Trainer Brian Lynch has confirmed that Donald Dizney's Jimmy's Dailys will make his next start in the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream Park March 29.
Jimmy's Dailys is slated to make his stakes debut in the Florida Derby, the premier Florida prep for the May 3 Kentucky Derby (G1), but the 3-year-old son of Vekoma has certainly kept the very best of company in his three starts at Gulfstream during the 2024-25 Championship Meet.
After a six-month layoff following a third-place June 23 debut at Churchill Downs, Jimmy's Dailys made his return to action with a fourth-place finish behind Tappan Street, who went on to finish second in the Feb. 1 Holy Bull Stakes (G3), in a Dec. 28 seven-furlong maiden race.
"After his first start at Churchill, he had an unusual injury that we had to give him time for. He's owned by the Dizneys, so we sent him down here to their farm in Florida," Lynch said. "He probably wasn't in the form that we'd have liked, but we wanted to try to get him on the Derby program. So, he probably wasn't as ready for his first start as he could have been, but he's really come on from that."
The Dizney homebred was certainly ready for his second Gulfstream start in a seven-furlong maiden special weight race on the Jan. 25 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) undercard, drawing clear by 1 1/4 lengths after closely stalking the pace. Disruptor, a $1.15 million purchase, finished third in that race before going on to graduate by 9 1/4 lengths for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher on the March 1 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) undercard.
Jimmy's Dailys subsequently made his first start around two turns in a 1 1/8-mile allowance optional claimer Feb. 27, setting the pace before finishing second behind Pletcher-trained Grande, who is undefeated in two career starts, both at Gulfstream.
"I thought he ran very gritty his first start around two turns," Lynch said. "He got inside pressed after breaking from the 1 hole—he was committed. He was pressed by that horse of Todd's, who got the jump on him. I liked the way when he got to the outside of that horse that he boxed on and tried to make up ground. It gave me some confidence that he can go a little bit further. You have to think second time around two turns he's going to get better."
Joel Rosario will have the mount aboard Jimmy's Dailys for the 1 1/8-mile Florida Derby, in which Godolphin's Sovereignty, a last-out winner of the Fountain of Youth for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, is scheduled to return.
Jimmy's Dailys is also on course to meet former rivals Tappan Street and Disruptor in the Florida Derby.
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
