2026 Florida Derby Betting Tips
Commandment is trained by the legendary Brad H Cox and the three-year-old has enjoyed two promising runs already. There was a fourth-placed finish in a Maiden Special Weight at Keeneland and that came before a victory in the Fountain Of Youth Stakes. The horse travelled well to win this Grade Two contest over one mile, half a furlong.
It was Chief Wallabee who was beaten into second on that occasion and the latter now attempts to frank the form in this encounter. William Mott's horse was carrying two pounds less on that occasion and could well improve for the run, with the bookies now applying a non runner no bet concession to this encounter.
Nearly is another runner worthy of consideration. The horse's debut took place at Gulfstream Park at the end of January, with the runner obliging at odds of 17/10 to land a victory in the Holy Bull Stakes. That was a Grade Three showdown where a winning margin of nearly six lengths was managed. Todd Pletcher will be confident of another bold run here.
The Puma is trained by Gustavo Delgado, with the three-year-old having won at Tampa Bay Downs last time out. It was a quality performance in a Grade Three showdown where Further Ado and Canaletto were beaten into second and third. This came after a solid debut in a listed race at the same track and we might see the horse bang in contention.
2024 Florida Derby Tips
We’ve got the exciting prospect of the Florida Derby this weekend and this has been in operation since 1952. There are some talented runners and riders competing over nine furlongs, with the three-year-olds battling it out on the left-handed track at Gulfstream Park.
Which horses will follow in the footsteps of Known Agenda, White Abarrio and Forte to enter the Hall of Fame when it comes to this race. Todd Pletcher has previously saddled seven winners and he looks to have a viable contender in the form of Fierceness. The horse was last seen finishing third in a previous outing.
The horse ran at Gulfstream Park on 3 February and was sent off as the 1/5 favourite although the charge was unable to oblige and it’s worth noting that Hades was the winner on that occasion. Previously to this, there was a win in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and that explains why the bookies install the runner as favourite.
Hades looks a backable price to beat Fierceness for the second successive race, with the Joseph Orseno-trained runner having landed a couple of successes last year. Conquest Warrior is trained by Claude R McGaughey III and the horse comes into the race after winning at Gulfstream Park on 1 March.