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‘He’s Got A Lot To Prove’: Soup And Sandwich On Florida Derby Menu

Soup and Sandwich will be on the menu for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

Live Oak Plantation's undefeated homebred is scheduled to make his stakes debut in the $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms, the tradition-rich Triple Crown prep that will headline a 14-race blockbuster card with 10 stakes worth $1.85 million in purses.

Soup and Sandwich enters the Florida Derby with a record of 2-for-2 – like the Casse-trained Helium, who captured the March 6 Tampa Bay Derby (G2) off a pair of victories in two career starts.

“Obviously, he's stepping up in class big time. You just never know until you try,” Casse said. “You just have to go back a few weeks to Helium. Helium was just able to overcome a lot of obstacles because he's a good horse. We feel that Soup and Sandwich is a good horse, but he's got a lot to prove.”

Named by Live Oak Plantation's Charlotte Weber, who is on the Campbell Soup Co.'s board of trustees and is the granddaughter of Campbell Soup founder John Dorrance, Soup and Sandwich graduated at Gulfstream Jan. 28. The son of Into Mischief won the 6 ½-furlong maiden special weight race by 7 ¼ lengths under wraps.

“I never expect that out of a first-time starter – that not usually our M.O.,” Casse said. “We just wanted him to run well. I told Mrs. Weber that I expected him to run well, but did I expect that type of performance? Maybe not.”

Soup and Sandwich came back to win by 2 ¾ lengths in a mile-and-40-yard optional claiming allowance at Tampa Bay Downs Feb. 24.

“He passed that test with flying colors,” Casse said. “We wanted him to rate a little bit, and he did. He accelerated when asked. He ran fast enough and there seemed to be more in the tank. You couldn't have asked for him to run better.”

Casse had expected that Soup and Sandwich would be a promising 2-year-olds.

“I had him last spring. We really liked him. We thought he was one of our best 2-year-olds, but he hurt himself jumping out of the gate when he was getting ready to run,” Casse said. “Mrs. Weber is a very patient lady. We sent him home and gave him plenty of time, and that's being rewarded the way he's come back.”

Soup and Sandwich has been training forwardly since his Tampa Bay Downs score.

“Our thoughts are that he's doing better than ever,” Casse said. “He's learned a lot obviously in a short period of time. He's doing well.”

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Weekend Lineup Presented By Sky Racing: Blockbuster Saturday Features Action From Dubai, Three Derby Preps

A total of three Kentucky Derby qualifying races each offering a total of 170 points are scheduled for Saturday with the Grade 1 Florida Derby and Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks taking place at Gulfstream Park and Turfway Park, respectively, while the Group 2 UAE Derby is part of the Dubai World Cup card at Meydan Racecourse.

The UAE Derby precedes the Dubai World Cup, a $12 million test that has drawn U.S.-based horses Mystic Guide, Jesus' Team, Sleepy Eyes Todd, and Title Ready.

The Florida Derby will be televised by NBC Sports as part of their “Road to the Kentucky Derby” series during a program airing on NBCSN and beginning at 6 p.m. ET.

The UAE Derby and Dubai World Cup will be televised on the NYRA-produced America's Day at the Races show presented by Claiborne Farm and America's Best Racing as part of the Saturday broadcast. Coverage of the Dubai World Cup undercard, featuring six stakes races, will air live from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on FS1. The 'Golden Hour' telecast, featuring live coverage of the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic and Group 1 Dubai World Cup, will air from noon-1 p.m. on FS1.

Fans of Australian racing can wager with confidence on Friday night's rescheduled Golden Slipper (Group 1) card in Sydney, as drying conditions were expected across the second half of this week. And, if every cloud has a silver lining, the Rosehill program boasts even more star power after fields were redrawn for the four other G1 races on the card. The “Slipper” card is available to stream on the new Sky Racing World App and will be broadcast live on TVG (First Post: 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT).

America's Day at the Races will also broadcast Saturday from 2:30-7:30 p.m. ET with coverage for the first half hour on FS2 before shifting to FS1 from 3-4:30 p.m. FS2 will pick up coverage from 4:30-7:30 p.m. Saturday's broadcast will air stakes action from all four tracks, led by the Florida Derby.

Saturday's Jeff Ruby Steaks will be televised on TVG as part of their usual comprehensive racing coverage.

TVG will be live from Gulfstream Park with expanded coverage of the Florida Derby card. Fans of international racing can also tune in at 7:30 a.m. ET/4:30 a.m. PT as coverage of the Dubai World Cup card begins.

In addition to racing from Gulfstream, Santa Anita and Turfway Park, TVG will feature racing from Oaklawn Park, Aqueduct and more. Fans can tune in on TVG, TVG2 and the Watch TVG app which is available on Amazon Fire, Roku and connected Apple TV devices.

Saturday, March 27

10:05 a.m.—$750,000 Group 2 UAE Derby at Meydan Racecourse on FS1 and TVG

Trainer Doug O'Neill's barn will be represented in the UAE Derby with Ambivalent, who broke his maiden in his seventh career start last month by 1 ½ lengths in a turf race at Santa Anita Park. The son of Constitution placed third in the Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes at Del Mar last November and will be making his fifth appearance against stakes company when he goes to post Saturday.

Entries: http://www.dubairacingclub.com/race/racing-info/racecards

12:50 p.m.—$12,000,000 Group 1 Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse on FS1 and TVG

Multiple graded stakes winner Mystic Guide heads up the American contingent aiming to conquer the Dubai World Cup over 2,000 meters (about 1 ¼-miles). Owned and bred by Godolphin and trained by Michael Stidham, Mystic Guide comes into the $12 million Dubai World Cup off a victory in the Grade 3 Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn Park on February 27. The son of Ghostzapper won the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes last season and capped his sophomore campaign with a runner-up effort in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup last October.

Entries: http://www.dubairacingclub.com/race/racing-info/racecards

1:57 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Appleton Stakes at Gulfstream Park on TVG

Multiple turf stakes winner Seismic Wave, unraced in five months, is set to launch his 5-year-old campaign running first time for new connections in Saturday's one-mile Appleton Stakes. Seismic Wave had three wins in 16 starts for Juddmonte Farms and Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott before fetching $60,000 at Keeneland's November 2020 breeding stock sale from the partnership of Michael Dubb, Nice Guys Stables and Bethlehem Stables. In two previous starts at Gulfstream, Seismic Wave broke his maiden and captured the Cutler Bay by a neck on the Florida Derby undercard in successive efforts to open his 2019 season.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/GP032721USA6-EQB.html

2:57 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Ghostzapper Stakes at Gulfstream Park on TVG

Salerno Stables and Madaket Stables LLC's War Stopper will seek to earn graded stakes credentials in Saturday's Ghostzapper with a return to action at Gulfstream Park. The 4-year-old son of Declaration of War demonstrated a distinct fondness for the Gulfstream racing surface while winning back-to-back optional claiming allowances earlier in the 2020-2021 Championship Meeting. The Todd Pletcher trainee ventured to Tampa Bay Downs, where he didn't flash his natural early speed while racing evenly to finish third in the March 6 Grade 3 Challenger.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/GP032721USA8-EQB.html

4:09 p.m.—$200,000 Grade 2 Pan American Stakes at Gulfstream Park on TVG

Four years after earning the first graded-stakes victory of his long career in the same race, Woodslane Farm's Grade 1 winner Sadler's Joy returns looking to snap a nine-race losing streak in Saturday's Pan American Stakes. Now 8, Sadler's Joy won the Pan American in 2017 and was fourth in 2018, but did not run in either of the past two years as trainer Tom Albertrani has looked to spread out his stable star's races. The Kitten's Joy gelding has started once this year, closing to be fourth by 2 ¼ lengths in the 1 ½-mile Grade 3 W.L. McKnight Stakes January 23.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/GP032721USA10-EQB.html

5:17 p.m.—$200,000 Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks at Gulfstream Park on FS2 and TVG

Trainer Kenny McPeek will be on a quest to win back-to-back runnings of the Gulfstream Park Oaks when he saddles Crazy Beautiful for the 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-old fillies. Last year, McPeek saddled Swiss Skydiver for a 9-1 upset victory in the Gulfstream Park Oaks that would set the tone for an Eclipse Award-winning campaign. Crazy Beautiful is coming off a second-place finish in the Grade 2 Davona Dale at Gulfstream in February. The daughter of Liam's Map rallied from well off the pace in her 2021 debut to finish a distant second to going-away winner Wholebodemeister.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/GP032721USA12-EQB.html

5:55 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Orchid Stakes at Gulfstream Park on TVG

He's had a quiet Championship Meet by his standards, with seven wins from 54 starters, but trainer Christophe Clement is hoping to make some noise with European import Sorrel (Ire) in the Orchid Stakes. Bred in Ireland by owners George Strawbridge and James Wigan, Sorrel will be making her first North American start in the Orchid. The 4-year-old daughter of Group 3 winner and five-time Group 1-placed Dansili comes in on a three-race win streak, all at 1 ½ miles or more, the most recent October 29.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/GP032721USA13-EQB.html

6:25 p.m.—$250,000 Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park on FS2 and TVG

Joseph P. Morey Trust's Hush of a Storm, along with Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber's Grade 1-winning colt Gretzky the Great top a field of 12 3-year-olds that were entered in the 50th running of the Jeff Ruby Steaks. Hush of a Storm was the 1 ½-length winner of the February 26 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes, the local prep for the Jeff Ruby Steaks. Hush of a Storm is a perfect 3-for-3 over the Tapeta surface at Turfway.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/TP032721USA11-EQB.html

6:40 p.m.—$750,000 Grade 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park on NBCSN, FS2 and TVG

Courtlandt Farms' Greatest Honour will have a lot going for him in Saturday's Florida Derby as the 3-year-old son of Tapit has shown a distinct fondness for the Gulfstream Park racetrack, over which he has won all three of his races. Greatest Honour, who followed up a December 26 maiden score with victories in the January 30 Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes and the February 27 Grade 2 Fountain of Youth was installed as the 6-5 morning-line favorite. After graduating by 1 ¼ lengths, the Kentucky-bred colt employed a furious stretch run to win by 5 ¾ lengths in the Holy Bull. Five lengths back in mid-stretch, Greatest Honour unleashed an eye-catching surge to catch frontrunner Drain the Clock and go on to score by 1 ½ lengths.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/GP032721USA14-EQB.html

8:25 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Santa Ana Stakes at Santa Anita Park on TVG

George Krikorian's multiple graded stakes winning homebred Mucho Unusual heads a solid field of eight older fillies and mares in Saturday's Santa Ana Stakes. A two-time graded stakes winner at the current meeting for trainer Tim Yakteen, Mucho Unusual, a 5-year-old mare by Mucho Macho Man, comes off a solid second going one mile on turf behind rising star Charmaine's Mia in the Grade II Buena Vista on February 20 and will appreciate the additional quarter mile on Saturday.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SA032721USA9-EQB.html

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Pair Of Fillies Take On The Boys In Saturday’s UAE Derby

Saturday's $750,000 UAE Derby (G2) has attracted an international field in keeping with its venue, the Dubai World Cup program at Meydan. American shippers Ambivalent and Lugamo will line up against Japanese contenders as well as a talented home team including fillies Soft Whisper and Mnasek. The only foreign scoring race on the main Road to the Kentucky Derby, the UAE Derby offers points on the 100-40-20-10 scale applicable to the U.S. leaderboard.

Four of the 14 entrants are coming off the Feb. 20 Saudi Derby on Saudi Cup Day – Japan's Pink Kamehameha, who sprang an upset in his dirt debut; third-placer New Treasure, an Irish Group 3 scorer who was also trying dirt for the first time; and the well-fancied Godolphin duo of Rebel's Romance and Soft Whisper, respectively fourth and fifth. All are stretching out from that metric mile to the about 1 3/16 miles of the UAE Derby.

Much more had been expected from Rebel's Romance and Soft Whisper in Saudi, and a return to Meydan could see both offspring of Dubawi bounce back to top form. The previously unbeaten Rebel's Romance had edged next-out UAE 2000 Guineas (G3) winner Mouheeb on this track. A U.S. Triple Crown nominee, Rebel's Romance bids to give trainer Charlie Appleby and jockey William Buick their first UAE Derby victory.

Godolphin colleague Saeed bin Suroor, who has won a record eight UAE Derby trophies, relies on Soft Whisper. The highly regarded filly brought a four-race winning streak to Saudi, capped by a seven-length romp in the UAE 1000 Guineas over Mnasek. If we see that Soft Whisper here, the boys could be in trouble. Note that bin Suroor is responsible for the only filly to win the UAE Derby so far, Khawlah (2011).

Mnasek herself has claims. The Doug Watson filly had no chance of catching Soft Whisper thanks to a slow start in the Guineas, but she roared back to outclass her foes by 6 ½ lengths in the UAE Oaks (G3) at this track and trip. The Kentucky-bred daughter of Empire Maker banked 50 points toward the Kentucky Oaks (G1), if connections are inclined to supplement her. Like Soft Whisper, Mnasek gets a four-pound weight concession from the 3-year-old males. Adding to her appeal, both of Watson's past UAE Oaks winners went on to finish second in this race, Polar River (2016) and Rayya (2018).

Carded as the fifth of nine races on the Dubai World Cup program, the UAE Derby is scheduled for 10:05 a.m. (ET), and you can watch and wager at TwinSpires.com. Read more at https://www.kentuckyderby.com/horses/news/japanese-american-shippers-tackle-talented-locals-in-uae-derby. – Kellie Reilly/Brisnet.com

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Equibase Analysis: Known Agenda Could Upset Greatest Honour In Florida Derby

This Saturday's Grade 1, $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park brings together a field of 11 with 100 “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points going to the winner and guaranteeing a start in the gate on the first Saturday in May.

The likely betting favorite is Greatest Honour on the strength of back-to-back wins in the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes and the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes. Trained by Shug McGaughey, who won the race in 2013 with Orb, Greatest Honour is the logical choice.

Then again, Todd Pletcher, who has won four of the last eight editions of the Florida Derby, saddles Known Agenda off a sparkling 11 length win over the track at the distance of the race.

Horses with positive results in recent stakes also must be counted as contenders and there are three of those. Papetu was third behind Greatest Honour in the Fountain of Youth after rallying from last of 10 in the early stages. Nova Rags finished second last month in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes. Spielberg ships in from California for trainer Bob Baffert off a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes. T

he rest of the field consists of a number of horses who have failed to be a factor in stakes or which are stepping up in class off maiden or allowance races. Among those, Collaborate was a 12 length winner at a mile (one-turn) last month in a maiden race and Quantum Leap won a maiden race at this nine furlong trip, both at Gulfstream Park. Soup and Sandwich won a two-turn race allowance race at Tampa. Sigiloso moves to dirt off a pair of modest efforts in stakes on grass including when fifth in the Palm Beach Stakes last month. Jirafales was fifth in both the Holy Bull and Fountain of Youth, while Southern Passage most recently was runner-up in a one mile allowance race at Gulfstream Park and sports a career record of one-for-eight.

There's no doubt Greatest Honour has impressively dispatched a total of 17 other horses in winning the Holy Bull Stakes by nearly six lengths in January then the Fountain of Youth Stakes by a length and one-half last month. There's also no arguing Todd Pletcher always has a very strong hand with whatever horse he starts in the Florida Derby, having won four of the last eight editions. That's why Known Agenda will get slight preference over Greatest Honour as the top win contender in this year's race.

In only the second start of his career last November and stretching out off a runner-up effort at six furlongs, Known Agenda won a race at the nine furlong trip of the Florida Derby and did so with the maturity of a much older horse as he battled head-and-head the entire last eighth of a mile, never giving up. After a poorer third place effort in the Remsen Stakes last December and following a poor fifth place finish in the Sam F. Davis Stakes in February, Known Agenda grew up big time to win last month at Gulfstream Park at this mile and one-eighth distance like a horse with a very bright future. After stalking in fourth position early, Known Agenda moved easily while four paths wide to the lead then opened up to win by 11 length.

Not only was the 103 Equibase Speed Figure higher than the 101 figure Greatest Honour earned winning the Fountain of Youth Stakes one day later, there's little doubt Known Agenda could have run faster if needed. Although already proven at the trip, Known Agenda has breeding to win this race and many more stakes for three year olds. An easy STATS Race Lens query reveals his sire, Curlin, has had seven male three year old stakes winners at distances from nine to 10 furlongs from just 15 horses. That group includes Good Magic, Exaggerator and Vino Rosso. As such, I believe Known Agenda is going to take a big step forward to win the Florida Derby and stamp himself a strong contender for the Kentucky Derby as well.

Greatest Honour was defeated by Known Agenda by a head last November at the distance of the Florida Derby before winning three straight races including the two local preps for this race. In each win starting with the one on December 26 which earned a career-best 106 figure, Greatest Honour has shown the traits of a tremendous athlete, moving as the jockey asks and whooshing by the field. In the Fountain of Youth Stakes last month, Greatest Honour was five paths wide on the far turn when moving from eighth to fourth, then to the lead, while unthreatened in the late stages. Jose Ortiz has been aboard for the last two wins and rides back, and there will be a lot of adrenaline flowing in the race as his brother Irad Ortiz, Jr. will be aboard main threat Known Agenda. There's little doubt Greatest Honour loves the Gulfstream Park surface where he is undefeated in three races, and the stretch battle between these two horses could be one for the ages.

Spielberg continues to earn points to run in the Kentucky Derby and has 17 points to date. With 40 points to the runner-up in the Florida Derby perhaps good enough to guarantee a spot in the gate in Louisville in May, that could be the key to this hard trying colt being competitive to the end. Although he earned a career best 103 figure breaking his maiden at a mile last November, Spielberg hasn't improved since then although he did earn a 101 figure when winning the Los Alamitos Futurity in December. After a poor fourth in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes in January, Spielberg was clearly second by four lengths over the third horse in the Southwest Stakes in February although no match for winner Essential Quality, who won by a similar margin. One thing which is notable is in spite of all of Hall-of-Fame trainer Bob Baffert has achieved, he has never won the Florida Derby so when compared to the fact McGaughey and Pletcher have accounted for five of the last eight winners in this race, it appears Spielberg is going to have to greatly exceed his best effort to date to win the race although that is not an impossible task.

The rest of the field, with their best representative Equibase Speed Figures, is Collaborate (97), Jirafales (86), Nova Rags (89), Papetu (96), Quantum Leap (92), Sigiloso (99), Soup and Sandwich (96) and Southern Passage (93).

Win Contenders:
Known Agenda
Greatest Honour
Spielberg

Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill 'N' Dale Farms – Grade 1
Race 14 at Gulfstream Park
Saturday, March 27 – Post Time 6:40 PM E.T.
One Mile and One Eighth
Three Year Olds
Purse: $750,000

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