KENTUCKY Derby favourite Forte faces 11 rivals and an outside draw in stall 11 in the Grade 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream tonight.

Despite the big field, only three of his rivals are quoted in single figures for the nine-furlong test.

Cyclone Mischief was well behind when third in Forte’s impressive seasonal return in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth here in early March. Mage was back in fourth there but could be the progressive one as he had only one run, a maiden success coming into that race.

Fort Bragg is the second favourite from the Tim Yakteen stable but the colt has one maiden win from five starts and was only fifth of nine last time out in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita, won easily by Practical Move.

Jockey Jose Ortiz teams up with trainer Danny Gargan with the Good Magic colt Dubyuhnell. He won his maiden and the Grade 2 Remsen in New York as a two-year-old but faded from mid-race when eight of 11 in the Grade 2 Sam Davis at Tampa Bay in February.

Todd Pletcher’s Miracle, a daughter of Mendelssohn is favourite for the Florida Oaks off four blacktype placings on her last four runs.

Oaklawn Park

At Oaklawn, the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby has a field of 11 colts, with Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes winner Rocket Cam likely to give a line to Forte after Bill Mott’s Into Mischief colt had finished second to Forte in the Fountain of Youth last time.

With top trainers Steve Asmussen, Tim Yakteen and Brad Cox represented, it promises to produce some opposition to Forte looking ahead to the Derby.

Red Route One, Reincarnate and Bourbon Bash were second, third and fifth behind Confidence Game in the prep race here, the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes. But it is the Yakteen grey Reincarnate who heads the market off his game win previously in the Grade 2 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita.

Godolphin’s filly Wet Paint tops the market for the Grade 3 fillies’ trial, the Fantasy Stakes, after tough wins in the Grade 3 Honeybee and Martha Washington Stakes here.