HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Despite a less than desirable post-position draw and the loss of his regular rider due to injury earlier in the week, Sovereignty is expected to go postward a solid choice to add Saturday’s $1 million Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park to his victory here four weeks earlier in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth. The Grade 1 Florida Derby will be decided at 1 1/8 miles as the 14th and final race on a marathon card that includes nine other stakes, four of them graded, including the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks. The Florida Derby offers 200 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to be distributed on a 100-50-25-15-10 basis. First post is 11:30 a.m. Eastern with the Florida Derby scheduled to go off at 6:42 p.m. Sovereignty, who is trained by Bill Mott for owner-breeder Godolphin, launched his 3-year-old campaign by rallying from the rear of the field to score a hard-fought neck decision over the previously undefeated River Thames in the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth on March 1, earning a career best 95 Beyer Speed Figure. The victory came 125 days after the homebred son of Into Mischief closed out his juvenile campaign winning his maiden in the Grade 3 Street Sense Stakes at Churchill Downs. Sovereignty picked up some added obstacles he will have to overcome within a 24-hour span this past weekend. He drew the extreme outside post with a relatively short run to the clubhouse turn – although one lengthened by 53 feet earlier this winter – in the 10-horse Florida Derby field. The post-position draw was followed by jockey Junior Alvarado’s shoulder injury, which will necessitate a late switch to Manny Franco. :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2025: Top contenders, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more “I think we had a good draw the last time [in the Fountain of Youth] that helped him win,” said Mott. “As narrow as the margin of victory was, the post helped him because he was able to save some ground around the first turn. We don’t have that going for us this time, although we do have a little longer race with a little longer run-up.” As for having to make a last-minute jockey change, Mott said, “It’s unfortunate for Junior that he’s not going to be able to ride him, but [Franco’s] got a little history with Godolphin and they felt good about having him to ride.” Franco last rode at Gulfstream Park in 2020, winning four races, three of them graded stakes, including the Florida Derby with Tiz the Law. Although Sovereignty is not the flashiest of work horses, Mott is pleased with what he’s seen from him since the Fountain of Youth. “I think the Fountain of Youth has moved him forward. He’s done great ever since,” said Mott. “I thought we were going against the grain a little bit in that race with the first wire and the short run to the first turn. I thought it was going to be challenging for him to get up in time. “This race is a sixteenth farther, plus the second wire. I think from what we’ve seen from him so far, that would be an advantage over the first race down here.” Sovereignty’s most notable rivals are Tappan Street, runner-up in the Grade 3 Holy Bull here eight weeks ago; Neoequos, who finished a tiring third after setting the pace for the opening mile of the Fountain of Youth; West Coast shipper Madaket Road, who led into the stretch before finishing second to Coal Battle in the Grade 2 Rebel at Oaklawn Park; and impressive maiden winner Disruptor, who will seek to give trainer Todd Pletcher a record-setting ninth Florida Derby victory and fourth in the last five years. :: Get Gulfstream Park Clocker Reports from Mike Welsch and the Clocker Team. Available every race day. Trainer Brad Cox opted to pass the Fountain of Youth with the lightly raced Tappan Street and train him up to the Florida Derby. Tappan Street has raced only twice. In his Dec. 28 debut, he won a seven-furlong allowance race here. He too is drawn on the outside of the field, one stall inside Sovereignty, in post 9. “He ran a good race in the Holy Bull. We didn’t want to wheel him back in four weeks, and we’re happy with his works leading up to the race,” Cox explained. “I think he’ll go the distance. It’s all about getting the trip. The post isn’t ideal but at least the run-up to the first turn is a little longer than it used to be.” Unlike Sovereignty, Tappan Street will have his regular rider Luis Saez aboard. Neoequos is well drawn on the rail and will likely try to control the pace in the Florida Derby. “If he breaks well, he can be on the lead,” Joseph said. “That may be our best shot – being on the lead. Distance is the question mark. If you look at the horse physically, he looks like a horse who can go a distance of ground.” Both Madaket Road and Disruptor figure to be forwardly placed from the outset. Madaket Road will be racing without blinkers for the first time since finishing second in his career debut, the Grade 3 Bob Hope at Del Mar. He is trained by Bob Baffert, whose only previous appearance in the Florida Derby came with Spielberg, who finished a distant eighth in 2021. Madaket Road has improved from a Beyer Speed Figure standpoint with each successive start, earning a lifetime-best 90 for his second-place finish in the 1 1/16-mile Rebel. “I really don’t think he needs blinkers, he has his own natural speed,” said Baffert. “He ran well at Oaklawn, but we have another horse in there [Cornucopian], so we decided to ship him [to Gulfstream Park].” :: Play Gulfstream Park with confidence! DRF Past Performances, Picks, and Clocker Reports available now. Like Mott, Baffert also had to make a late rider change. Mike Smith will replace Tyler Gaffalione, who fractured his ankle here Wednesday. Disruptor, like Tappan Street, enters the race with just two starts including a well-graded, 9 1/4-length maiden victory here March 1. He will have to answer the distance question when stretching out beyond seven furlongs for the first time. “In a perfect world we’d have a mile and a sixteenth race under his belt and a little more experience, but I’m glad we at least got two good seven-furlong races,” Pletcher said. “Sometimes that can be the most demanding distance. He’s always galloped out like he’ll go farther. But he’s got to prove it.” The remainder of the field include outsiders Cool Intentions, Smoken Boy, Indecisiveness, Jimmy’s Dailys, and Enterdadragon. – additional reporting by David Grening :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.