Fearless Vision favored at mile

Racing in an entry-level allowance on the March 31 Florida Derby undercard, Fearless Vision finished second to favored Soaring By, who is entered in Saturday's Grade 2 Lexington Stakes at Keeneland.

Seemingly facing no such classy rival in Saturday's featured eighth race at Gulfstream, a $46,000 first-level allowance with an optional $75,000 claiming condition, Fearless Vision should this time be the favorite.

A 3-year-old gray son of Vision and Verse owned by Paul Pompa Jr. and trained by Patrick Reynolds, Fearless Vision looks rock-solid. First or second in all four of his starts, he owns some of the strongest Beyer Speed Figures in the race to go along with the good form he has established against tough company.

He also is well suited to the mile distance of Saturday's race, having scored his only win March 10 at a mile. Last time, when racing 1 1/8 miles, he flattened out a little in the stretch after making a menacing move from third. He finished 3 1/2 lengths behind Soaring By.

Reynolds will remove the colt's blinkers on Saturday.

Ariel Smith rides, replacing the colt's regular jockey, Rafael Bejarano, who is now riding in Kentucky.

Keeneland Kid looks like the main threat to Fearless Vision, despite not having raced since finishing fifth in the Dec. 2 Steward Mitchell Stakes at Laurel Park. Although never a factor in that race, he showed talent at other times last fall, running a close fourth in an allowance at Keeneland and placing in the Storm Cat Stakes at the Meadowlands.

He has been breezing regularly at Palm Meadows Training Center for trainer Kelly Breen, who has won with 9 of his last 37 horses returning following layoffs of between 61 and 180 days of rest. Elvis Trujillo rides.

Four of the six other entrants are racing for the $75,000 claiming price. Those four - Dukes Flying Tiger, Bentrovhto, Blue Sailor, and West Abe - have each won multiple races.

Of those, West Abe looms a threat on the basis of Beyer Speed Figures. Although his last race came versus $25,000 claimers, he won by five lengths, posting an 84 Beyer, the top last-race figure posted by any entrant in Saturday's field.

Claimed out of the race by Leo-Sag Stable, West Abe now races for trainer Bob Dibona. Daniel Centeno rides.