I think he’s special and ready to roll coming off his Fountain of Youth win, and he’s going right to the front again,” said Romans. “We’re not changing anything now. He’s fast and has great stamina to keep going, and I know I wouldn’t want to be someone trying to hook him.”
Romans is also expecting a much-improved effort from Storm Runner, who continues to train impressively since running seventh in the Fountain of Youth. Storm Runner steadied along the rail early in the Fountain of Youth, which Romans says cost him any chance.
Despite Strike Power suffering his first loss in three starts in the Fountain of Youth, trainer Mark Hennig was enthused about his horse’s performance while stretching from seven furlongs to 1 1/16 miles.
“I was a lot more concerned stretching from the Swale to the Fountain of Youth than I am about him stretching out to a mile and one-eighth on Saturday,” said Hennig. “And I’m less concerned today than when they finished the Fountain of Youth because of the way the horse has trained the last two weeks.”
Catholic Boy began his career locally with a win on the turf but has made a successful switch to the main track following his troubled fourthplace finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Catholic Boy captured the Remsen at the Florida Derby’s nine-furlong distance in convincing fashion before finishing a widerunning second behind Flameaway in the Sam F. Davis. He’s made a terrific appearance since shipping here from his Ocala, Fla., base this week.
“The race in Tampa was a tightener,” said trainer Jonathan Thomas, a former Pletcher protégé. “I probably had him a little undertrained in hindsight for the battle we got into. Off of what we’ve done and how things have gone since, you can only assume with good luck he’ll progress and take another step forward on Saturday.”