Inside the Numbers: Florida Derby

The Gulfstream paddock. (Photos by Eclipse Sportswire)
The Florida Derby is South Florida’s premier Kentucky Derby prep race, and this year is set to provide no shortage of excitement. Star 3-year-olds Mohaymen and Nyquist square off at Gulfstream Park on Saturday in what promises to be one of the most thrilling Florida Derbys in recent memory. Go behind the numbers to get the scoop on the race’s history and prestige.
1 1/8 miles – The distance of the Florida Derby.
1:46 4/5 – Record time for the race, set by Gen. Duke in 1957.
$2.10 – The smallest win payoff in the race, occurring when both Spectacular Bid (1979) and Honest Pleasure (1976) won the race.
2 – The number of undefeated horses expected to enter this year’s Florida Derby in Mohaymen (five career wins) and Nyquist (six wins).
3 – The number of victories that trainers Todd Pletcher, Nick Zito and John Veitch have in the race, a record.
PLETCHER’S 2015 FLORIDA DERBY WINNER MATERIALITY 
3 – Record number of wins by a jockey in the race. Five jockeys are tied for the honor: Edgar Prado, Jerry Bailey, Mike Smith, Bill Shoemaker and Bill Hartack.
3 – The number of Florida Derby runners to compete in the Kentucky Derby last year.
5 – The smallest number of horses to contest a Florida Derby, in 1957 and 1969.
5 – Number of wins in the race for owner Calumet Farm, a record.
6 – The number of times the Florida Derby has been decided by a nose, most recently when Ice Box won in 2010.
9 ¾ lengths – The largest margin of victory in the race, when Empire Maker won in 2003.
10 – Average field size for the Florida Derby, though the average over the last five years is 8.6. This year’s field of 10 includes early Kentucky Derby favorite Mohaymen and 2-year-old champion Nyquist.
UNDEFEATED MOHAYMEN

18 – The biggest field of horses ever to compete in the race, in the race’s first running in 1952.
57 – The number of Triple Crown races horses who started in the Florida Derby have gone on to win, including 22 editions of the Kentucky Derby.
65 – This year marks the 65th running of the Florida Derby.
170 – The number of Kentucky Derby points available to the first four finishers of the race, including 100 to the winner.
$183.60 – The biggest payoff in race history, when Williamston Kid won in 1966.
1993 – The last time the race was run on a track that was anything other than fast.
2013 – Year that Orb won both the Florida Derby and the Kentucky Derby, the most recent horse to complete that double.
ORB WINS THE KENTUCKY DERBY 

$1,000,000 – Purse for the 2016 Florida Derby, with $600,000 going to the winner.
$27,255,863 – Total amount bet on Florida Derby day in 2015, a record.