Quality Road wins Florida Derby in Kentucky Derby prep: Kentucky Derby contender smashes track record for 1 1/8 miles in new configuration.

Byline: Tom Jicha

Mar. 29--Quality Road, who had been playing second fiddle to the highly touted Dunkirk in the run-up to the Florida Derby, reversed their status Saturday. Quality Road not only outran Dunkirk and five other foes, his time of 1:47.72 for a mile and an eighth smashed the track record for the new configuration of Gulfstream. Next stop: the Kentucky Derby.

It was a heart-stopper for those who made Quality Road the 6-5 second choice to even-money favorite Dunkirk. John Velazquez on Quality Road bided his time stalking pace-setter Casey's on Call most of the way, then surged to the front going to the far turn. Simultaneously, Dunkirk, who …