HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - When it comes to the Grade 1 Florida Derby, one can never count out trainer Todd Pletcher. Although he didn’t hold the strongest hand coming into the race, as he’s done so many times in the past, Pletcher was able to register his record sixth Florida Derby victory late Saturday afternoon at Gulfstream Park after Known Agenda rallied to a convincing 2 3/4-length decision over the previously undefeated Soup and Sandwich. Greatest Honour, who was seeking to become the first horse to sweep all three principal Kentucky Derby preps decided here, finished a disappointing third as the prohibitive 4-5 favorite. Known Agenda also gave jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. his record 138th winner during the 2020-2021 Championship meet, eclipsing the single season mark of 137 set by Luis Saez in 2017-18. Known Agenda went postward as the third wagering choice in the field of 11 3-year-olds and returned $12.80, by far the highest win mutual of any of Pletcher’s six Florida Derby winners. He also earned the lion’s share of the 170 Kentucky Derby qualifying points distributed among the top four finishers on a 100-40-20-10 basis. A homebred son of Curlin owned by Vinny Viola’s St. Elias Stable, Known Agenda came into the 1 1/8- mile Florida Derby off an 11-length allowance win at the same distance here on Feb. 26. He was equipped with blinkers and raced on Lasix for the first time in his career that day. :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2021: Derby Watch, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more Neither he nor any other member of the Florida Derby field were permitted to compete on Lasix.   Known Agenda broke a step slow before settling in mid-pack while saving ground in the run down the backstretch. He advanced to closer contention along the rail approaching the half-mile pole, responded to a couple of sharp left-hand sticks from Ortiz before tipping out into the stretch. He engaged Soup and Sandwich nearing the furlong grounds and then readily drew off while drifting to the middle of the track through mid-stretch before angling back in again approaching the wire. Soup and Sandwich, hung three wide while close up around the opening bend, contested the pace while lapped on Nova Rags in the run down the backstretch. He fought on gamely when overtaken by Known Agenda in early stretch and while no match for the winner, was easily second best despite never switching off his left lead in the run down the lane. Greatest Honour entered the race on a three-race winning streak that included impressive victories in the Grade 3 Holy Bull and Grade 2 Fountain of Youth. With his regular rider Jose Ortiz aboard, Greatest Honour settled near the rear of the field down the backstretch while racing along the rail and just behind Known Agenda. He continued to save ground around the second turn, eased out to the three path entering the stretch, had a clear run from that point on but could not make up any ground on the leaders through the final furlong. The winner’s final time over a fast track was 1:49.45. Known Agenda earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 94. “We were looking for a couple of things in his last race,” said Pletcher. “One was to see if blinkers made an improvement. Secondly, we wanted to see how he handled the Gulfstream surface. I thought we got very good answers to both of those questions and it was an impressive step in the right direction.” Pletcher, who gave jockey John Velazquez credit for suggesting he put blinkers on Known Agenda following his disappointing fifth-place finish as the favorite in the Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs, said he was pleased while watching the race the way his horse was making progress along the inside in the run down the backstretch. “We were a little worried if he got stuck inside because he didn’t handle that in the Remsen very well,” said Pletcher. “But when he was making progress on the backside picking up horses, I had a pretty good feeling at that point that he was running his race today and it was just a matter of finding out how good he is.” Trainer Shug McGaughey, while obviously disappointed, took Greatest Honour’s third-place finish in stride. “I thought we were okay there on the turn, he just didn’t kick on the way I thought he would,” said the Hall of Fame horseman. “The winner ran a huge race. I’d have rather had a position a little closer and on the outside. But he [Ortiz] said he handled the kickback fine so we’ll pack up and make sure he’s okay and move forward.” As far as the Kentucky Derby is concerned, McGaughey said “as of right now, we’ll go. He belongs, as long as he’s okay.” Trainer Mark Casse, whose Soup and Sandwich earned 40 qualifying points for his second-place finish in the Florida Derby, said he’d also be inclined to come back in the Kentucky Derby if he has enough points to get his horse into the 20-horse field. “I was very pleased with his race and he’ll be even better if he ever learns what he’s doing,” said Casse. “Johnny [Velazquez] had to fight with him a little and he stayed on his left lead, which he also does in the morning. “What will help him in the Derby is being able to walk out of his own stall over to run. He got a little worked up shipping down from Palm Meadows for this race.”