2025 Florida Derby Betting Odds and Contenders Preview

The South Florida spur of the Kentucky Derby trail draws to a close Saturday, March 29, with the Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby. The 1 ⅛-mile dirt event is the last Kentucky Derby prep race at Gulfstream, finishing a series that included both the Grade 3 Holy Bull and the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth. And, in addition to the purse, the Florida Derby offers 100-50-25-15-10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top five finishers. That means the top two finishers are virtually assured spots at Churchill Downs, and others may show up on the Kentucky Derby qualifying list as well if they ran well in another prep or two.

The 2025 edition of Gulfstream’s signature race includes a field of 10. Florida Derby entrants include several of the leading finishers from earlier preps in the Gulfstream series, including Fountain of Youth winner Sovereignty and Holy Bull runner-up Tappan Street. They’ll have to face some interesting new faces in the series, however, like pricey maiden winner Disruptor and west-coast raider Madaket Road.

Both historically and in recent years, the Florida Derby has produced important horses. 24 horses who have run in the Florida Derby have gone on to win the Kentucky Derby, including 15 winners like Big Brown, Thunder Gulch, and the great Spectacular Bid.

Looking more recently, two horses in the last 10 years have won the Florida Derby and then the Kentucky Derby: Nyquist (2016) and Always Dreaming (2017). And, though last year’s winner Fierceness finished 15th as the Kentucky Derby favorite, he bounced back beautifully to win the Jim Dandy (G2), defeat Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna in the Travers (G1), and then run second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).

Florida Derby 2025 Information

• Race Date: Saturday, March 29, 2025
• Track: Gulfstream Park
• Post Time: 6:42 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: 1 1/8 miles
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV, CNBC, Peacock
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

Florida Derby Odds

This is the field for the 2025 Florida Derby, including posts, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds for each horse.

Florida Derby Prep Results

The 10 horses in the Florida Derby come out of seven different prep races. Three of them last raced in other points races at Gulfstream. Sovereignty, who won his sophomore debut in the Fountain of Youth, returns for this, as does third-place Neoequos. Tappan Street, freshened since a second-place run in the Holy Bull, also returns to the Gulfstream spur of the Kentucky Derby trail.

One other horse comes out of a Kentucky Derby prep race. California-based Madaket Road ships out for his second straight start. From the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, he was last seen February 23, finishing second to Coal Battle in the Rebel (G2) at Oaklawn.

Two other horses come out of non-points stakes races at Gulfstream Park. Cool Intentions was fifth behind Guns Loaded in the one-mile Mucho Macho Man on January 4, and has freshened up since that effort. Enterdadragon has done most of his running on the grass, and most recently ran second behind Mi Bago in the Colonel Liam, a turf mile on the Fountain of Youth undercard.

Four horses come out of non-stakes races. Three come out of the same 1 ⅛-mile dirt allowance on February 27 at Gulfstream. Though winner Grande is expected to resurface in the Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct, second-place Jimmy’s Dailys, third-place Indecisiveness, and sixth-place Smoken Boy all step onto the Kentucky Derby trail in the Florida Derby. Disruptor, a 9 ¼-length maiden winner in a seven-furlong sprint March 1 at Gulfstream, is the only horse who faces winners for the first time in the Florida Derby.

Florida Derby Contenders

These are the runners in the 2025 Florida Derby, organized by post position:

1. Neoequos: Second in a couple of Florida Sire Stakes races at two, he stepped up from Florida-bred allowance company to face the big boys in the Fountain of Youth. He set the pace, and though he could not hold off Sovereignty or River Thames in the end, he dug in for third. His pedigree does suggest distance (and even as much time to grow into himself as possible) are good things. And even though he is mired on the rail in a decent-sized field, Gulfstream is a great place for speed horses, and he does shape as the speed of the speed.
2. Cool Intentions: Unraced since early January, he tries two turns for the first time in the Florida Derby. His pedigree appeals on both sides for the distance, being by Kentucky Derby winner Authentic out of a Street Cry mare. The barn also does well at a price with horses coming back off of similar layoffs, and he has shown good tactical speed at Gulfstream. Class is a question, but at the likely price, he has some long-shot appeal.
3. Smoken Boy: A Grade 1 winner in Puerto Rico, he has been no Mister Frisky so far. In two starts on the mainland he has yet to find his footing, as he was well beaten in the Sam F. Davis and then an optional claimer last out. Trainer Cheryl Winebaugh and new owners KEM Stables dipped in for $75,000 to take him out of that race, and are confident enough to put him in the Florida Derby, but he is more likely to find his friends in allowance company at Hawthorne this summer.
4. Disruptor: With only two starts he cedes experience to the rest of the field, and both of those starts came in maiden company. Jimmy’s Daily’s, who he faces again, ran him down on debut, but Disruptor moved forward in his second start to graduate by 9 ¼ lengths. On debut, he set the pace but next out he stalked it, meaning he has an appealing tactical gear. Distance will be an interesting question: Gun Runner on top is a major positive, and though damsire Speightstown raises questions, the female family has produced class at all kinds of distances. In short, the price may be a little short, but it’s also hard to count out Todd Pletcher given how often he wins this race.
5. Indecisiveness: He was ignored at 53-1 last out in the same allowance from which Jimmy’s Daily’s and Smoken Boy come, but he outran his odds. However, he never actually threatened the top two runners, and all of his races so far have been slow compared to what it looks like he will need to contend in this deeper race. Even with some upside third off the lay, he may be past his class ceiling here.
6. Jimmy’s Dailys: He set the pace in a 1 ⅛-mile allowance and kept on for second behind the promising Grande, who is likely to make his Derby-trail debut in the Wood for Todd Pletcher. At a price, Jimmy’s Dailys ran well enough last out to be interesting in a second try at the distance, especially in a race where he has some speed and the pace isn’t likely to fall apart completely.
7. Enterdadragon: With nine starts, he is the most seasoned horse in the field by far. He has some class on the grass, finishing second in the Colonel Liam last out. However, his one dirt race had him coming home a flat fifth in the Aventura last September. Of course, he has had a lot of time to grow up since then, and there’s enough dirt in his pedigree—he is by Outwork out of a Speightstown granddaughter of My Flag. With that plus his improved form at two turns instead of one, there’s a certain level of “you don’t need much to use a longshot” kind of appeal underneath.
8. Madaket Road: The only horse to race somewhere other than Gulfstream last out, he started his career on the West Coast, but after finishing third behind champion stablemate Citizen Bull in the Robert B. Lewis (G3) two back, Baffert sent him to Oaklawn. He set the pace before having to settle for second behind Coal Battle there. Without the blinkers, he may revert to a more tactical style, which is a positive since otherwise he may end up really fighting it out with Neoequois early. The price will be short, especially since he has yet to try the finicky Gulfstream footing, but with strong speed figures and a good tactical forward style, he’s hard to rule out.
9. Tappan Street: With only two starts, he lacks the experience of most of his foes. But, his two starts have been good so far: a stalk-and-pounce maiden win, and then a second in the Holy Bull, his first start at a route. The fact that he took the lead in the lane but couldn’t hold in the final sixteenth raises questions for the extra distance, but the lack of experience could also factor in, and between his pedigree and his strong chance of getting a good outside-tracking trip, there’s still upside.
10. Sovereignty: The likely favorite broke his maiden in last fall’s Street Sense (G3) for Bill Mott, and then picked up where he left off by winning the Fountain of Youth on March 1. He is mired in an outside gate for this, but he won from post 9 (of nine) in the Street Sense, so an outside trip isn’t something he hasn’t handled before. And, his win in the Fountain of Youth proved he could pass horses at Gulfstream, something some horses struggle with.

Florida Derby Past Winners Past Performances

One of two extremely strong trends in recent Florida Derby winners is that they won their most recent race. Of the last ten Florida Derby winners, nine out of ten horses won their final prep for the race. The only one who didn’t was Fierceness (2024), who won after finishing third in the Holy Bull in his previous race.

The other similarly strong trend in Florida Derby winners is that they made their most recent start at Gulfstream: nine of the last ten winners raced in Hallandale Beach last out. The only aberration is Nyquist (2016), who won the San Vicente (G2) at Santa Anita before raiding Florida.

Another strong trend is that they were trained by Todd Pletcher, which is good news for Disruptor. Six of the last ten winners (and seven of the last 11) came from the Pletcher barn. Forte (2023) came out of a win in the Fountain of Youth, Audible (2018) came out of a victory in the Holy Bull, and Materiality (2015) came out of a win in the Islamorada, a minor stakes at Gulfstream that year. Three other Pletcher winners came out of non-stakes wins: Known Agenda (2021) came out of an allowance win, though he had graded experience in the past, while Always Dreaming (2017) came out of allowance wins and made his stakes debuts in the Florida Derby.

Four of them came out of points-race wins at Gulfstream: Forte was the last-out winner of the Fountain of Youth, while Tiz the Law (2020) and White Abarrio (2022) join Audible as winners who came out of Holy Bull scores.

The other recent winner is Maximum Security (2019), who came into his stakes debut in the Florida Derby off of a starter-optional claiming romp at Gulfstream.

Florida Derby Undercard

The Florida Derby is the 14th and final race on Gulfstream’s flagship Saturday card, the big ending to the Gulfstream Championship Meet. The card includes ten stakes events for a wide range of divisions. In addition to the Kentucky Derby prep, the card also features the $250,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2), a 100-point race on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks.

Other stakes races include the $200,000 Pan American (G3) for open long-distance turf horses, the $150,000 Orchid (G3) for filly and mare long-distance turf runners, the $150,000 Ghostzapper (G3) for older dirt routers, the $150,000 Cutler Bay for sophomore middle-distance turf horses, the $150,000 Army Mule (formerly the Sir Shackleton) for older sprinters, the $150,000 Sand Springs for older middle-distance turf fillies and mares, the $150,000 Sanibel Island for sophomore middle-distance grass fillies, and the $150,000 Appleton for older turf milers.

With top-class horse racing and big fields all day, including another Triple Crown prep, the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn, it’s an excellent day to stay tuned to FanDuel TV and bet with FanDuel!

Gulfstream Park

Gulfstream Park is the historic racetrack that hosts the Florida Derby each year. It is the only American racetrack that offers all three racing surfaces: conventional dirt, turf, and a synthetic Tapeta surface. The outer track is a dirt course measuring one and one-eighth miles around, complete with a chute that allows for classic one-turn dirt mile races. The next track inward is a one-mile and seventy-yard Tapeta track that opened in 2021. The inner course is a seven-furlong turf track.

Gulfstream Park has hosted many major races over the years, including the Breeders’ Cup in 1989, 1992, and 1999. In 2017, the race ran the rich Pegasus World Cup for the first time, which was at one time the world’s richest horse race. But the Florida Derby, run along the road to the Kentucky Derby, remains Gulfstream Park’s most established and famous race.

Florida Derby FAQ

Q: When is the Florida Derby?

A: The 2025 Florida Derby (known for sponsorship purposes as the Curlin Florida Derby) will be run on Saturday, March 29, at 6:42 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The race is the 14th and final on Saturday’s Gulfstream card.

Q: Where is the Florida Derby?

A: It takes place at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Florida Derby?

A: Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher has a dominant eight wins in the Florida Derby, including six in the last ten years. He can further extend that record if Disruptor wins.

Q: Who is the favorite for the 2025 Florida Derby?

A: The 8-5 morning-line favorite for the 2025 Florida Derby is Sovereignty, a Bill Mott trainee who comes out of a victory in the Fountain of Youth. However, watch for action on Bob Baffert shipper Madaket Road as well as Todd Pletcher up-and-comer Disruptor as well, who comes out of a dominant triumph in maiden company.

Q: Who is the best Florida Derby jockey?

A: Jockey John Velazquez has six Florida Derby victories, the most of any jockey. However, Velazquez does not have a call in the Florida Derby this year; he is instead riding morning-line favorite Cornucopian in the Arkansas Derby on the same day. Among jockeys who are riding in the 2025 Florida Derby, Irad Ortiz, Jr. leads with two wins, with Known Agenda (2021) and Forte (2023). Both of those are Todd Pletcher horses, and Ortiz rides for Pletcher again in 2025 with Disruptor.

Q: Who won the 2024 Florida Derby?

A: Fierceness won the 2024 Florida Derby for trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey John Velazquez. Velazquez does not ride in 2025, but Pletcher brings Disruptor. Irad Ortiz, Jr. rides.

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