Horse Racing: Florida Derby (6:42 pm ET on CNBC; 11:30 am ET is 1st post), Arkansas Derby (6:48 pm CT on CNBC/FS1); 11:20 am CT is opener) and Fukuryu S. in Japan

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Sunday, March 23, 2025

• Jockeys: The Ortizbrothers are 1-2 in victories during the young 2025 North America racing calendar. But some lesser-known riders are also tearing it up.
  • Third Place: Manny Franco gets some of the best horses this time of year in New York and is generally a local favorite especially while other riders head for warmer or juicier locations such as Fair Grounds, Oaklawn or Florida's tracks.
  • Fifth Place: Samuel Marin is the leading rider at Tampa Bay Downs. He is in his fourth year riding in the US. He began riding at Monmouth (NJ) in 2022.
  • Eighth Place: Erik Barbaran rides mainly on the Ohio-West Virginia circuit during the year but all 56 of his wins have come at Mahoning Valley (OH) where he is the leading jock.

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• Closing Day: The important meet began November 22.
• Jose Ortiz rode five winners. His decision to move his tack from the east coast seems to have been wise. His 98 wins and $4.2+ million earned at the meet were almost doubled his closest challenger.
• Joe Sharp led all trainers with 41 wins. He finished strongly with five wins among 11 sytarters the final three days.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Gulfstream (FL) -- March 29 -- Florida Derby awards 100-50-25-15-10 point scale to the Kentucky Derby

Florida Derby:

• 2025: Sovereignty, one of the leading riders, will not have the services of Junior Alvarado who was injured this weekend. Alvarado could return for the Kentucky Derby.
• HISTORY: One of the biggest Kentucky Derby preps with 15 horses claiming both races. The most recent winner is Always Dreaming (2017). Todd Pletcher has the most Florida Derby wins with seven. In the last 35 years, Florida-breds have won this race four times: Unbridled (1990), the most recent to have also won the Kentucky Derby, Holy Bull (1994), Captain Bodgit (1997) and Hal’s Hope (2000).
• CHEAT SHEET: 2025 Florida Derby Cheat Sheet

Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Post Time
1	$96,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 1/16 M	Turf	11:30 AM ET
2	$96,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	7 F	Dirt	11:59 AM ET
3	$165,000	Cutler Bay S.	7 1/2 F	Turf	12:28 PM ET
4	$165,000	Orchid S.	1 1/2 M	Turf	12:57 PM ET
5	$94,000	Maiden Special Weight	7 F	Dirt	1:26 PM ET
6	$215,000	Pan American S. presented by Rood & Riddle	1 1/2 M	Turf	1:56 PM ET
7	$165,000	Ghostzapper S. presented by FanDuel TV	1 1/16 M	Dirt	2:26 PM ET
8	$97,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 M	Turf	2:56 PM ET
9	$250,000	Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Park Oaks	1 1/16 M	Dirt	3:31 PM ET
10	$165,000	Sanibel Island S.	7 1/2 F	Turf	4:06 PM ET
11	$165,000	Army Mule S.	7 F	Dirt	4:40 PM ET
12	$165,000	Sand Springs S.	1 1/16 M	Turf	5:15 PM ET
13	$165,000	Appleton S. presented by MyRacehorse	1 M	Turf	5:57 PM ET
14	$1,000,000	Curlin Florida Derby presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa	1 1/8 M	Dirt	6:42 PM ET

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Oaklawn (AR) -- March 29 -- Arkansas Derby awards 100-50-25-15-10 point-scale to the Kentucky Derby.

Arkansas Derby:

• 2025: Cornucopian, second-time-out, will have the eyes of plenty after his decisive maiden victory on the same track last month. The race is loaded. Sandman is an enigma to me (7 2-1-2) and could be a defining moment.
• HISTORY: One of the most anticipated Kentucky Derby preps especially in recent years. Todd Pletcher and Bob Baffert have the most winners with five. Coal Battle is a dream horse for the smaller-stables across the land: a $75,000 purchase who has earned in excess of $1,000,000 with five wins in seven starts including entering off a win in the Rebel Stakes here.
• CHEAT SHEET: 2025 Arkansas Derby Cheat Sheet

Race	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Post Times
1	$45,000	Starter Allowance	1 1/8 M	Dirt	11:20 AM CT
2	$110,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 F	Dirt	11:50 AM CT
3	$110,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 F	Dirt	12:22 PM CT
4	$130,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	6 F	Dirt	12:52 PM CT
5	$110,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 F	Dirt	1:24 PM CT
6	$250,000	Matron S.	6 F	Dirt	2:04 PM CT
7	$131,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	6 F	Dirt	2:40 PM CT
8	$500,000	Oaklawn Mile S.	1 M	Dirt	3:17 PM CT
9	$110,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 1/8 M	Dirt	3:53 PM CT
10	$145,000	Eclipse Overnight S.	6 F	Dirt	4:32 PM CT
11	$145,000	American Pharoah Overnight S.	1 1/16 M	Dirt	5:12 PM CT
12	$750,000	Fantasy S.	1 1/16 M	Dirt	6:02 PM CT
13	$1,500,000	Arkansas Derby	1 1/8 M	Dirt	6:48 PM CT
14	$130,000	Allowance	1 1/16 M	Dirt	7:24 PM CT

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Nakayama (Funabashi, Chiba, Japan) -- March 29 -- Fukurya Stakes awards 40-20-12-8-4 point-scale to the Kentucky Derby.

As the fourth and final event on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby, the Fukuryu S. boasts the largest number of points – on a scale of 40-20-12-8-4 – to the top five finishers. The allowance race is also the longest of the Japanese qualifiers, contested at about 1 1/8 miles, and it is the only one staged at a right-handed track, Nakayama. SOURCE: KentuckyDerby.com