Bullet Drill for Florida Derby-Bound Adore the Gold

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(from Gulfstream Park notes)
John W. Murphy Sr.’s Kentucky homebred 3-year-old Adore the Gold worked a bullet five furlongs in :57 3/5 Saturday morning at Gulfstream Park in his final major preparation for the $1 million Florida Derby (gr. I) March 31.

“He did just what we were looking for and came back fine,” said trainer Michael Gorham later in the morning. “The time was pretty fast, but I think the track was playing that way and we wanted him to get something out of it. We’re all set.”

Regular exercise rider Carlos Reyes was aboard the son of Formal Gold for the move. Jockey Cornelio Velasquez gets the call on Saturday.

Adore the Gold’s connections will hope for a better draw than the far outside post nine he got for the Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II) on Mar. 3 when he ran gamely to be fourth, beaten only one length for it all by Scat Daddy.

The dark bay colt won Gulfstream's 6 1/2-furlong Swale Stakes (gr. II) a month earlier in his first start of the year after a juvenile campaign that included three wins in four starts. Adore the Gold has won four of six starts overall with earnings of $224,787.

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