Get Ready for the Florida Derby
The Florida Derby was inaugurated in 1952 and is a Grade 1 race, with a very attractive purse of $1 million. Hosted by Gulfstream Park Racecourse in Florida, this magnificent racing event will once again attract some of the top three-year-old horses on 29 March 2008. In past years, legendary horses such as Nashua (1955), Alydar (1978), Barbaro (2006) and last year’s winner, Scat Daddy, have added their names to the distinguished roll. This year, however, there are many surprises in store and it is guaranteed to be a very exciting race.
Usually, when browsing through the list of entries for a racing event like the Florida Derby, the names of horses come up that have a fairly good racing history and have proven that they have what it takes to run in such a major event. This year, there are two relatively unknowns, and it has the entire horse racing industry buzzing.
The first mysterious horse goes by the name of Big Brown. Trainer, Rick Dutrow, is extremely excited at the prospect of finding out how well his horse will perform at such a big race and does not seem in the least bit surprised or worried about the stir Big Brown has caused. Every jockey who has mounted him has commented on his magnificent long stride and smooth riding experience. He has shown that he has the speed and strength to perform well, winning his second start in his racing career and taking the title home in a maiden turf race that was held at Saratoga. Even though Big Brown will be going up against renowned competitors, Dutrow has faith that his horse will definitely be thrilling spectators and giving it his best all the way to the finish line.
The other horse of unknown capabilities is Tomcito. Although the has won four of his five career starts, all his races were run in Peru, which makes it hard to judge how his performance will be against the Florida Derby field. But then again, he did not win his races through close finishes; Tomcito is known to put an average distance of ten lengths between himself and the horse in second position. Tomcito is seen as a horse for the people, as he was purchased for a mere $7 500, but has shown tremendous talent and potential. Proving that horse racing is not just a sport for the rich, but for average people with big dreams, has gained favor for Tomicito with the public.
Although the camps of Tomcito and Big Brown realize that winning with competition such as Face the Cat and Fierce Wind is not going to be an easy accomplishment, they hope that their horses will run their own races, and because their strength against these competitors and each other are unknown, they look forward to the excitement of seeing their horses do the best they can.
