Saturday’s $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa is the marquee race during Gulfstream Park’s winter-spring Championship Meet and a crucial prep for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve.
This feature provides a capsule look at three horses who are heating up on the Triple Crown trail and three horses whose chances for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve are not quite as strong as they were a week or two ago.
In this edition, the focus is the previous two weeks of prep races. With the action on the Derby trail heating up, this column will now appear regularly to analyze to biggest movers approaching the first leg of the Triple Crown.
The final weekend of March is shaping up to be perhaps the biggest in the world of horse racing so far in 2021. Two Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve qualifying races each offering a total of 170 points are scheduled for Saturday in the U.S., and another one will be run in the United Arab Emirates along with a smorgasbord of top-class racing as part of the Dubai World Cup card.
Each week members of the media around the country vote on the nation's top contenders on the Triple Crown trail in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. The poll will run weekly through June 5. Find out the latest 2021 top 3-year-old rankings below.
Making the Grade, which will run through the 2021 Triple Crown races, focuses on the winners or top performers of the key races, usually from the previous weekend, who could make an impact on the Triple Crown. We’ll be taking a close look at impressive winners and evaluating their chances to win classic races based upon ability, running style, connections (owner, trainer, jockey), and pedigree.
