McLaughlin’s Prince Poised for Big Florida Derby

Cairo Prince pulled away to a dominant win in the Holy Bull Stakes on Jan. 25 at Gulfstream Park. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
By Tom Pedulla, America’s Best Racing
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – When Kiaran McLaughlin first watched the Kentucky Derby, it was from a perch atop Barn 10 in the 1970s at Churchill Downs. He should have a much better vantage point come May 3 if Cairo Prince is a good as many think he is.
Cairo Prince faces one more major obstacle, when he heads a field of eight as the 9-to-5 favorite in the $1 million Florida Derby on Saturday at Gulfstream Park. McLaughlin is confident he will produce the top finish needed to ensure a spot in the starting gate in the run for the roses.
“He’s ready to perform a top race, an A-plus race,” said the native of Lexington, Ky.
The son of Pioneer of the Nile, a $250,000 purchase at the 2012 Keeneland September yearling sale, has already done much to prove his quality.
He displayed ability at 2 and shows every sign of moving forward in a big way at 3. He made a winning debut at New York’s Belmont Park last Oct. 6 before taking the Grade 2 Nashua Stakes at Aqueduct by 2 ½ lengths. He missed by a nose when second to Honor Code in the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes on Nov. 30 at Aqueduct in his third and final start in 2013.
Cairo Prince got his 3-year-old campaign off to a rousing start with a 5 ¾-length romp in the Grade 2 Holy Bull Stakes on Jan. 25 at Gulfstream Park to capture the attention of the racing world.
MCLAUGHLIN CHEERS ON CAIRO PRINCE IN HOLY BULL

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
Godolphin Racing was so impressed by the effort that it purchased a majority interest from initial owners Terry Murray, Harvey Clarke, W. Craig Robertson III and Paul Braverman.
McLaughlin, 53, said the colt showed as early as last June that he could be the kind of horse who comes around rarely.
“He was just working effortlessly and doing things that everyday horses don’t do, galloping out strong and not getting tired, looking great,” he said.
McLaughlin added: “He always has just trained very well and has done everything right, and he’s got a great mind. Sometimes horses mentally are not as sound as they are physically. But he has both.”
McLaughlin has been around his share of equine stars. He conditioned 2006 Horse of the Year Invasor and earned his first Triple Crown victory that year when Jazil prevailed in the Belmont Stakes. His best Derby finish was an unexpected one, when Closing Argument, at 71-to-1, finished second to fellow longshot Giacomo in a stunning edition of the run for the roses in 2005.
“We really haven’t had a 3-year-old to compare with Cairo Prince,” McLaughlin said. “No, it’s only Invasor, as an older horse, did things like he’s doing, and so this is our best chance for sure.”
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Some are questioning McLaughlin’s decision to give his promising 3-year-old so much time off after the Holy Bull. But the colt is training well and rattled off a series of strong workouts, leading the trainer to insist, “There’s no question we made the right decision.”
McLaughlin thinks so highly of Cairo Prince that he is training him with the big picture constantly in mind. “We have all year. It’s not just the first Saturday in May,” he said. “We’re pointing to the first Saturday in May, obviously, but there is a lot of racing after that.”
CAIRO PRINCE

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
Cairo Prince, with Luis Saez in the irons, will break from post three in the Florida Derby. He has shown the ability to sit off the pace, which should be solid with speedy Fountain of Youth victor Wildcat Red breaking from the rail as the keenest of a number of horses who possess early speed.
McLaughlin is so sure of his horse’s readiness that his greatest concern revolves around the weather. There is a chance for showers in the forecast.  He is concerned that a sloppy track could prove to be something of an equalizer.
Javier Castellano, though, views Cairo Prince as the horse to beat and will ride Florida Derby entrant Constitution accordingly. “He’s the best horse to win the race,” Castellano said of Cairo Prince. “That doesn’t mean he has to win. The best thing about our sport is that anything is possible.”
$1 million Besilu Stables Florida Derby
Saturday, Gulfstream Park, Race 14, 6:48 p.m. ET
3-year-olds, 1 1/8 miles (dirt)

PP

Horse

Jockey

Trainer

Odds

1

Wildcat Red

John Velazquez

Jose Garoffalo

3-1

2

Matador

Julien Leparoux

Mark Casse

15-1

3

Cairo Prince

Luis Saez

Kiaran McLaughlin

9-5

4

Constitution

Javier Castellano

Todd Pletcher

4-1

5

East Hall

Juan Leyva

Bill Kaplan

20-1

6

General a Rod

Joel Rosario

Mike Maker

7-2

7

Allstar

Orlando Bocachica

Marcus Vitali

30-1

8

Spot

Corey Lanerie

Nick Zito

8-1

All runners carry 122 pounds