Audible’s victory cements spot in Kentucky Derby

HALLANDALE BEACH — Audible established himself as the top 3-year-old in Florida and perhaps the leading Kentucky Derby hopeful in the East Saturday at Gulfstream with a smashing 2 length victory in the $1 million Florida Derby. The victory was more decisive than the final margin as his eight rivals were spread all over the stretch. Hofburg picked up the pieces for second with Mississippi third as Audible completed a mile and an eighth in 1:49.48.

John Velazquez rode Audible according to the game plan he and trainer Todd Pletcher had plotted. They expected Fountain of Youth winner Promises Fulfilled and Strike Power, second in that race, would hook up in a sprightly duel early and decided to let them go. This is exactly what happened. The two speedballs scorched the first quarter mile in 21.95, fast for a six-furlong sprint, suicidal for a ninefurlong two-turn race. By the time the field reached the final turn, both were cooked.

Meanwhile Velazquez didn’t ask Audible to do much more than not lose contact with them down the backstretch. “I was in the right spot,” the jockey said. They sat in midpack until the turn when Velazquez asked Audible for his best. The New York thoroughbred delivered, circling around the tiring pace-setters and past Mississippi, who briefly had inherited the lead.

Audible immediately started to open up on the field with only moderate encouragement from Velazquez.

“I kept him busy down the lane,” he said.

The jockey said he has no doubt Audible will be able to handle another 220 yards in the mile and a quarter Kentucky Derby. “The farther we went, the better he got.”

The victory was a record fifth for both the jockey and trainer in Gulfstream’s centerpiece stakes. They combined to win last year with Always Dreaming and five weeks later did the same in the Kentucky Derby.

The win guaranteed a chance for an encore. Going into the Florida Derby, Audible had only 10 qualifying points. The conventional wisdom is it will take at least 40 to earn a spot in the Churchill Downs starting gate. The 100 Derby points awarded to the Florida Derby winner erased that obstacle.

Hofburg, who went into the Florida Derby off a maiden win, probably could go to Kentucky if his connections choose. Multiple stakes winner Catholic Boy, sent off as the second choice, needed at least a place to earn his berth in the Derby, but couldn’t deliver. He made a challenging move on the turn but was unable to sustain it and wound up fourth.

Audible returned $4 and $3. $5.20,