2026 Florida Derby Entries at Gulfstream Park

75th Florida Derby Offers 100-50-25-15-10 Kentucky Derby Points To Top-Five Finishers

There's nothing like the Grade 1 Florida Derby! OTB lets you get in on the betting action and enjoy the moment as the industry's top horse owners, trainers and jockeys set the stage for the biggest race day in South Florida.

Between 1953 and 2026, a span of 73 years, the Florida Derby (G1), held annually at Gulfstream Park, has produced Twenty-five Kentucky Derby winners, a record unequaled by any other Road to the Kentucky Derby prep race.

The 75th Curlin Florida Derby on Saturday, March 28 will be a showcase of the world's best horses and jockeys, who all are competing for the coveted title of Florida Derby Winner on their road to the Triple Crown.

The Florida Derby will headline a program with 10 stakes, five graded, worth $2.45 million in purses. Forty-six starters in the 1 1/8-mile event for 3-year-olds have gone on to win a remarkable 62 Triple Crown races, including 26 Kentucky Derbys.

The $250,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2), a 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies, will also be featured on the Florida Derby undercard along with the Orchid (G3), Ghostzapper (G3) and Pan American (G3) presented by Rood & Riddle.

Horseplayers from around the United States can watch and wager on the Florida Derby with OffTrackBetting.com online OTB!

Chief Wallabee 2-1 Florida Derby Favorite

Chief Wallabee (Michael and Katherine Ball), the Coolmore Fountain of Youth (G2) runner-up last month in just his second start, was installed as the narrow 2-1 program favorite over eight rivals during Saturday's post-position draw for the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) on March 28 at Gulfstream Park.

The 75th running of the 1 1/8-mile Florida Derby for 3-year-olds, which debuted in 1952 and has produced the winners of a remarkable 63 Triple Crown races, offers 200 qualifying points for the May 2 Kentucky Derby (G1) to the top five finishers on a 100-50-25-15-10 basis.

The Florida Derby will feature three of the top four horses on Daily Racing Form's Derby Watch list - Chief Wallabee, Commandment and Nearly, respectively ranked second, third and fourth. Another Florida Derby contender, The Puma, is ranked 12th on the DRF list of 20, which mirrors the maximum number of Kentucky Derby starters.

Chief Wallabee will break from Post 2 under jockey Junior Alvarado, aboard for both of the bay son of 2014 Florida Derby winner Constitution's two races. They came from off the pace to win a seven-furlong maiden special weight in debut Jan. 10, then rallied from far back to be beaten a neck in the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth Feb. 28 while trying two turns for the first time.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott is seeking his first win in the Florida Derby. He ran second last year with eventual champion 3-year-old male and Horse of the Year Sovereignty.

Wathnan Racing's Commandment, the Fountain of Youth winner trained by Brad Cox, is second on the morning line at 5-2. By Into Mischief, he graduated in his second start last fall in Kentucky before a popular 6 ¾-length victory in Gulfstream's Mucho Macho Man going a one-turn mile Jan. 3.

Tappan Street's mild upset of Sovereignty last year gave Cox his first win in the Florida Derby. Flavien Prat is set to ride Commandment, the 5-2 second program choice, from Post 4.

Like Commandment, Centennial Farms' Nearly takes a three-race win streak into the Florida Derby. Sixth in his unveiling last fall at Aqueduct, the Not This Time colt is undefeated at Gulfstream starting with a maiden triumph over Florida-breds in November. He then beat winners Jan. 2 and romped in the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull Stakes (G3) Jan. 31 in his two-turn debut, his three wins coming by 20 combined lengths. He is rated third choice on the morning line at 3-1.

Nearly breezed four furlongs in 49.16 seconds Saturday at Palm Beach Downs, fastest of 16 horses. He will break from Post 6 under Hall of Famer John Velazquez, whose six Florida Derby victories are the most of any rider. Each of them have come for Nearly's Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, who owns a record eight wins in the Florida Derby.

OGMA Investments, JR Ranch and High Step Racing's The Puma (9-2 ML), trained by Gustavo Delgado, hails from similar connections that saw Mage run second in the 2023 Florida Derby ahead of his victory in the Kentucky Derby. He ran second to Chief Wallabee at Gulfstream in his unveiling, then ran third in the Sam F. Davis Stakes before his upset victory in the March 7 Tampa Bay Derby (G3), both going 1 1/16 miles.

The Puma worked five furlongs in 1:01.80 Saturday over Gulfstream's main track, ranking eighth of 21 horses. Hall of Famer Javier Castellano gets the riding assignment from Post 8.

Baalbek Corp.'s Wayne's Law (15-1 ML), a son of 2020 Florida Derby winner Tiz the Law trained by Amador Sanchez, most recently finished second to Renegade in the Feb. 7 Sam Davis, 2 ¼ lengths ahead of The Puma. He made his first three career starts at Gulfstream, beating Florida-bred maidens second time out and subsequently winning the open one-mile Aventura in September. Marcos Meneses will ride from Post 3.

Leon Ellman, Glassman Racing and Laurie Plesa's Timeless Victory (20-1 ML) has made six starts for trainer Ed Plesa Jr., all at Gulfstream. The last three have come on dirt with two wins including a six-length optional claiming allowance triumph going 1 1/8 miles March 1, and a third behind Nearly Jan. 2.

Timeless Victory breezed four furlongs in 49.31 seconds over Gulfstream's main track Saturday. He will have the services of regular rider Jose Morelos from Post 7.

JC Racing Stable's Gregarious (50-1 ML), owned and trained by Jose Castro, will be making just his second career start in the Florida Derby having run second in his Feb. 21 debut, a 1 1/8-mile maiden special weight at Gulfstream. He breezed four furlongs in 49.35 seconds Saturday at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, and will break from Post 9 with jockey Rajiv Maragh.

Completing the field are Pin Oak Stud's Albus (Post 1, 20-1ML), a last-out maiden winner going one mile and 40 yards Feb. 27 at Tampa Bay Downs that worked a half-mile in 49.75 seconds Saturday at Palm Meadows; and Calypso Racing Stables' Redland Rebels (Post 5, 15-1 ML), second by a neck in Gulfstream's Jan. 31 Kitten's Joy on the grass that was subsequently fourth in the Tampa Bay Derby and will be cross-entered in the Arkansas Derby (G1) on the same day, according to trainer Patrick Biancone.

Commandment, Chief Wallabee, Nearly, The Puma to Clash in $1M Prep

March 25 - The 75th $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) will be celebrated in style at Gulfstream Park, where a particularly deep field of nine 3-year-olds will feature four of this year's most highly rated Triple Crown prospects.

Commandment and Chief Wallabee, the 1-2 finishers in the Feb. 28 Coolmore Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream; Nearly, a resounding winner of the Jan. 31 Holy Bull (G3) at Gulfstream; and The Puma, coming off a strong Tampa Bay Derby (G3) victory; will clash in the tradition-rich 1 1/8-mile stakes for 3-year-olds.

Trainer Brad Cox, who saddled Tappan Street for a thrilling victory over future Kentucky Derby winner and Horse of the Year Sovereignty in last year's Curlin Florida Derby, will be represented this year by Wathnan Racing's Commandment, who rallied in the 1 1/16-mile Coolmore Fountain of Youth to prevail over Chief Wallabee by a neck.

"From a training standpoint he's fit and ready to go," said Cox, whose Coolmore Fountain of Youth hero has breezed twice in preparation for the Curlin Florida Derby, including a 'bullet' five-furlong workout at Payson Park last Saturday. "Obviously, he passed his first two-turn test with flying colors. I guess the question is, new pilot, but I feel like we're in good hands. We'll see what happens."

Flavien Prat will ride Commandment for the first time Saturday, replacing Irad Ortiz Jr.

Commandment is riding a three-race winning streak, one that includes a maiden special weight triumph at Churchill Downs in his second career start and a commanding 6 ¾-length romp in the one-turn mile Mucho Macho Man Jan. 3 at Gulfstream Park.

"He's a sturdy horse. He's a strong horse. You can't count a rib on this guy. He carries a lot of weight. He's a stout horse, I think is the best way to describe him. He's one that I wouldn't be worried about running back in four weeks," Cox said. "We gave him plenty of time after the Mucho Macho Man leading up to the Fountain of Youth, so now we're starting to do a little more with him and he's responded well."

The son of Into Mischief is rated second on the Curlin Florida Derby morning line at 5-2, while Chief Wallabee has been installed as the 2-1 morning-line favorite for only his third career start.

Michael and Katherine Ball's Chief Wallabee, a seven-furlong debut winner Jan. 10 at Gulfstream, made impressive two-turn and graded-stakes debuts in the Coolmore Fountain of Youth, in which he made a four-wide sweep on the far turn to engage pacesetter Solitude Dude at the top of the stretch and prevailed over the previously undefeated colt following a stretch duel, only to be caught late by Commandment.

Chief Wallabee's Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, who saddled Sovereignty for his runner-up finish behind Tappan Street in the Curlin Florida Derby, said Chief Wallabee faces a greater challenge in this year's running.

"I don't compare horses. I think that's a mistake. They are different horses. Sovereignty had a foundation in him. He had three races as a 2-year-old. He had two good races as a 3-year-old," Mott said. "This horse has only had two races total. So, I think it's a big ask. And I realize that. It's a huge ask. I think he's very talented, and he's a nice horse. He'd have to overcome history."

Chief Wallabee, a son of 2014 Curlin Florida Derby winner Constitution, will only be Mott's fourth starter in the Curlin Florida Derby. He has finished second three times.

"I never had the horses for it. There are some (trainers) who wake up in the morning and that's the only thing they think about," said Mott, whose stable was dominated by turf horses earlier in his career. "Believe me, we're enthusiastic about it, and maybe more so now than ever. But you've got to have the right horses."

Chief Wallabee, who will be ridden by Junior Alvarado, has the opportunity to win one of the very few important stakes that have eluded his trainer.

"I'd love to (win the Florida Derby). We won the Met Mile two years ago with Cody's Wish. That was on my bucket list. And the Travers, which we got last year (with Sovereignty). Besides that, that covers most of the bases," Mott said.

Fellow Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will seek his record-extending ninth Curlin Florida Derby victory when he saddles Centennial Farms' Nearly Saturday.

Nearly, who is rated third on the morning-line at 3-1, has won three races in a row at Gulfstream by a total of 20 lengths, including a dominating 5 ¾-length victory in the Jan. 31 Holy Bull (G3), a 1 1/16-mile Curlin Florida Derby prep that followed victories in a six-furlong maiden special weight and a seven-furlong optional claiming allowance.

"His races have been super. As expected, this will be the most difficult race he's been in, but at the same time he's handled everything at Gulfstream the way we hoped," Pletcher said. "He handled the stretch-out and is certainly training like you'd like to see one coming into a race like this."

After three races in relatively quick succession, Pletcher opted to bypass the Coolmore Fountain of Youth with Nearly.

"That's what we decided and hopefully it works out. We're pleased with the way he's coming up to it," Pletcher said. "His training has gone extremely well since the Holy Bull. Everything's gone according to plan, knock on wood. He's doing really great."

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez has the return call on Nearly.

Trainer Gustavo Delgado, who saddled Mage for a second-place finish in the 2023 Curlin Florida Derby prior to his Kentucky Derby victory, will saddle OGMA Investments LLC., JR Racing and High Step Racing's The Puma for a start in Gulfstream's premier prep Saturday.

The son of Essential Quality is coming off an impressive off-the-pace victory in the March 7 Tampa Bay Derby (G3) in his third career start.

The Puma debuted at Gulfstream Jan. 10, when he recovered from a slow start to take the lead in the stretch, only to be caught by Chief Wallabee.

"We always liked the horse from the start. We felt like he was a very smart, talented horse," said Delgado's son and assistant Gustavo Delgado Jr., noting that the son of Essential Quality was a 'value' $150,000 purchase at the 2025 OBS April sale. "We took our time. That's the reason we didn't race him as a 2-year-old. He has a great disposition. We were patient with him and put a good foundation in him. That's what we always do when we have a horse we think can campaign in these kinds of races. First time out, we thought it would take a really good horse to beat him, and definitely that was the case."

The Puma finished third in the Feb. 7 Sam Davis at Tampa Bay Downs before going on to win the Tampa Bay Derby

"Going into the [Tampa Bay Derby] what we had in mind was that he needed a clean trip because a month earlier in the Sam Davis, we encountered all sorts of trouble, traffic inside horses," Delgado Jr. said. "For the Tampa Bay Derby, I think we knew more about him. The game plan for that race was to stay away from horses and stay outside. I think the (outside) post position helped us to stay outside of horses."

The Puma, who is rated fourth at 9-2 on the morning line, drew the No. 8 post position for Saturday's race. Hall of Famer Javier Castellano has the return mount.

Baalbek Corp.'s Wayne's Law, who broke his maiden in his second start by 6 ¾ lengths and won the Aventura by 7 ¼ lengths back-to-back last year at Gulfstream, will enter the Curlin Florida Derby coming off a runner-up finish in his 2026 debut in the Sam Davis, in which he finished 3 ¾ lengths behind victorious Renegade and 2 ¼ lengths ahead of The Puma.

Marcos Meneses has the return mount on the Amador Sanchez-trained son of 2020 Curlin Florida Derby victor Tiz the Law. Wayne's Law is rated at 15-1 on the morning line, along with Redland Rebels.

Calypso Racing Stables LLC's Redland Rebels enters the Curlin Florida Derby coming off a fourth-place finish in the Tampa Bay Derby, in which he set the pace into the stretch. The Patrick Biancone-trained son of Uncle Chuck broke his maiden on turf last year and finished second in the Kitten's Joy on grass at Gulfstream in his 2026 debut.

Joel Rosario has the call on Redland Rebels, who is cross-entered in Saturday's Arkansas Derby (G1) at Oaklawn.

Eddie Plesa Jr. will saddle the last starter of his distinguished training career Saturday at Gulfstream, where he will be represented in the Curlin Florida Derby by Leon Ellman, Glassman Racing LLC and wife Laurie Plesa's Timeless Victory (20-1ML). The son of By My Standards, who finished third behind Nearly in a Jan. 2 seven-furlong optional claiming allowance, made an auspicious two-turn debut while winning a 1 1/8-mile optional claiming allowance by six lengths March 1.

Jose Morelos has the return mount aboard Timeless Victory.

Pin Oak Stud LLC's Albus (20-1ML), who raced twice last year, will enter the Curlin Florida Derby coming off a sharp 2026 debut victory by 6 ¾ lengths in a two-turn maiden special weight Feb. 27 at Tampa Bay Downs. Trained by Riley Mott, former assistant to his Hall of Fame dad, Albus will be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione.

The 2026 Curlin Florida Derby field will be rounded out by trainer Jose Castro's Gregarious, a son of Mo Town who finished second in a 1 1/8-mile maiden special weight Feb. 21 at Gulfstream in his career debut. Rated at 50-1 on the morning line, Gregarious will be ridden by Rajiv Maragh.

Commandment Possible Florida Derby

March 1 - Wathnan Racing's Commandment was looking good at Payson Park Sunday on the morning after passing the two-turn test in the $425,000 Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park.

"He looks great this morning," trainer Brad Cox said. "We're real pleased with him."

Commandment, who was coming off a 5 3/4 romp in the one-turn mile Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream Jan. 3, dug deep in the final sixteenth of a mile to capture Saturday's 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth by a neck over Chief Wallabee. The son of Into Mischief rated off the early pace before moving into contention entering the turn into the homestretch and cutting the corner to pass inside leader Solitude Dude at the top of the stretch. Immediately, confronted by Chief Wallabee, who made a three-wide move past Solitude Dude, Commandment fought off his challenger to stamp himself as a prime prospect for the $1-million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) March 29 at Gulfstream.

However, Commandment's work was far from done when he hit the first finish line used for 1 1/16-mile races on Gulfstream's 1 1/8-mile main track. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. asked him for more, and the 2-1 favorite responded by continuing to gallop out with good energy to the second finish line.

"I think it was important that Irad asked him to run to the second wire there for the experience moving forward. If we pursue the Florida Derby, it makes sense to continue on to the second wire," Cox said. "You're only doing it if everything's going well. If you're fading or not doing well down the lane, you don't ask him, but if you have horse and you're finishing well, you may as well go ahead and educate him, stay on, and finish up."

Commandment, who rallied to finish fourth in his six-furlong career debut at Keeneland before winning a seven-furlong allowance at Churchill Downs and the Mucho Macho Man, has impressed Cox with his development leading into his successful graded stakes debut in the Coolmore Fountain of Youth.

"I think his first run at Keeneland, if you actually watch it and watch the gallop-out, he showed a good bit there as well. It was a better performance on tape than it was on paper. I think it was a fair way of looking at it," Cox said. "He's been nothing but impressive, the way I look at it, in the afternoons from the time he broke his maiden, won the Mucho Macho Man, and yesterday."

Commandment earned 50 Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying points with his impressive Fountain of Youth score. Michael and Katherine Ball's Chief Wallabee earned 25 Derby points for his strong second-place finish in just his second career start.

Trained by Bill Mott, who saddled 2025 Horse of the Year Sovereignty for a victory in last year's Fountain of Youth, Chief Wallabee entered the 80th running of the important Triple Crown prep off just a 1 1/2-length debut victory in a seven-furlong maiden special weight at Gulfstream Jan. 10.

Mott said following the Fountain of Youth that there are 'four or five races to choose from' for the son of Constitution's next start.

Chris Fountoukis' Solitude Dude, who finished two lengths behind Chief Wallabee in third, earned 15 Derby points but isn't likely to need them. The son of Yaupon, who had won his first three career starts by a combined margin of more than 20 lengths around one turn, came up short in his two-turn debut Saturday.

"I thought Solitude ran great. Distance might have gotten the best of him. Incredible effort. I feel like he'll be tough when he gets back to one turn," trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said Sunday. "Two good horses beat him. We didn't lose anything in defeat."

Albert Ciuffetelli, Stepanie Brennan and Shining Stable's Bravaro, who finished second behind Nearly in the Jan. 31 Holy Bull (G3), disappointed Joseph with Saturday's fourth-place finish, 8 3/4 lengths behind Solitude Dude, under Tyler Gaffalione.

"I thought he would run better than that. He had a hard time early in the race, he got checked twice. He was in a compromised spot. He was close enough at the 3/8ths pole to the first two and he didn't continue that momentum. That for me, I do question distance as well," Joseph said. "In the Holy Bull we thought he needed the race. He didn't need this race, obviously. His forward progression stalled. I don't know if it was because of the trip, Tyler was confident it was the trip that caused that stall, but distance is a question mark, and he'll have to prove himself. We're going to wait a little bit before we decide what we do next time. We'll talk it over with the owners."

Holy Bull Winner Nearly Possible for 2026 Florida Derby (G1)

Feb 1 - Centennial Farms' Nearly was feeling his oats at Palm Beach Downs Sunday morning in the aftermath of his eye-catching 5 3/4-length triumph in Saturday's $275,000 Holy Bull (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

"He came back well," trainer Todd Pletcher reported. "He was feeling frisky this morning."

Making his two-turn and stakes debuts in the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds, Nearly stamped himself as a leading prospect for this year's Kentucky Derby (G1) with his dominating effort, in which he pressed the pace set by 3-2 favorite Cannoneer into the home turn before pulling away and drawing clear to his third straight victory at Gulfstream.

"We thought it was a really strong performance. He put himself in a good spot. They were going pretty quickly early on, but it seemed like he was in a good cruising speed," Pletcher said. "We liked the two-turn stretch-out. It was pretty much what we were hoping for."

The son of Not This Time, the 8-5 second betting choice ridden by John Velazquez, had previously bounced back from a disappointing sixth-place finish in his Oct. 26 debut at Aqueduct with a pair of overpowering victories at Gulfstream by a combined 14 1/4 lengths.

"I haven't had a chance to sit down with anybody to talk about what we're doing for sure. I don't like making any decisions immediately after a race. One of the things we talked about was [Saturday's] race was his third race in a relatively short period, but we wanted to give him some two-turn experience and he handled that," Pletcher said. "Now that he handled that, we're probably in a position where we can give him a little extra time for the next one."

Due to his frequent participation at Gulfstream, Nearly is more likely to train up to the $1-million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) March 28 at Gulfstream than return in the $400,000 Fountain of Youth (G2) Feb. 28.

"Since he's 3-for-3 at Gulfstream, I think the Florida Derby would be a logical target, but we'll see how he does and how he bounces back, which will kind of dictate what we do. I would say once we have that discussion, that's probably the most likely scenario," Pletcher said.

Pletcher-trained Audible won the 2018 Holy Bull before going on to win the Florida Derby in his next start and finishing third in the Kentucky Derby (G1). With Saturday's victory, Nearly earned 20 qualifying points toward starting eligibility in the May 2 classic at Churchill Downs.

Pletcher has saddled eight winners of the Florida Derby.

Bravaro, who finished second in the Holy Bull, is likely to return in the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said Sunday. The New York-bred son of Upstart was closest in pursuit of the dueling pacesetters and held well in the stretch to finish second, 2 3/4 lengths ahead of late closing Project Ace, who was 1 1/4 lengths ahead of a late-fading Cannoneer.

Bravaro, campaigned by Albert Ciuffetelli, Steffani Brennan, Shining Stables LLC, BAG Racing Stables, and Paul Braverman, was undefeated in two starts in New York-bred company at Aqueduct and had been inactive since winning the Oct. 25 Sleepy Hollow

"We wanted him to show up around two turns off the layoff, and he did," Joseph said. "He's a very nice horse and should move forward off that race."

Bravaro's sire Upstart captured the 2015 Holy Bull before finishing second in the Fountain of Youth and the Florida Derby.

Joseph raised the possibility that Chris Fountoukis' Solitude Dude, whom he saddled for a 3 3/4-length victory in the Swale, a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds, could join Bravaro in the Fountain of Youth. However, he continued to express doubts about the son of Yaupon's breeding for two turns.

"Nothing yet as far as we're we'll go. If he did stretch out it would be the Fountain of Youth," Joseph said.

Undefeated Solitude Dude is 3-for-3 around one turn. He entered the Swale 2-for-2 by a combined 17 1/2 lengths.

"I think he's an upper-level talent. Two turns is a question mark, but I think he's an upper-level talent," Joseph said.

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