Meet the Contenders: 2026 Florida Derby
Chief Wallabee wins at Gulfstream Park. (Photo by Coglianese Photos)
March 26th, 2026
Meet the horses running in the 2026 Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream Park. For each horse, we're listing a pro, a con, and a rating of potential. The star rating of 1 to 5 represents the opportunity to perform well. Be sure to follow these contenders by adding them to your Stable Alerts.
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TwinSpires
#1 Albus *
Trainer: Riley Mott
Pro: Made notable improvement when graduating at Tampa.
Con: Thrown to the wolves in what looks like the deepest Kentucky Derby (G1) prep.
Chief Wallabee wins at Gulfstream Park. (Photo by Coglianese Photos)
#2 Chief Wallabee *****
Trainer: Bill Mott
Pro: Fountain of Youth (G2) effort terrific, given his relative inexperience.
Con: That aforementioned inexperience is also the lone obvious drawback.
Wayne's Law wins the Aventura at Gulfstream Park. (Photo by Coglianese Photos)
Commandment wins the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park. (Photo by Coglianese Photos)
#4 Commandment *****
Trainer: Brad Cox
Pro: Rallied inside to edge Chief Wallabee in fast edition of Fountain of Youth.
Con: Like Sovereignty last year, this is not a race he “needs” to win ahead of Kentucky.
Kentucky Derby Roundup: Commandment among weekend winners. 🌹 @J_Keelerman has the latest news and notes regarding @KentuckyDerby 152! 📝https://t.co/t50VwoeYvR
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) March 4, 2026
Redland Rebels wins at Gulfstream Park. (Photo by Coglianese Photos / Credit to Ryan Thompson)
#5 Redland Rebels SCRATCHED
Nearly wins the Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park. (Photo by Coglianese Photos)
#6 Nearly *****
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Pro: Has really stepped up his game this meet winning three straight.
Con: This field has far more depth than the Holy Bull (G3).
TwinSpires
#7 Timeless Victory *
Trainer: Eddie Plesa Jr.
Pro: Romped by six lengths in first attempt over this distance.
Con: Well-beaten by Nearly two back; doesn’t look classy enough.
The Puma wins the Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs. (Photo by SV Photography)
#8 The Puma ***
Trainer: Gustavo Delgado
Pro: Sustained a wide rally to win Tampa Bay Derby (G3); on the improve.
Con: Three weeks might be too quick a turnaround.
TwinSpires
#9 Gregarious *
Trainer: Jose Castro
Pro: Has the speed to be involved early, for a short time.
Con: One-start maiden looks very much out of place here.
