HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Forte, the reigning divisional champion, will make his eagerly awaited 3-year-old debut here next Saturday (March 4) in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth, one of nine stakes (eight graded) on one of the premier dates of the 2022-23 Championship meet. Forte, trained by Todd Pletcher, was scheduled to have his final pre-race breeze this weekend at Palm Beach Downs. Blazing Sevens, winner of the Grade 1 Champagne last fall for Chad Brown, and Rocket Can, a last-out winner of the Holy Bull for Bill Mott, were among at least 10 challengers expected when entries were to be released Saturday. The others are Cyclone Mischief, Dangerous Ride, General Jim, Great Navigator, Il Miracolo, Legacy Isle, Mage, and Shadow Dragon. Mage, an impressive debut winner here earlier this winter, tuned up for the Fountain of Youth by working five furlongs in 1:00.78 on Friday in company and best of a team with O Captain. Javier Castellano was aboard Mage, who galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.75 before easing up seven-eighths in 1:27.36. The 4-year-old O Captain finished third at odds of 87-1, with Castellano in the irons, in the 2022 edition of the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth. Both horses are trained by Gustavo Delgado. :: Get Gulfstream Park Clocker Reports from Mike Welsch and the Clocker Team. Available every race day.  The 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth is a 100-point qualifier (50-20-15-10-5) toward the Kentucky Derby on May 6. It comes four weeks before the Florida Derby on April 1, a 200-point qualifier (100-40-30-20-10). Pletcher also said he would enter Atomically “and maybe another filly” in one of the main supporting features, the Grade 2 Davona Dale, but was unlikely to enter Charge It in the Gulfstream Park Mile, a Grade 2 race for which the 4-year-old colt would have been a big favorite. ◗ Ken Ramsey won’t be on hand for the big Saturday card because he’ll be with family in Barbados, trying to win the Barbados Gold Cup for the fourth time. Ramsey will be represented by Tallahatchiebridge and American Diamond, both trained by Barbadian native Saffie Joseph Jr. Ramsey won the Gold Cup in 2014, 2015, and 2018. – additional reporting by Mike Welsch :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.