HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. — If there was any doubt who will be the favorite for the Kentucky Derby, Forte erased it with a rousing come-from-behind win Saturday in the $1 million Florida Derby.
He was the 5-2 Las Vegas futures favorite before his one-length victory on Saturday and it’s likely to go even lower after all the major preps are run. The final set of win-and-you’re-in races, highlighted by the Santa Anita Derby, will be next Saturday.
It was a mixed bag for Southern California horses on Saturday as Fort Bragg finished fifth in the Florida Derby and Reincarnate was third in the Arkansas Derby. Both horses were formerly trained by Bob Baffert but moved to the barn of Tim Yakteen because of Baffert’s two-year suspension by Churchill Downs after Medina Spirit had a positive medication test following his win in the 2021 Kentucky Derby. The colt was stripped of his win, although it is still the subject of litigation.
