NEWS
Rule in, Eskendereya out of Florida Derby
Posted: Tuesday, March 16, 2010 5:32 PM
RULE
Coady Photography
by Jeff Lowe
Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) winner Eskendereya will bypass Saturday’s Florida Derby (G1) and wait two weeks for the Wood Memorial Stakes (G1) at Aqueduct. Trainer Todd Pletcher instead will enter multiple graded stakes winner Rule in the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park.
Eskendereya’s absence also might prompt the connections of Hutcheson Stakes (G2) winner D’ Funnybone to take a shot in the Florida Derby instead of running him in the Swale Stakes (G2) on the undercard.
“We’re thinking about it,” trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. said Tuesday afternoon. “We’ll just make a decision by entry time [Wednesday].”
Dutrow already planned to start Group 2 winner Radiohead (GB) in the Florida Derby. D’ Funnybone won the seven-furlong Hutcheson Stakes (G2) on February 20 at Gulfstream in his three-year-old debut (video).
Bradley Weisbord of Zayat Stables said timing was the main factor in the change of plans for Eskendereya, who motored to an 8 ½-length win in the Fountain of Youth on February 20 (video).
“We’d rather have four weeks [between starts] to the Kentucky Derby (G1) than six weeks,” Weisbord said. “We know Eskendereya runs great at Gulfstream, his last two wins came there, but we’re going to have to go on the road for the big dance anyway and the timing going to the Wood will be better than the Florida Derby would be.”
Pletcher and owner WinStar Farm had been looking at either the Florida Derby or the Wood Memorial for Rule. With Eskendereya’s defection, jockey John Velazquez will pilot Rule on Saturday.
Rule and Velazquez scored by three lengths in the Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3) on February 13 at Tampa Bay Downs in his first start of the year (video). He closed his two-year-old season with three straight victories, including the Boyd Gaming’s Delta Jackpot Stakes (G3).
Jeff Lowe is a Thoroughbred Times staff writer
