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 HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. (AP) - The winner's circle routine for Nick Zito features smiles, leaps, handshakes, hugs and kisses. And then he pours on the praise, thanking everyone and everything that had anything to do with his most recent success. The trainer was at it again after High Fly won Saturday's Florida Derby and stablemate Noble Causeway finished second in their final preps before the Kentucky Derby on May 7.
"I had a lot of help this week," Zito said Sunday morning outside his barn at Gulfstream Park. "Look at the weather. Last week it was 94 degrees — that's too hot for Florida in March. I've said High Fly's tough in cooler weather, and I'm really proud of the way Noble Causeway ran in his first stakes race."
A cool, breezy day arrived just in time for the $1 million Florida Derby, allowing High Fly to soar to a 1 1/2-length victory and move to No. 1 in this week's Run to the Roses Top 10.
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