Further Ado Kicks Off Season in Tampa Bay Derby

After their success last week in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) with Commandment at Gulfstream Park, trainer Brad Cox and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. aim for another prize in the Sunshine State with Spendthrift Farm's Further Ado in the March 7 Tampa Bay Derby (G3). Unraced since winning the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) by 1 3/4 lengths in late November at Churchill Downs, Further Ado brings a 2-for-2 record at the distance into the 1 1/16-mile, $400,000 race. Besides his win over the same trip in the Kentucky Jockey Club, he captured a maiden race by 20 lengths in October at Keeneland at 1 1/16 miles. Those races—both with Ortiz aboard—represented significant improvement upon earlier form established at Saratoga Race Course, where he had run fifth and third in shorter races over 6 and 7 furlongs, respectively. Now he'll look to shake off the rust from three months of racing inactivity against eight 3-year-olds, including striking debut winner Canaletto; Talkin, a grade 1-placed juvenile; plus a number of other talented foes, including the fast maidens The Puma and Powershift. Further Ado, a chestnut son of Gun Runner, has been breezing steadily at Payson Park Training Center in South Florida since late January. "His works have been phenomenal," said Cox, who noted Further Ado has gained weight and filled out since the fall. Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying points are at stake in the Tampa Bay Derby, distributed on a 50-25-15-10-5 basis to its top five finishers. Churchill Downs officials use qualifying points as a preference system when the Kentucky Derby, taking place this year May 2, lures more than its capacity field size of 20 horses. Further Ado already has a race-best 10 qualifying points entering the race. Road to the Kentucky Derby Point Standings Two Tampa Bay Derby participants have gone on to have Kentucky Derby success: Street Sense, who won both races in 2007, and Super Saver, who took the first leg of the Triple Crown in 2010 after beginning his 3-year-old campaign by showing in the Tampa Bay Derby. Both horses placed in their final Derby preps: Street Sense in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at Keeneland and Super Saver in the Arkansas Derby (G1) at Oaklawn Park. Canaletto, who whipped maidens in his unveiling going a mile at Gulfstream Park Jan. 25, receives a class and distance test in the Tampa Bay Derby. His ceiling appears high. A half brother to graded stakes winners She Can't Sing and Sandman, the Into Mischief colt was bought for $1 million at Fasig-Tipton's The Saratoga Sale in 2024. The Chad Brown trainee races for many of the same owners as those behind Risen Star Stakes (G2) winner Paladin: Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Peter Brant, and Brook Smith. Flavien Prat returns in the irons aboard Canaletto for Brown, who seeks a second Tampa Bay Derby victory after scoring with the Tyler Gaffalione-ridden Domestic Product two years ago. Six-time Tampa Bay Derby-winning trainer Todd Pletcher rests his hopes with Repole Stable's Powershift, whose lone start was a second-place finish Feb. 7 at Tampa Bay Downs in which he was beaten only three-quarters of a length by Emerging Market, another one of Brown's elite 3-year-olds. Though still a maiden, Powershift owns the highest last-race Beyer Speed Figure in the Tampa Bay Derby, a 96.