Oldsmar, FL
Destin kicked clear late en route to a record setting performance in the Tampa Bay Derby Saturday afternoon at Tampa Bay Downs.
The Road to the Kentucky Derby rolls on and trainer Todd Pletcher has two more contenders after his horses finish first and second in the Derby prep race.
Destin, a son of Giant's Causeway, sat in third behind his stablemate Outwork through easy fractions of :24 and :47, before putting away that foe in deep stretch and winning the graded stakes event by a length.
Destin ran the final 1 1/16 mile race in a record time of 1:42, beating a 2010 mark set by Bolt Start in a stakes race. Those easy early fractions is what makes the record setting performance even more impressive.
Second place finisher Outlook, making just his third start of his career, ran too good to lose in the Tampa Bay Derby. Pletcher said he was super impressed with the way he dug in down the stretch against his stablemate.
A distance back in third was Star Hill to round out the trifecta and favored Brody's Cause did not fire, finishing in seventh place.
Destin returned $9.20 to win as the second betting choice in the field.
The Pletcher trained duo are expected to run one more time before the Kentucky Derby, possibly in the Wood Memorial, the Blue Grass, or the Arkansas Derby.