BY AVALYN HUNTER

With Justify having become perhaps the hottest young stallion on the planet, graded stakes-winning sons of his are in short supply as stallion prospects. The most accomplished of his North American sons outside Kentucky is Verifying, who is standing his second season at Pleasant Acres Stallions. A Grade 3 winner with multiple Grade 1 placings to his credit, Verifying also offers a fine pedigree and solid conformation to Florida breeders.

THOROUGHBRED RACING INITIATIVE PRESS RELEASE

OCALA, FL-The Florida Thoroughbred breeding and racing industry provides one of the state's most robust agri-businesses, with 33,500 jobs and $3.24 billion in annual economic impact. To put that in perspective: All collegiate athletics in the state account for a $3.1 billion contribution.

PRESS RELEASE

Ocala, FL-Halel, a promising Thoroughbred stallion by the proven sire K One King, will stand at stud for a limited book at the University of Florida during the 2025 breeding season. This opportunity presents breeders with a chance to preserve the rare Byerley Turk sire line in today’s Thoroughbred bloodlines. The initiative is spearheaded by Holly Hoffman, a passionate Thoroughbred owner based in Ocala, who is dedicated to maintaining genetic diversity and soundness in the breed for the prevention of catastrophic injury in today’s racehorses.

BY BROCK SHERIDAN

Wathnan Racing's Flood Zone makes his first start on the Road to the Kentucky Derby Saturday when the Florida-bred colt goes in the Grade 3 Gotham at Aqueduct. The $300,000 Gotham will feature 10 sophomores going a mile in pursuit of 105 qualifying points on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard allocated to the top five finishers on a 50-25-15-10-5 schedule.

Decoupling: What You Need to Know