Florida Derby winner and 2008 Kentucky Derby favorite Big Brown blew through five furlongs at Palm Meadows early Thursday morning in :58 3/5, and while most trainers handle their nerves by counting sheep at night, horse trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. eagerly counts the days in the runup to the May 3 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

“It’s a horse race, and I have the best horse in the race. It’s that simple,” he told a group of reporters assembled outside his office. “We’re going to Kentucky to win, anything less than that is not going to be OK with us. There’s such good karma going around the stable now that I don’t see how he can get beat.”

Big Brown, who is owned by IEAH Stable and Paul Pompa Jr., will be Dutrow’s first Kentucky Derby starter.

While other 2008 Kentucky Derby contenders were in the spotlight in stakes races at Keeneland, Oaklawn Park and Gulfstream Park Saturday, 2008 Kentucky Derby favorite Big Brown worked at Palm Meadows that morning and Mt. Joy Stables’ Smooth Air continued his preparation for the 134th Kentucky Derby (gr. I) at Calder Race Course Sunday morning with a sharp mile workout timed in 1:41, a very impressive move over that surface.

Trained by Bennie Stutts Jr., Smooth Air has $290,000 in graded-stakes earnings after his runner-up effort behind Big Brown in the $1 million Florida Derby (gr. I) at Gulfstream Park on March 29. The homebred chestnut by Smooth Jazz is due to work again next Saturday before boarding a Tex Sutton Forwarding charter flight for Louisville Sunday.

Hey Byrn won the $150,000 Holy Bull Stakes (gr. III), one of the 2008 Kentucky Derby prep races, on Saturday, April 12, at Gulfstream Park.

Ridden by Charles Lopez, Hey Byrn ran 1 3/16 miles in 1:58.14 and paid $4, $3 and $2.20. Hey Byrn, a long shot to make the Kentucky Derby field, was coming off a fourth-place finish in the Florida Derby behind Big Brown, one of the leading 2008 Kentucky Derby contenders, on March 29.

Coming in 2 lengths behind, Dream Maestro under jockey Manoel Cruz returned $4.80 and $2.80. Famous Patriot with jockey Eddie Castro aboard is third and paid $2.20 to show.

Big Brown stamped himself as the nation’s top 3-year-old Saturday as he muscled his way to a 5-length victory in the $1 million Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park Saturday, March 29.

Starting from the far outside post number 12 was not a problem for Big Brown, who clearly established himself as the favorite for the 2008 Kentucky Derby on May 3 at Churchill Downs. And entering Saturday, no horse from the 11th or 12th post had won a 1 1/8-mile horse race since Gulfstream Park was reconfigured four years ago.

Big Brown cruised through the stretch, winning in 1:48.16 for horse trainer Richard Dutrow, Jr. and returned $5, $3.80 and $3.20. Smooth Air, ridden by jockey Manoel Cruz, paid $12.60 and $7.60, and Tomcito, with jockey Jorge Chavez aboard, returned $6.20 to show.

Big Brown needed this win to earn graded stakes money needed to qualify to be one of the Kentucky Derby entries if more than 20 horses entered. He came into the race with no graded-stakes earnings, but collected $600,000 to easily qualify.

The $1 million Florida Derby (gr. I) is unquestionably one of the country’s historic and important 3-year-old races. Raced at 1 1/8 miles in Gulfstream Park, it is one of the major prep races for the 2008 Kentucky Derby.

A full field of twelve horses were drawn for the 57th running of the Florida Derby on Saturday, March 29. Horses racing in the 2008 Florida Derby with jockeys and morning line odds:

1. Fierce Wind under jockey Cornelio Velasquez, 6-1
2. Smooth Air under jockey Manoel Cruz, 12-1
3. Da’ Tara under jockey Joe Bravo, 20-1
4. Tomcito under jockey Jorge Chavez, 12-1
5. Cool Gator under jockey Eddie Castro, 20-1
6. Nistle’s Crunch under jockey Julien Leparoux, 10-1
7. B B Frank under jockey Javier Castellano, 20-1
8. Elysium Fields under jockey Eibar Coa, 4-1
9. Hey Byrn under jockey Jose Lezcano, 5-1
10. Majestic Warrior under jockey Rene Douglas, 15-1
11. Face the Cat under jockey John Velazquez, 8-1
12. Big Brown under jockey Kent Desormeaux, 3-1

By GREG MELIKOV

If the size of the $1 million Florida Derby field is any indication, it’s going to be a wide-open affair. As many as a dozen sophomores could be battling it out Saturday afternoon.

Over the past four decades I’ve witnessed just about every race, mostly in person, but some on TV or via simulcast. Quite a few have been impressive, but my fondest memory goes back to 1995 when I was trackside at Gulfstream Park.

The $200,000 Shirley Jones Handicap (G2) for fillies and mares at seven furlongs was scheduled for last Saturday at Gulfstream Park with a field of seven, but day-long downpours forced the cancellation of the last four races, including the Shirley Jones.
Racing Secretary Bill Couch has rescheduled the race for Saturday and it will be re-drawn [...]