Live Oak Plantation's High Fly, early favorite for the Florida Derby (gr. I) – Gulfstream's showcase event for 3-year-olds with Kentucky Derby aspirations – breezed five furlongs in 1:02 at the Palm Meadows training center Saturday morning.Trainer Nick Zito left shortly after the drill for Florida's west coast to saddle Tracy Farmer's Sun King in the Tampa Bay Derby (gr. III).High Fly captured Gulfstream's Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II) March 5, the final major prep for the Florida Derby.The $1 million Florida Derby is April 2. High Fly, a son of Atticus, won Gulfstream's $125,000 Aventura Stakes Jan. 8.Florida Derby hopeful Papi Chullo, fourth in the FOY, returned to the track Saturday morning for a gallop for trainer Sal Gonzalez."When I got here from California he seemed to be walking a little funny," said Gonzalez. "He had glued-on shoes, so we took them off and found a foot bruise. It wasn't too bad, and he's OK. We treated it with Epsom salt and it cleared right up. He's very happy."Papi Chullo attempts to become the first maiden to win Gulfstream's premier event of the season. While winless, he has hit the board in three of his four career starts, including a pair of runner-up finishes in stakes in California.
"I hope he continues to show me he's OK," said Gonzalez. "He can still go to the Florida Derby. He's got two more weeks. I hope he keeps going to the track the way he did today. He was very frisky. I've never seen him look the way he did out there today."Gonzalez said Papi Chullo would gallop for the next two or three mornings with a workout planned early next week.