YouTube - 2009 Florida Derby - Quality Road + Post Race

Quality Road turned back a bid from even-money favorite Dunkirk in upper stretch and drew away for a sensational 1 3/4-length victory in the $750,000 Florida Derby (gr. I) March 28 at Gulfstream Park. The son of Elusive Quality set a new 1 1/8-mile course record in 1:47.72.

A Virginia homebred of Edward Evans, Quality Road earned his second consecutive graded stakes win and established himself as one of the top contenders for the $2 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) May 2 at Churchill Downs. He banked $450,000 for the score.
With John Velazquez aboard, Quality Road took advantage of a quick, early pace set by longshot Casey's On Call, who posted splits of :23.49 and :46.83 for a half-mile. The Jimmy Jerkens trainee made his winning move midway on the far turn, while Theregoesjojo, also close up throughout, came up to challenge under Kent Desormeaux. Quality Road made six furlongs in 1:10.66 and had things his own way turning for home.
But Dunkirk, a $3.7 million yearling making only his third start for Todd Pletcher, came from off the pace with a bold five-wide move under Garrett Gomez and was Quality Roads biggest threat when they straightened away. Dunkirk, who scored a convincing allowance victory at the Florida Derby distance Feb. 19, looked Quality Road in the eye in upper stretch and appeared to have the leader at his mercy with a furlong remaining. But Quality Road found more and slowly inched clear until putting the race away inside the sixteenth-pole.

Runner-up Dunkirk was six lengths better than third-place Theregoesjojo, who clipped heels with Quality Road around the final turn and had to be steadied. Desormeaux claimed foul on Quality Road immediately after the race but the objection was denied. Stately Character finished fourth at 87-1.

Seven horses went to the gate in the Florida Derby, as Danger to Society and Europe were scratched. Danger to Society instead will run in the April 4 Wood Memorial (gr. I) at Aqueduct. Europe, also trained by Pletcher, was expected to be a rabbit to entice speedy Quality Road into a quicker early pace.

After the race, Jerkens was ecstatic with his colt, while Pletcher complained that the Gulfstream strip had an unfair speed advantage. There were three track records set on the afternoon.

Pletcher told ESPN immediately after the race that had we known the track was the way it was, we would have run in New York (in the Wood Memorial).

Quality Road, who is out of the Strawberry Road mare Kobla, entered the race off a convincing 4 1/4-length score in the Feb. 28 Fountain of Youth (gr. II), which was run at one mile. In his 2009 debut he finished runner-up to Theregoesjojo in a seven-furlong allowance. The Florida Derby was his first two-turn test, which he answered emphatically. Overall, Quality Road is 3-1-0 from four lifetime starts with earnings of $632,830.

Sent off as the 6-5 second choice, Quality Road paid $4.40, $2.40 and $2.10. The exacta (2-4) returned $9, while the $2 trifecta (2-4-6) was worth $12

Sincero finished fifth, followed by Caseys on Call and Toby the Coal Man.