Scat Daddy - Florida Derby Winner!!

Per ntra.com

Favored Scat Daddy put away his rival Stormello away soon after they reached the stretch and finished strongly to hold off the grinding Notional, capturing the $1 million Florida Derby (gr. I) at Gulfstream Park in an impressive effort Saturday.

Winner of the track's Fountain of Youth (gr. II) with a breathtaking late run to overcome a wide trip and defeat Stormello by a nose March 3, there was no need for those kind of heroics Saturday from jockey Edgar Prado, who won his sixth race on the Gulfstream card in the Florida Derby.

This time the California invader Stormello, who set a sizzling pace (:23, :46 3/5, 1:10 4/5) under Victor Espinoza, was cooked by the time he led the field into the stretch. Scat Daddy, never far back while stalking the leader three wide, challenged Stormello, who fought back gamely along the inside but could not match strides. Notional, a second Golden State challenger, slowly gained through the stretch after moving into contention on the final turn, but came up one length short of Scat Daddy, who completed the 1 1/8-mile distance in a solid 1:49. Chelokee, who was squeezed off along the inside by Stormello while rallying in the lane for Ramon Dominguez, gathered himself to gain the show spot over Stormello.

Scat Daddy is not expected to race again until the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) on May 5, and will try to duplicate Barbaro's feat of sweeping the Florida and Kentucky Derbys.

Owned by the partnership of Jim Scatuorchio and Michael Tabor and trained by Todd Pletcher, Scat Daddy, the son of Johannesburg-Love Style, by Mr. Prospector, captured last year's Champagne (gr. I) and Sanford Stakes (gr. II) before running fourth, 15 lengths behind Street Sense in the Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I). The dark bay colt ran third in Gulfstream's one-mile Holy Bull (gr. III) Feb. 3 to begin his 3-year-old campaign before returning to capture the nine-furlong FOY one month later. He boasts a 5-1-1 record in eight starts and improved his earnings to $1,334,300 with Saturday's winning purse of $600,000.

With regular rider John Velazquez in Dubai with Pletcher, Prado rode Scat Daddy for the first time. Though Pletcher was blanked during the World Cup meet, he won five races on the Gulfstream card.

Alex Wend bred the winner, a $250,000 Keeneland yearling buy, in Kentucky.

Scat Daddy paid $6.40, $3.40 and $2.80. Notional, who won the Risen Star (gr. III) at Fair Grounds and the San Rafael (gr. II) in powerful fashion in his last two starts for trainer Doug O'Neill, returned $4.20 and $3, completing a $21.40 exacta. Chelokee, making his stakes debut for trainer Michael Matz -- winner of last year's Florida Derby with Barbaro -- was $3.80 to show.

The Florida Derby winner has gone on to take the Kentucky Derby three times in the past 12 years. Before Barbaro's win last year, Monarchos did it in 2001 and Thunder Gulch in 1995.