Las Vegas, NV -- The first derby of 2012 takes place on Sunday at Gulfstream Park with the inaugural running of the Gulfstream Park Derby. The new race will be run at a mile and a sixteenth, which means it is a very good test for 3-year-old horses being pointed to the Kentucky Derby.

The likely favorite in the Gulfstream Park Derby will be Ancient Rome.

The two horses that are getting the most attention at OffTrackBetting.com in the field of 11 are Casual Trick for Nick Zito and Ancient Rome for Anthony Dutrow.

It will be the stakes debut for Casual Trick who is the son of Bernardini. "What he lacks in experience he has to make up with ability and one thing I do know about this horse, he's got a lot of talent," said Zito. "We drew a good post and we've got Johnny [Velazquez] and that's good too." With a win on Sunday, Casual Trick would start to get a lot of attention in Kentucky Derby betting. "The Gulfstream Park Derby is a two turn race, a mile and a sixteenth. I thought right off the bat to see how good he is. I think he's really, really good," Zito said. "Hopefully, his pedigree jumps up. I know it's quick. I'm asking him to do something unusual, but sometimes we do that. These are the horses that take us to the promised land, not us. Hopefully, he can do it."

The likely favorite in the Gulfstream Park Derby will be Ancient Rome. He is the only stakes winner in the field having won the Spectacular Big Stakes on opening day at Gulfstream Park. "I honestly don't know what to expect," said Dutrow. "He certainly has the talent, and if he can get the distance, he's going to be a useful 3-year-old. It's all about experimenting here [distance]. If it doesn't work out, we'll just campaign him as a sprinter."

Not to be forgotten on Sunday in this race is Gold Megillah for trainer Graham Motion, who had 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom. "We're looking forward to testing him with some of the other 3-year-olds," Motion said. Gold Megillah opened a lot of eyes with a dominating maiden win on Nov. 16 at Churchill Downs.

Also in the mix could be Silver Menace for trainer Kathy Ritvo, who had last year's third place Kentucky Derby horse, Mucho Macho Man.

The field for Sunday's Gulfstream Park Derby.