Madaket Road, the morning-line second choice for the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) March 29 at Gulfstream Park, should be equipped with a musical chair instead of a saddle. Round and round they go, jockeys circling for a ride aboard the talented son of Quality Road , until a different guy lands each time. The colt runs his race, never a bad one, then—poof!—the jock moves on, and the music starts again.
Antonio Fresu rode Madaket Road in his first race at Del Mar last November in the Bob Hope Stakes (G3) at seven furlongs. They finished second to favored Bullard.
Juan Hernandez was aboard Madaket Road when he won a six-furlong maiden race at Santa Anita Park on the opening day program, last Dec. 26.
Frankie Dettori replaced Hernandez on Madaket Road for the one-mile Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Feb. 1 for a third-place finish behind the colt's champion stablemate Citizen Bull and stablemate Rodriguez, all three trained by Bob Baffert.
Then it was off to Oaklawn Park, where Baffert hired Irad Ortiz Jr. for the $1.25 million Rebel Stakes (G2) Feb. 23. Madaket Road nearly ran away with the prize, but was caught in the final furlong by Coal Battle and settled for a very respectable second.
Onward to Gulfstream Park and its historic Derby, now in its 74th running. Ortiz, a man always in demand, was committed to the romping maiden winner Disruptor for Todd Pletcher, so Madaket Road was once again a loose horse. Baffert turned to Tyler Gaffalione, never a bad choice. Then Tyler cracked his ankle March 26.
When the music stopped again, Mike Smith landed on Madaket Road. As matches go, this one could be made in someplace heavenly, since the colt is a free-wheeling type who does not mind a little rating when necessary, and Smith has done some of his best Hall of Fame work on colts who like to get right into the mix. At least, that's a fair conclusion drawn from his three straight victories in the Florida Derby three decades ago.
In 1994, Smith let Holy Bull jump straight to the lead and let 13 others give hopeless chase. They won by 5 3/4 lengths in a waltz.
"I eased him in the race before that, remember?" Smith said, referring to Holy Bull's disastrous performance in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) three weeks prior to the Florida Derby for owner/trainer Jimmy Croll. It was the gray colt's first defeat after five flawless performances.
"He flipped his palate, and I think he did it before the race even started," Smith said. "He always went to the gate without a pony because he would play around a lot, and I think he got his tongue over the bit. I could hear him going into the gate kind of breathing funny, but there's nothing you can do about it at that point. So I just got him around there. Jimmy put a couple serious works into him after that and added a tongue tie, and he was ready to roll in the Florida Derby."
In 1995, Smith handled Thunder Gulch for D. Wayne Lukas to win the Fountain of Youth by a neck over Suave Prospect. Those two hooked up again in the Florida Derby to a similar outcome, only this time it was Smith by a nose.
"Thunder Gulch was a very nice colt, but he'd never do more than he needed to win," Smith said. "So you never knew what you really had under you, even though he got the job done."
For the Kentucky Derby that year, Smith zigged to Talkin Man, the romping winner of both the Gotham Stakes (G2) and Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) in New York. This gave him a distant view of Gary Stevens and Thunder Gulch winning the Derby by more than two lengths.
"I'd forgotten I'd ridden Talkin Man the year before in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs, and he really labored over the track," Smith said. "Thunder Gulch shows up there and was just skipping over it."
In 1996, Smith and Unbridled's Song arrived at the Florida Derby a lifelong team. He'd been the only rider for the iron gray/roan colt from the start, through five races that included a victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) and a close second in the Fountain of Youth to a 143-to-1 nightmare named Built for Pleasure.
"He was a lot like Holy Bull," Smith said. "He came out of that Fountain of Youth to just blow them away in the Florida Derby."
Unbridled's Song won by nearly six lengths, with Built for Pleasure nowhere.
"He came out of the Florida Derby with quarter cracks that basically left him with half a foot," Smith said. "And still he only got beat about 3 1/2 lengths in the Kentucky Derby. No telling how good he might have been."
Smith has not made too many Gulfstream Park appearances in recent years, but his last winning ride was memorable enough, coming aboard Arrogate in the 2017 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) for Baffert and Juddmonte Farm. Of course, this is not the Gulfstream Park of Smith's younger days. The old grandstand is gone, and the ovals were expanded, including a main track that went from mile to a mile and one-eighth.
"In the old days the main track was great," Smith said. "It's gone to a sand-based surface now, totally different, and the turns are humongous."
Smith rode two races at Santa Anita March 28 then later was scheduled to board a red-eye flight that was due to land in Miami at 5:30 a.m. Saturday, about 13 hours before post time for the Florida Derby. He planned on stopping at the home of a friend for a rest before heading to the track in mid-afternoon and his introduction as Madaket Road's latest collaborator.
"We're not without a chance," Smith said. "I loved his last race. He did all the dirty work and hung in tough. He's quick, got speed, but I don't think he's a need-the-lead type. If another horse is determined to have it, then we'll try to settle outside them and see what happens.
"I know there's no one who's had a chance to ride him back-to-back," Smith added. "But who knows? Maybe this will be the start of something."
