Florida Derby Betting Guide: Strategies, Statistics & Picks

2025 Florida Derby Preview

Established in 1952 was the Florida Derby, a race that carries a $1m purse and is contested over a distance of one mile and one-eighth of a mile (9f) and is restricted to three-year-old horses.

The race is run on the same day as the Arkansas Derby which is about five weeks before the Kentucky Derby, fifteen winners of this race have gone on to win that race which means this race very much proves to be a good prep run for that race.

Florida Derby Picks

If you are interested in other predictions at Gulfstream Park then head over to the Gulfstream Park Betting Picks page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG handicappers and also compare those predictions to the runners who follow the trends when added below. Remember to use the racing predictions along with the information on this page to find a wager on the 2025 Florida Derby.

Florida Derby Content

• Florida Derby Past Winners
• Florida Derby Trainer Statistics
• Florida Derby Jockey Statistics
• 2025 Florida Derby Trends
• Florida Derby Trend Analysis

Quickest Run Florida Derby Renewals

Over the last 10 renewals, it was the Todd Pletcher trained Always Dreaming ridden by John R Velazquez who set the fastest winning time in the Florida Derby, the runner won the race in a time of 1:47.47 was set when winning the race in 2017. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey John R Velazquez with Materiality who set the slowest winning time, the race-winning time was 1:52.30 in the 2015 renewal. Below are the top three quickest-run Florida Derby over the last 10 renewals.

1. Always Dreaming (1:47.47) in 2017
2. Fierceness (1:48.22) in 2024
3. Forte (1:48.51) in 2023

Florida Derby Past Winners

Here are the Florida Derby past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the winning time, and the horse that won along with the cloth number, age, sex, the weight of the horse & which starting gate the horse came from. The trainer of the horse at the time of winning the Florida Derby as well as the jockey is also displayed along with the moneyline odds the horse was sent off.

Where have the winning runners come from?

Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Florida Derby have been based:

• USA: 10 winners with an additional 16 placings from 95 runners
• CAN: 0 winners with an additional 4 placings from 6 runners

Florida Derby Trainer Statistics

The leading trainer in the Florida Derby over the last 10 renewals is Todd Pletcher who has won the race 6 times. Those 6 winners came from Materiality (2015), Always Dreaming (2017), Audible (2018), Known Agenda (2021), Forte (2023) & Fierceness (2024). There is one trainer who has not had the best of times in the Florida Derby, Dale Romans has sent a total of 10 runners to the race without recording any wins.

Here are some of the most active Florida Derby trainer statistics over the last 10 renewals.

Florida Derby Jockey Statistics

The leading jockey in the Florida Derby over the last 10 renewals is John R Velazquez who has won the race 4 times. Those 4 winners came from Materiality (2015), Always Dreaming (2017), Audible (2018) & Fierceness (2024). The only other jockey to have recorded multiple wins in the Florida Derby is Irad Ortiz Jr (2 wins).

Here are some of the most active Florida Derby jockey statistics over the last 10 renewals.

2025 Florida Derby Trends

Favorites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 2, 4, 3, 1, 6, 1, 3, 3, 1, 1

The percentage shown is the percentage of the total number of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones as you would expect them to do well. The trend information is based on the available information on the racing post in terms of previous runs etc.

• 10 / 10 (31%) - Had 2 - 6 wins (Career)
• 10 / 10 (32%) - No bigger than 27/5
• 10 / 10 (40%) - Within the first 4 of the market
• 10 / 10 (40%) - In a field of 5 - 9 (Last Win)
• 10 / 10 (41%) - Won by at least 1½l (Last Win)
• 10 / 10 (49%) - Break of 22 - 148 days (Last Win)
• 10 / 10 (50%) - Not on GD/FM/SLW/STD (Last Win)
• 10 / 10 (53%) - No bigger than 6/1 (LTO)
• 10 / 10 (53%) - Had 1 - 3 wins (180 Days)
• 10 / 10 (54%) - Furthest Won 7f - 1m1f
• 10 / 10 (56%) - No bigger than 33/2 (Last Win)
• 10 / 10 (61%) - Beaten no more -3½l (LTO)
• 10 / 10 (61%) - No bigger than 33/2 (Career)
• 10 / 10 (68%) - Beaten no more -5¾l (Debut)
• 10 / 10 (82%) - Off a break of 22 - 56 days

Remember to use the trends listed above along with the Gulfstream Park racing predictions to see if you can find the winner of the Florida Derby. Are you already a member? If not, then why not?! With over $9,000 given away each month in the picks contest, why not get involved? Remember, It is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then why share your thoughts on the Florida Derby by adding a pick on the race here?

Florida Derby Trend Analysis

How competitive is the Florida Derby market?

When looking at the over-rounds for the last 10 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2017 when the race had an over-round of 121%. The race in 2023 was a race that was most in the bookie's favor with an over-round of 126%, whilst on average over the last 10 renewals of the Florida Derby, the over-round has been 123%, which means the bookie expects to pay out $100 for every $123 which is bet.

Post Positions of the Florida Derby Winners, Places & Shows

Here are the most recent winning draws along with those who placed and showed:

Best Course for a Florida Derby Prep Run?

The course which has produced the most winners of the Florida Derby is Gulfstream Park, there has been a total number of 9 winners of this race who ran at Gulfstream Park last time out.

Worst Performing Stallions in the Florida Derby

Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have been disappointed with multiple attempts but no wins in the Florida Derby, that stallion is Tapit who has failed to produce a winner from 6 runners.

Biggest Priced Winners of the Florida Derby & Performance of Favorites

Looking at the winning odds over the last 10 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Known Agenda in 2021, winning for Todd Pletcher at odds of 54/10 under the guidance of Irad Ortiz Jr. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 10 renewals there has been a total of 4 winning favorites in the race. Remember to bookmark the best racing handicappers page so you can get easy access to the best OLBG racing handicappers. All figures and trends above, such as the horse's previous runs are based on the information that is available on the racing post.

Florida Derby FAQs

Where is the Florida Derby run?

The Florida Derby is run at the Gulfstream Park racetrack each year, you can get Gulfstream Park racing predictions all season long as well as for Florida Derby.

When is the Florida Derby?

The Florida Derby takes place around March of each year at Gulfstream Park.

Who won the Florida Derby?

The 2024 renewal of the Florida Derby was won by the Todd Pletcher trained Fierceness who was ridden by John R Velazquez in a time of 1:48.22, owned by Repole Stable it was sent off at an SP of 11/10. You can view all the recent winners in the Florida Derby Past Winners section of the blog.

Who will win the Florida Derby?

On the day of the race, use the trends in this blog and then compare them to the OLBG racing handicappers' predictions for the Florida Derby, you can do this on the Gulfstream Park Picks page which not only will have picks for this race but also picks for Gulfstream Park throughout the season. You may also be interested in the Horse Racing Picks page where you can get daily horse racing predictions from all of the US courses.

Who is the top trainer in the Florida Derby?

With a total of six winners over the last ten renewals, it is Todd Pletcher who holds the claim as the leading trainer in the Florida Derby. To see which other trainers have a good record in the race, head over to the Florida Derby Trainer Statistics section of the blog.

Who is the top jockey in the Florida Derby?

With a total of four winners over the last ten renewals, it is John R Velazquez who holds the claim as the leading jockey in the Florida Derby. To see which other jockeys have a good record in the race, head over to the Florida Derby Jockey Statistics section of the blog.

Do we have trends for the 2025 renewal of the Florida Derby?

The simple answer is Yes! We have a total of fifteen trends for the Florida Derby which can be found under the Florida Derby Trends section.