The Florida Derby

The Grade 1 $1,000,000 Florida Derby will be Saturday at Gulfstream Park and it figures to be a contentious race with nine starters. This is the race that Barbaro won last year en route to his victory on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs. I will take the winner of the Fountain Of Youth, Scat Daddy, to get the win here. He barely got up to beat a game Stormello on that day and he is also in this field. I think Stormello has more heart and guts than any other 3-year-old this year, but I am hoping he fires his biggest shot in five weeks. Adore The Gold is worth a look also with some devastating workouts in the days leading up to this try. The winner of the Risen Star at the Fair Grounds, Notional, is the fourth selection coming off a bit of a layoff here.

Florida Derby Selections- Scat Daddy, Stormello, Adore The Gold, Notional

The Louisiana Derby

The 94th edition of the Grade 2 $600,000 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds takes place on Saturday and it is a very contentious group of eight horses in this one. Trainers Todd Pletcher and Doug O'Neill have been hogging all the headlines on the Derby Trail this year and this race is no exception as that pair have three of the eight runners available. My top pick will be Liquidity, an O'Neill trainee that ran 2nd in his last two and was Sired by two-time Breeders' Cup Classic winner, Tiznow. Circular Quay, one of the two Pletcher runners, is going to be the favorite and is almost assured to get a better trip on Saturday than he did in the Risen Star at FG back on February 10. The other Pletcher horse, Soaring By, gets the third spot here after a win and a second in his first two starts and he has Edgar Prado in the irons Saturday. We'll round out the top four with Delta Jackpot winner, Birdbirdistheword. His last two workouts have been bullets and he could provide a price in this race. Here's wishing the best of luck to you all.

Louisiana Derby Selections- Liquidity, Circular Quay, Soaring By, Birdbirdistheword

The Big 'Cap

Lava Man should win the Santa Anita Handicap for fun on Saturday. The Big 'Cap is a Grade 1, $1,000,000 event with a rich and proud history. After all, this is the race that Seabiscuit and Red Pollard came back to win in 1940 and put a cherry on top of that outstanding movie. Back to business, though, Lava Man has won eight of the last nine and the only loss came in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs. Arson Squad is the second choice after winning the Grade 2 Strub Stakes on February 3 and posting a bullet workout on March 1. The third choice is Sunshine Millions Classic winner, McCann's Mojave. He has won three straight entering the 'Cap and is 5 for 10 at Santa Anita. Awesome Gem rounds out the top four. He won the Grade 2 San Fernando Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita on January 13. His Sire is 1998 Breeders' Cup Classic winner, Awesome Again. All three of his wins have come at Santa Anita.

Santa Anita Handicap Selections- Lava Man, Arson Squad, McCann's Mojave, Awesome Gem