HALLANDALE  BEACH, Fla. - The road to the Kentucky Derby got a little trickier for the undisputed division leader Forte early Saturday afternoon after the reigning 2-year-old champion drew post position 11 in a surprisingly full field of 12 3-year-olds entered for next Saturday’s $1 million Florida Derby.

Horses breaking from post position 11 in races run at the Florida Derby distance of a mile and one-eighth over the main track at Gulfstream Park have won just 2 of 49 starts, due in large part to the short run to the first turn since the track was reconfigured in 2006.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The complexion of the starting lineup for next Saturday’s $1 million Florida Derby took a turn for the better Friday with confirmation that Fort Bragg and Mage are now both being pointed to the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby prep.

Fort Bragg was one of seven 3-year-olds entered in Sunday’s Sunland Park Derby before his connections called an audible and decided to re-route him to Gulfstream Park six days later. Fort Bragg is coming off a fifth-place finish behind stablemate Practical Move in the Grade 2 San Felipe at Santa Anita in his only start this season.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Rombauer, the 2021 Preakness winner who has not raced in nearly two years, has resumed light training for a potential comeback later this season.

Owner-breeder John Fradkin confirmed Thursday that Rombauer, a 5-year-old full horse by Twirling Candy, is galloping at a training track in Ocala, Fla. If all goes well, Rombauer could return to the races later this year.

“We’re hopeful to get him back to the races, but it’s not for sure,” Fradkin said. “We’re cautiously optimistic, and if anything goes wrong, we’ll pull the plug.”

Golden Gate Fields will have a mandatory payout in the 20-cent golden pick six on Sunday for the first time since late January.

Gold Phoenix began his 2023 season with an upset win in the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile on turf at Santa Anita on March 4, at a distance that seemed shorter than his best trip.

The Chosen Vron has won six consecutive stakes for California-breds since September, and an attempt to continue the streak will not occur until late May at the earliest.

Del Mar this year will continue to offer a 25 percent purse bonus to the owners of runners who finish in the first five in certain maiden races on dirt, provided their trainers have fewer than 60 horses in training in Southern California.

Golden Gate Fields will begin racing on turf this year as early as March 31.

The track’s condition book for March 31 to April 2 has at least two turf races on each program.

The five-time graded stakes winner Smooth Like Strait, who was second in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar in 2021, has run his last race after a series of losses.