As the horse racing season heats up, two of the most anticipated races are the Florida Derby and the Arkansas Derby. These races are important as they serve as qualifiers for the Kentucky Derby, which is considered the most prestigious horse race in the world. With the races just around the corner, let’s take a look at some predictions for the Florida Derby and Arkansas Derby.
Florida Derby
The Florida Derby is set to take place on March 27th at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. This race is a Grade 1 event and has a purse of $750,000. The race is open to three-year-old thoroughbreds and is run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles.
One of the top contenders for the Florida Derby is Greatest Honour. Trained by Shug McGaughey, this colt has won his last three races, including the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes. With his impressive form, he is currently the favorite to win the Florida Derby.
Another horse to watch out for is Known Agenda. Trained by Todd Pletcher, this colt has shown great potential and won his last race at Gulfstream Park by almost six lengths. He is expected to give Greatest Honour a tough competition.
Arkansas Derby
The Arkansas Derby is scheduled to take place on April 10th at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. This race is also a Grade 1 event and has a purse of $1 million. The race is open to three-year-old thoroughbreds and is run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles.
One of the top contenders for the Arkansas Derby is Concert Tour. Trained by Bob Baffert, this colt has won his last two races, including the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes. With his impressive speed and form, he is expected to be the favorite for the Arkansas Derby.
Another horse to watch out for is Caddo River. Trained by Brad Cox, this colt has also won his last two races, including the Grade 3 Smarty Jones Stakes. He has shown great potential and is expected to give Concert Tour a tough competition.
Conclusion
The Florida Derby and Arkansas Derby are two of the most important horse races leading up to the Kentucky Derby. With some of the top three-year-old thoroughbreds competing, these races are sure to be exciting. While the predictions can change as the race day approaches, Greatest Honour and Concert Tour are currently the favorites to win their respective races. However, anything can happen on race day, and we can expect some surprises and upsets.
