Trainer Nick Zito said the inaugural Gulfstream Park Derby Jan. 1 is under consideration for Casual Trick, a son of Bernardini —Casual Look, by Red Ransom, who broke his maiden impressively in his second career start.
Owned by Robert LaPenta, whose Dialed In won the 2010 Florida Derby (gr. I) and Holy Bull Stakes (gr. III) at Gulfstream, Casual Trick pressed the pace and then took over in the stretch to win the one-mile test at Churchill Downs by 2 1/2 lengths Nov. 18.
“I think I’m going to run him in the Gulfstream Derby,” Zito said. “He only broke his maiden in his last race, but I think it’s a good place to start.”
The $100,000 Gulfstream Park Derby will be run at 1 1/16 miles.
In his career debut, the colt ran fifth at Saratoga in a maiden race won by Fire On Ice.
Bred in Kentucky by W.S. Farish, who was co-breeder of Dialed In, Casual Trick was purchased by Whitehorse Stable for $425,000 from the Lane’s End consignment to the 2010 Keeneland September yearling sale.