HALLANDALE BEACH - Wathnan Racing’s Commandment overcame a tepid early pace to stamp himself as the early favorite for this year’s Kentucky Derby with a late-rallying drive to eke out a narrow victory in the 75th running of the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

    The Brad Cox-trained son of 2014 Curlin Florida Derby winner Constitution, who was coming off a victory by a neck in the Feb. 28 Coolmore Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream, prevailed by a nose over The Puma in the tradition-rich 1 1/8-mile stakes for 3-year-olds that closed out a stacked 14-race program featuring 10 stakes, five graded, with purses totaling $2.675 million.

    Commandment’s brave triumph gave Cox back-to-back wins in Gulfstream’s definitive Kentucky Derby prep, following Tappan Street’s victory last year over eventual Horse of the Year Sovereignty. “I’m proud of the horse. He’s a solid horse,” Cox said. “This is a good race and it’s going to set him up for the Derby. Win or lose. I’m glad we came out on the right end.”

    The Diamond Anniversary of the Curlin Florida Derby offered 200 qualifying points for the May 2 Kentucky Derby on a scale of 100-50-25-15-10 to the first five finishers. The first jewel of the Triple Crown has been won by 26 starters in the Curlin Florida Derby, while 47 starters have captured a total of 63 Triple Crown races.

    “He’s a big sturdy horse, I’ve said that several times. He takes his races really well and a couple people told me he was the paddock pick,” Cox said. “He’s a big sturdy horse and once again, if he comes out of it in good order, I think it will set him up for five weeks.”

    Commandment, the 9-5 second choice, rallied from last in the field of six under Flavien Prat after sitting off the pace set by Wayne’s Law and pressed by Nearly past fractions of :24.10 and :48.80 seconds for the first half-mile. Nearly, who was coming off a 5 ¾-length victory in the Jan. 31 Holy Bull at Gulfstream, took over the lead on the far turn only to be immediately challenged by The Puma, who took over the lead on the turn into the homestretch and opened up a clear lead. Prat sent Commandment five-wide on the final turn to loom as the only danger. The Cox-trainee responded to Prat’s urging to just catch The Puma at the wire.

    “I was a bit worried because I wasn’t traveling very well the first part. The pace wasn’t very fast, and I was just in the back, and I thought I would be a bit closer. Then I tipped him out turning for home, he swapped leads and from there he gave me a good, solid run,” Prat said. "I thought I had the bob, but I wasn’t sure. He’s very workmanlike. He’s straightforward, and he’s a fighter. He showed some guts down the lane.”

    Commandment, a three-time winner during this season’s Championship Meet, ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.99 to nip The Puma, who captured the Tampa Bay Derby in his prior start.

    “We thought we had him,” said Gustavo Delgado Jr., the son and assistant to The Puma’s trainer, “but other than that, it was really, really what we wanted to see before the Derby.”

    The Puma, who was ridden by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, edged third-place finisher Chief Wallabee, the Coolmore Fountain of Youth runner-up trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, by a half-length.

    “The trip was OK. We were saving ground. He tipped him out and he just felt like, as easily as he was traveling, he would probably accelerate a little quicker than what he did. I mean, he came on but maybe not as quick,” Mott said. “As well as he was traveling on the bridle, when [jockey Junior Alvarado] released him he thought he would probably quicken a little more. But, you know, it’s only his third race and they’ve got to learn to do that. He’s getting more experience, and it wasn’t a bad race. It was a good race.”

    Chief Wallabee rallied mildly in the stretch to finish 3 ¼ lengths clear of a tiring Nearly, who finished fourth under Hall of Famer John Velazquez.

    “Maybe he needed this to make him move forward. We'll see. We've got time to see how he comes out of it, train here a little bit, survey the complexion of everything,” said Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, whose 7-5 favorite was coming off three straight victories at Gulfstream by a combined 20 lengths. “[Velazquez] felt like he didn't handle the track the way it was today, the way he handled it previously. He felt like he was sort of just spinning his wheels a little bit. He didn't run bad. He just didn't run as well as he's capable of.”

        

    HALLANDALE BEACH - Though he will spend the final weekend of the 2025-2026 Championship Meet honoring out of town commitments, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. put the finishing touches on an expected record-extending seventh riding title Sunday at Gulfstream Park.

    The 33-year-old Ortiz won aboard Brian Lynch-trained favorite Zakinthos ($4.60) in Race 5, a maiden special weight for 3-year-olds, and finished the country’s premier winter meet with 82 victories from 312 mounts, holding a 19-win lead over runner-up Tyler Gaffalione (408 mounts) with just four racing days remaining.

    It will be the fourth consecutive Championship Meet riding title for Ortiz, one shy of the track record set by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano between 2011-2012 and 2015-2016, and seventh overall. Last winter, Ortiz became the first jockey to win the riding title for a sixth time.

    “I’m happy. It’s been a great meet,” Ortiz said. “I’m thankful for the huge support as always from all the trainers and owners. I’m happy to have been able to win another title here. It’s amazing. My agent does a great job. I’m just happy and glad to be here.”

    Represented by Steve Rushing, Ortiz will finish second to Gaffalione with $3.94 million in purses earned at the Championship Meet. Among his victories are six stakes, including the Gr. II Coolmore Fountain of Youth and Mucho Macho Man with Commandment, Gr. III Forward Gal with On Time Girl and Gr. III Fort Lauderdale with Wolfie’s Dynaghost.

    On Dec. 13, Jose D’Angelo-trained White Claw Woman gave Ortiz his 1,000th Gulfstream Park winner. Already a five-time Eclipse Award winner, he finished second in balloting for 2025 despite leading the country with 351 wins and setting a North American record with $40,498,792 in purse earnings.

    Ortiz missed action last weekend with a sore hip after his mount, A Moment a Love, veered after breaking from the gate and tried to jump the temporary inner rail on March 12, throwing Ortiz to the turf. He returned to action Saturday at Turfway Park and Sunday was his first day back at Gulfstream.

    “It’s a beautiful place to be in the wintertime. I love the track. I love the people. I love the people that run the track. I’ve been coming here for a lot of years and I love it all,” Ortiz said. “You have some good prep races and some nice young horses here to try to find the Derby winner. That’s where you start the dream, here at Gulfstream.”

Lennilu Opens Season with Popular Melody of Colors Win

    Amy Dunne, Caitlin Dunne, Brenda Miley, Jean Wilkinson, Hoffman Family Racing, Tranquility Lake Farm, Maury Harrington and Christopher Harrington’s Lennilu kicked off her season in style with a popular victory in Sunday’s $125,000 Leinster Melody of Colors for 3-year-old fillies.

    Ridden by Luis Saez for trainer Patrick Biancone, Lennilu ($2.80) covered five furlongs over a turf course rated good in :56.26 seconds for her fifth win from seven career starts and fourth in a stakes. Three of her four stakes wins have come on the grass at Gulfstream, where she is 3-0 lifetime.

    Mystical Belle, a winner of two straight on the all-weather Tapeta course trying turf for the first time, broke alertly and was sent to the lead by jockey Tyler Gaffalione, leading trough a quarter-mile in :21.28 seconds while racing in the two path. Viable Asset, unbeaten in two starts and making her stakes debut, pressed in second along the rail with Lennilu in the clear three wide in third.

    The half went in :43.87 seconds with Mystical Belle clinging to a short lead after straightening for home, but Lennilu asserted her class and wore down the longshot leader, edging clear late to win by three-quarters of a length. Mystical Belle held second, followed by 73-1 Tizasweetlady, Viable Asset, Jetty’s Home, Canton, I Love Giraffes and Finch. Secane and Rockyta were scratched.

    Lennilu ran six times as a 2-year-old, winning Gulfstream’s Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies in her second start last spring to earn an automatic berth in the Gr. II Queen Mary at Royal Ascot where she ran third, beaten less than two lengths by subsequent Group 1 winner True Love.

    She returned to win the Desert Vixen division of the Florida Sire Stakes series over Gulfstream’s main track in September, then was back on turf to beat the boys in the Hollywood Beach sprinting five furlongs. Sunday was her first race since finishing seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, also against males, Oct. 31.

    “It was good,” Biancone said of Sunday’s win. “It was a long layoff. We decided to give her plenty of time to grow because she started early in April [2025]. She’s back. I think she’s a little better than she was last year.”

 

                Next up for Lennilu is the 5 ½-furlong Limestone (G3) April 10 at Keenland, Biancone said.