Preview – Grade 1 Florida Derby

Who’s going to the Bluegrass Derby?

We’ll be finding out on Saturday as 14 hopeful trainers send out their 3yos in the Grade 1 $1,000,000 Florida Derby, a Derby Lock prep.

After Saturday’s race, it will only be five weeks until the first Saturday in May.

The Derby Trail is getting down to brass tacks.

Only the very top qualifiers in the Florida Derby are guaranteed a spot in the starting gate on the first Saturday in May. For the vast majority of the field, there’s only one way.

Win.

That task became markedly easier on Wednesday when four-time Trainer of the Year Texasace shocked the Florida racing office with an 11th-hour withdrawal of the No. 2 horse in the division, CANDY PEGASUS.

Early Wednesday morning, Texasace walked into the Florida racing office and announced his intention.

“I’m withdrawing Candy Pegasus,” he said.

“Oh no!” exclaimed the chief steward. “Something go wrong?”

“No, the horse is fine.”

“Then you’ll run!”

“Sure I will, but not in Florida.”

After a van ride to the airport, Candy Pegasus was put aboard a plane and flown all the way to Simulated Dubai for the Sand Castle lock prep. 

Observers of the Derby Trail were left to wonder why Texasace would make such a move. Why would he ship all the way to Dubai with the intention of returning to Kentucky for the Bluegrass Derby? Why would he leave Florida when he’d already given his horse a prep race over the track? Why would he abandon what looks to be a favorable pace situation in the Florida Derby? (There’s a proliferation of speedballs and Candy Pegasus is a deep closer.)

One possibility is that Texasace wanted a chance at that off track in the Sand Castle. (The track came up good over there.) Or, maybe Texasace took a look at both fields and decided he would have a better chance overseas. 

Only the trainer knows.

The departure of the No. 2 horse leaves the Florida Derby a little less top-heavy, and opens the door just a little wider for the trainers who are hoping to win and qualify for the Bluegrass Derby.

Having gotten an early start on this article, a paragraph already was prepared for Candy Pegasus. Instead of deleting it, we’ll just move it to the bottom. 

The defection of Candy Pegasus elevates SIMBESTO to the top qualifying position. Simbesto has 208 stakes points, good for the No. 4 spot in the division. Win or lose on Saturday, Mano will be sitting in the Simulated owner’s box in Kentucky on the first Saturday in May. Simbesto does his running from the back. In our last BTB coverage of this colt, we said his name sounded like that of a Sim magician who magically appears in the winner’s circle. Last out, he not-so-magically appeared in fourth place in the Grade I Vermont Is 4 Lovers. In retrospect however, that run was probably not that bad at all. According to Trotter, author of the Bluegrass Derby Watch, this year’s running of the Vermont Is 4 Lovers was the fastest version of that race ever run. The 10th-place horse in Vermont, SMARTNESS WANTED, came back to run second last week in the Grade 2 Land’s End. While Mano probably was a bit disappointed to see Simbesto miss the board, there are positive signs to take from his effort. He ran a career-best speed figure of 103 at nine furlongs, so it appears the distance of the Florida Derby is not going to be a problem. In re-watching the Vermont race, it is easy to see that we can respect Simbesto’s effort in that race. He had a lousy post in No. 13 and had a tough, wide trip around that first turn. He still was able to make a move and reach contention at the head of the lane, and never was giving up any ground at any point in the race. That effort should set him up well for a strong run in the Florida Derby.

If you like Simbesto off his fourth-place run in the Vermont Is 4 Lovers, then you have to love JUST GOOD ENOUGH, a brown son of Corinthian who saw a four-race winning streak busted last out with a third-place finish in that Vermont race. After racing just off the pace and then passing horses in the lane while building his winning streak, Just Good Enough moved a lot sooner in the Vermont race. After sitting second in the early going, veteran rider N. Gardner went right to the lead with six furlongs yet to run. It only took Just Good Enough a quarter mile to discourage the two frontrunners who tried to set the early pace, but by then, the real threat emerged. Houseriot’s RAM N RAID, the eventual winner who is entered to run next week in New York in the Grade 1 Wooden Indian, came after Just Good Enough. After making that early move, Gardner had used too much horse to defend. Ram N Raid went by at the head of the lane. By the end, Parting Skies came with a late run to take second money away. Nextbonus was left with a disappointing third. It always hurts to have a winning streak snapped, so we went to the Simulated backstretch to catch up with this inveterate trainer and find out how his classy 3yo is doing. What were your thoughts after the Vermont race, Bill? “I was frankly disappointed,” said Nextbonus. “I thought he should have won. The jock moved too soon. He should be farther off the pace this week.” Have you changed jockey instructions? “Yes.” From what to what? “From jockey select to .64, and his effort reduced from 100 percent to 80.” Wow, so you’re not going all out on Saturday? “Effort is widely misunderstood. He will be all out unless clearly beaten. If he has a problem, I don’t want to ruin him for the Derby.” It’s not a make-or-break race then, is it? He’s going to the Derby win or lose. “If he has enough points, yes.” He’s got 117 points now, will that be enough? “I have no idea. There are several derby locks coming up. He’s 11th right now.” Is he going to win? “He’s as good as I can get him. If he moves forward again, he should be right there.” Can I sit with you in your owner’s box on Saturday? “Yeah, please do.” All right old buddy, good luck. “Thanks, see you Saturday.” This is a serious, classy horse and a trainer who puts his old-timey knowledge to use year after year in the Sim. If what the sharpies are saying about the Vermont race is true, Just Good Enough not only should be right there in the Florida Derby, but he might be right there in the Bluegrass Derby, too.

Now we get to the horses who must win on Saturday to make it into the Bluegrass Derby. These are the trainers with the most on the line in the Florida Derby, starting with the brilliant veteran Haack, representing Hispano Parlante. Haack has 50 barns, has started 27,414 horses in his career, and has won 21.3 percent of his races, for a total of 5,846 victories. Of those 50 stables, 10 have won 200 or more races. This is a major player throughout the history of the Sim and it does not look like that’s going to change anytime soon. Haack retains his major interest in the game, and even after all these years, has opened some new barns recently that are winning at a healthy clip. Never mind all of that, says Haack. What about my horse? EL QUERREQUERRE is a chestnut son of Giant’s Causeway which is named for a bird. The querrequerre is a magpie with mostly green plumage. Like his namesake, El Querrequerre flew in his last race. Stretching out to two turns for the first time in the Grade 3 Risen Star Stakes, El Querrequerre exploded with a gigantic 112 speed figure. Didn’t that little green bird fly in his stakes debut? Wow. Facing a full field of 14, Haack was asking a lot of his colt that day. He was making that dreaded double jump in both class and distance. Normally, that’s too much to ask of a horse. Plus, if they run bad, a trainer doesn’t know whether to blame the class or distance. Faced with the most difficult challenge of his career, El Querrequerre responded with a gigantic race. He broke second, between three horses, and hard pressed on the outside by Balata’s talented PRESPECTOR. Those two conducted a race-long battle to the wire, with El Querrequerre prevailing by a length. There were five lengths between Prespector and the third-place horse, so those two put on a great show in the Risen Star. Can El Querrequerre do it again in the Florida Derby and earn a trip to Louisville? Watch out. That little bird can fly!

A 3yo colt wins five races in a row on the turf. Quick, Sim racing enthusiasts, what’s your next move? If you said switch to dirt, then you’re in agreement with one of the best, Given. FEALTY is a 3yo chestnut son of Curlin out of one of Given’s many AP Indy mares. This horse has a remarkable racing record, winning seven of eight races so far. Last out, he captured the Grade 1 Vermont Is 4 Lovers grass race for 3yos with a sparkling 108 speed figure at the Florida Derby distance of nine furlongs. Fortunately, we were able to catch up with this ultra-sharp trainer in the chat room. “He started his career two for three on dirt,” said Given. “His dam won the Alabama and was second in the Breeders Bowl Ladies Distaff, so I’m taking a shot.” Fealty means allegiance or loyalty. “The dam’s name is THE WORD, which is a reference to a character in Game of Thrones … Brienne … who then swears Fealty to Lady Catelyn Stark.” You’d think a guy who won five in a row might be loyal to the grass course. “I know,” said Given. “I’m desperate to win the Derby so I’m giving him a shot. There is plenty of time to get him ready for the big summer grass races if he doesn’t run well.” I guess a trainer has to be confident in a horse that’s won seven of eight lifetime. “He’s already a Grade 1 winner on turf. Running one race on dirt won’t set him back on turf. Have to take the shot.” As great a trainer as Given is, he has not had much luck in the Bluegrass Derby. He’s started only three horses, and they finished 13th, 17th and 18th. “I’ve run second in both the Middle Jewel and New Yorker, and both times lost to fillies.” He also never has won an Oaks. We’ll see if a major surface switch can get this kingpin of the GR Simsters another shot at the Bluegrass Derby.

One of the features of this year’s running of the Florida Derby is the presence of two of the more unconventional trainers in the Sim. The first is Mrlucky, who will be looking for improvement from longshot LUCKY’S WIDOW. (Later comes my old friend Graywolf.) No matter how long the Sim lasts, no trainer ever will pull a more unconventional move than what Mrlucky did back in 2010 with LUCKY’S HOWIE. In what always will remain one of the most astounding feats in Sim training, Mrlucky prepped Lucky’s Howie for the Bluegrass Derby with a 5.5-furlong sprint. Other trainers laughed at Mrlucky’s approach. After the race, they weren’t laughing anymore. They were cursing. Lucky’s Howie shocked the Sim with a two-length victory in the 2010 Bluegrass Derby. You have to appreciate a trainer who is willing to defy conventional wisdom and make it work. That’s kind of what Mrlucky is doing in the Florida Derby with Lucky’s Widow, though maybe not to the outlandish extent of what happened in 2010. None of the other trainers are going to be shaking in their boots when they look at this brown son of Sea the Stars. His lifetime-best speed figure is only 97. He dawdled home in 11th last out the Grade 3 Giant Slayer Classic. In that race, he finished far back of ELITE SENSE, who last week ran only a well beaten fifth in the Grade 2 Land’s End. One interesting footnote to this colt’s past performance history is evidence that Mrlucky is still making that 5.5 furlong prep race work. Lucky’s Widow ran that short sprint distance three back, then won two back going 7.5 furlongs. There are multiple reasons to doubt this colt, but the same could be said in 2010 about Lucky’s Howie, couldn’t it?

You have to give Pointblank a lot of credit because this is a name I keep seeing again and again anytime I preview a graded race for the BTB. This guy has some quality stock. There are a lot of trainers with a lot more barns who do not have the same kind of graded stock which Pointblank has. He has 23 stables, and tons of bluebloods. I guess he’d better. He’s keeping company with that tough bunch called the GR Simsters. Pointblank sends out another of his well bred colts in the Florida Derby in A GIANT EVENT, a brown son of Pulpit out of his Giant’s Causeway mare, TRAGIC EVENT. He’s a late runner, and will take well back off the pace before trying to make a run. This horse has a lot to prove in terms of class, speed figures and ability at the distance. He’ll make his first start going nine furlongs in the Florida Derby. He’ll take his second crack at graded company after finishing up the track in his only other try. His lifetime-best number is only 98. I guess the question a handicapper has to ask about this colt is whether he can see the potential for improvement. That’s what this horse is going to need to earn his ticket to Louisville. If not? So what? Pointblank has a nice horse here that is bound to improve with age. If you weren’t trying to handicap him against some of the heavy heads in here, you would say his form looks fine. Draw a line through that failed Grade 2 run, and A Giant Event is in the exacta in five of his last six races. He’s a late runner, so maybe if the front end falls apart? It will take some creative handicapping to figure a way for a horse to succeed against multiple disadvantages. Now watch him go!

The CON10DER Racing Stables will represent Empire State Racing in the Florida Derby with REGAL CONTENDER, a chestnut scratch-bred son of Regal Ransom. This colt will attempt to translate a two-race winning streak at allowance company into a massive Grade 1 score. We’ve seen this kind of maneuver work in the very recent past, just last week in the Land’s End, when Lenny jumped his EVIL SUNRISE all the way from an entry-level allowance win to a Grade 2 victory. Much like Lenny’s colt, Regal Contender is proven at the distance, now must prove himself at the class. But, at least Con10der has given his horse a building block to move forward into the race. He’s proven he can run nine furlongs effectively, and the graduation into triple-digit speed figure territory last out catches the handicapper’s eye. If this colt can somehow pull this off on Saturday, he’ll return to a Kentucky track with which he’s very familiar. Regal Contender has run well all three times he’s raced over the Kentucky circuit. He’s only raced once here in Florida when third in a mile race while at his initial N2L condition. This horse looked like no world beater as a 2yo, hitting the board but unable to break his initial condition. He has improved since he’s been stretched out from a mile to nine furlongs. At least he’s got that working for him. This horse is being asked a lot to jump to a Grade 1 off six races in allowance company. He was up the track in his only stakes try, and that was of the non-graded variety. 

REDALERT Racing Stables, a modestly sized seven-barn outfit with two of the stables representing Ireland, is moving up too with EXBOURNE’S DEIMOS. This brown son of Awesome Again is fast out of the gate. He’s broken in front of the field and led at the second call in seven of nine career races. He stretches out to nine furlongs here after sprinting away from an allowance field going shorter. We can expect only one thing from Exbourne’s Deimos. He’s going to try to set the pace. Redalert ships him to the United States after a rigorous racing schedule so far in 2013. The horse started only five times as a 2yo, but has started four times already this year. His last three races all have been on two weeks’ rest. Now, he gets a full month off before his big chance in the Florida Derby. While some handicappers may casually dismiss this colt, they might regret it when they turn out of the backstretch. Exbourne’s Deimos is liable to have a clear lead. If he doesn’t he’s probably in trouble, although he did win two back on the rare occasion of failing to set the pace. Is he dangerous speed? It’s hard to say. Haack’s talented colt likes to race near the front, so Exbourne’s Deimos is going to have a heavy head near him in the early going here. Like several others, he’s going to have to improve to contend here. But, this is a blueblood who might show hidden talent on the stretchout. He’s got Kingmambo in the middle and Sadler’s Wells on the back end. He’s going to have to run faster, but the horse is five for nine lifetime and three for four at the distance. At the very least, he adds to the early pace.

Longtime Simmer RCDLogan, who sometime soon will start his 30,000th horse, has another one to add to the early-pace scenario with GUSHER WELLS, a speedy brown son of Stormy Atlantic. In 10 career races going as long as 8.5 furlongs, Gusher Wells has made the lead in eight. So, that’s two confirmed speedballs in a row here. It currently appears the greatest likelihood is that we’ll see a fast early pace in the Florida Derby. If current form holds true in the New Sim for 3yo speed figs, we might see these colts blow up the speed figure in this race. It appears likely that a lot of stakes records for 3yos are going to fall this year. That includes the Bluegrass Derby. The fastest speed figure ever run in the Bluegrass Derby is 111, according to BTB Editor T. Squirrel. We’ve got a horse in this race who’s already run a 112. Of course, the added distance of the Derby may make it more difficult for this year’s crop to make a big number, but the record’s in danger if the current trend holds. Now, back to the horse. Gusher Wells romped last out while unchallenged on the front end of a five-horse allowance on a good track. Now, he jumps all the way to Grade 1 to race a distance he’s never tried before. To make matters worse, he’s likely to have company on the front end. It’s a tough spot, but no matter what happens on Saturday, RCDLogan can consider the first progeny of his Street Sense mare Hardwater Wells a success.

Now we get to the aforementioned Graywolf, the second of two unconventional trainers featured in the Florida Derby. He’ll represent Queensland here with HEROS CALL, who, (get this, folks) has not yet won a race! If entering a maiden in the Florida Derby ain’t unconventional, I don’t know what is. All of us old-timers have seen some crazy stuff happen at the racetrack in our day, but if this horse wins, I will attempt to eat my Simulated hat. This is one of those wild, second-itis horses who runs second no matter what class of race he’s in. Graywolf watched the horse run second three times in a row, and five times out of seven in maiden company, then got a new idea. Why not run the horse against winners and see if he could run second? Lo and behold, he could! Heros Call stretched all the way out to 15 furlongs in open allowance class and did, in fact, run second. Now, if he could do that in allowance company, why not try a stakes? Sure, why not? Graywolf then entered Heros Call in a non-graded stakes going 9.5 furlongs, and the horse did, in fact, run second. How about that? Now, if the horse can run second in a non-graded stake, why can’t he run second in a Grade 1? Yeah, that’s the ticket. The Florida Derby! I tell you what. If this horse runs second on Saturday, my old friend Graywolf is going to have a grin on his face from one ear to the other.

I have good news. The Sim is in very good shape. It must be when we have new players like EMINC Racing Stables joining the game. Residing with those sharpies over at Blazing Saddles, Eminc has opened seven stables and is off to a terrific start. In his first 590 races, Eminc has won 113 for a very professional 19.2 percent strike rate. Welcome to the Sim, Eminc and congratulations on your fast start. Now, what do you have for the Florida Derby? It’s AUBERGINE, a regally bred bay son of Montjeu, with Kingmambo in the middle and Storm Cat behind. Once again proving that you can learn something in the Sim every day, we now know that aubergine is what residents of Great Britain call an eggplant. It also refers to the color of the plant, which is a dark purple, perhaps a shade or two darker than the purple block symbol for allowance races in the pp’s of Sim horses. Considering his turf-rich breeding, it’s no wonder that Eminc thought he had a turf horse in Aubergine. The horse ran his first four races on the turf, and may well turn out to be a turf monster eventually. But for now, Eminc has his curiosity piqued by Aubergine’s encouraging debut on the dirt track last out. Fresh off a late-running score on the turf to break his initial allowance condition, Eminc switched to dirt off that for Aubergine’s first-ever triple digit speed figure. The horse ran second in a non-graded stake with a short field of six going 8.5 furlongs on the dirt in Italy. In that race, Aubergine broke alertly, with his nose in front of a speed duel with NO STAFF ON HAND. Those two battled back and forth throughout, with the other horse prevailing down the stretch. While beaten by the winner, it was impressive that Aubergine still had something left to hold off the late-running V AS IN VICTORIOUS to keep second-place money. The horse ran hard in that race and proved his versatility. He’s lightly raced and looks good on both turf and dirt. Perhaps a bit swept up by that impressive dirt debut, Eminc ships all the way from Italy to Florida to give the Florida Derby a shot on only three weeks’ rest. It’s an awful lot to ask, but the horse remains something of an X factor in the race. How do we know he’s not capable of massive improvement in his second start on dirt? It’s only his sixth start and with those bloodlines, this horse could be any kind. If he so much as hits the board on Saturday, it’s a monster race. If not? Aubergine still looks like a very nice horse in the making. He broke alertly in his dirt debut so he at least adds to the early pace scenario, which is starting to look hot.

FOOTNOTE: As it turns out, Eminc is not a new player at all. Instead, it is a new racing partnership between Spinround and MJB. Also, we learned with a chat-room visit to Spinround that the horse is not named after an eggplant, exactly. “For what it’s worth, I named him Aubergine after Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant where he earned his first Michelin star,” Spinround said. “All my personal horses last year had names relating to Gordon, and Aubergine was supposed to stay in my stable because Eminc was full. But then, we decided to open a new stables so he was the first horse in it.” Spinny remains guardedly optimistic about the horse. “I could see things going either way on Saturday,” she said. “I think he’s a really nice horse but this is a big step up for him.”

The pace is hot and getting hotter. Here comes yet another speedball in STREETS ON FIRE, who will represent Blazing Saddles. This bay son of Street Cry is trained by MTKPLAZ Racing Stables, a leading member of that tough Blazing Saddles crew. Though the GR Simsters might be considered a rival residency, we can see that the best trainers in both rezzies use the same technique. Last week, Lenny of the GR Simsters jumped a horse from an initial-level allowance score all the way to a Grade 2 triumph in the Land’s End with EVIL SUNRISE. Now, MTK is trying the same thing with Streets on Fire. A key to the maneuver? Both horses had established themselves at the distance before taking the big class jump. In reviewing a bunch of these 3yos over the past month or two, this seems to be a common ploy among the best of trainers, so the rest of us can take a lesson. Streets on Fire recorded an easy front-running score last out going Saturday’s distance of nine furlongs. His last two races have been over the Florida track,so consider him a local. We also have to consider the possibility that MTK may have been planning this shot in the Florida Derby all along with this colt, and that’s why he’s been racing here. As with all of the horses in here who need a big jump in the speed figure department, the question has to be “can this horse improve?” In the case of Streets on Fire, the answer obviously is yes. It’s only his sixth career start! Who knows how good this colt might be. He’s been first or second in all five of his career starts. One concern is the quick turnaround. This horse wheels right back on only two weeks’ rest off that allowance score. Another concern, and a major one, is the company this colt will find on the front end. There is a ton of speed in this race, especially among these bottom qualifiers who are taking a shot in the race. The pace looks suicidal at this point.

While Texasace’s late decision to run in Dubai instead of Florida meant bad luck to whoever got bumped out of the Sand Castle lock prep, it meant good fortune for Davarto, who quickly filled the hole with FEVERIOUS, a brown son of Stormin Fever who will get an unexpected shot to qualify to run for the roses. The good news is, Davarto’s colt made it into the Florida Derby. The bad news is he looks like a complete outsider in the race. Feverious is a nice colt, don’t get me wrong. Just about any trainer in the Sim would like to have a versatile colt like this. He’s won on both the turf and dirt, and makes the switch back to dirt Saturday after four consecutive races on the turf. The horse is a multiple stakes winner at the non-graded level, with two victories, one on turf and one on dirt. He’s been in graded company before, last out when soundly trounced in a Grade 2 going a mile on the turf. While several colts in here are trying something for the first time, there are none who will experience such a dramatic reversal in circumstances as Feverious will on Saturday. This horse has not so much as run a route race on the dirt. The farthest this horse ever raced on the main track is six furlongs! His fastest speed figure on dirt is 82, only 30 points behind the top number in the race. Though he looks unlikely in this spot, chances are that after this race, he will go right back to developing his career in more reasonable races.

Finally, we have DEEP IN THOUGHT, a brown son of Deep Impact. A single stable outfit, BMR005 already is thanking his lucky stars for just having made the race. This horse is ranked No. 793 in the division with only 5.25 stakes points and has somehow qualified for the Grade 1 Florida Derby! What a stroke of good fortune for BMR005, to get a chance to qualify for the Kentucky Derby with a colt ranked so low. This horse survived life on the bubble during the days leading up to the race. If anybody with as many as six stakes points would have entered late, Deep In Thought would have been bumped. Longshot though he may be, he will get his chance. He’s in an extremely challenging spot. This horse never has hit the board in any stake race. He’s only tried non-graded once, when fifth in a race on the turf. With Dansili in the middle, BMR005 thought at the outset he would have a turf horse, racing Deep In Thought on the lawn for his first four races. The colt showed a nice late kick, breaking his maiden at second asking, in a seven-furlong race. He followed that up with a nice closing second while stretching out to a mile and facing winners for the first time. But, after a fifth-place finish in that non-graded stake, BMR005 decided a switch to dirt was in order. The horse responded with his first triple-digit speed figure. He closed from more than nine lengths back to capture an allowance race at a flat mile. Now, he ships to Florida after racing his last three in California. He’s stretching out considerably here, to nine furlongs after never racing past eight. He’s taking a huge leap in class all the way to Grade I. That dreaded double jump normally is way too much to ask most horses. If Deep In Thought so much as hits the board in the Florida Derby, it would be a tremendous accomplishment.

BONUS COVERAGE: Following is the paragraph which would have appeared at the top of this column had Texasace chose to run in Florida.

Something tells me that four-time Trainer of the Year Texasace did not have CANDY PEGASUS fully cranked last out when a disappointing fourth in a non-graded stake over this Florida track. As the No. 2 horse in the division, Candy Pegasus already has his ticket punched to Simulated Louisville for the first Saturday in May. What a luxury it is as Texasace can take his time with this colt and bring a fresh horse to the Bluegrass Derby. He shut Candy Pegasus down after a second-place run in the Grade I Jersey Derby on Dec. 1. Almost three months later, Candy Pegasus returned to the track Feb. 23 here in Florida. Texasace just gave him an easy prep race stretching out to 9.5 furlongs. In his first race back after a break of almost three months, this brown son of Candy Ride was not himself. For the first time in his career, he lost lengths in the lane. He was a short horse that day, but it’s still a little bit unsettling to see a gigantic late runner like Candy Pegasus losing two lengths in the lane. Is the nine-furlong distance of the Florida Derby going to be a problem? Is Candy Pegasus going to suffer the same cruel fate of so many Sim juvenile champions over the years? (Great as a 2yo, bad as a 3yo.) The whammy has hit the No. 1 horse in the division. LEFT SIDE STRONG is nothing like what he was last year, and struggled home next to last in the Land’s End last week. Candy Pegasus already is a lock for the Derby, but surely the great trainer Texasace is looking for a lot more run out of him on Saturday. There really is no pressure on this colt in the Florida Derby. He’s in the Bluegrass Derby, win or lose. But, there is another sort of pressure in that Texasace will not want to go into the Bluegrass Derby off two poor races in a row. If Candy Pegasus is to be considered a major player on the first Saturday in May, he needs to show he can handle the added ground as a 3yo.