Fountain of Youth hopefuls put in final workouts
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HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Friday morning was a busy one in the local area for potential Fountain of Youth starters with the bulk of the action taking place at the Palm Meadows training center. Bravaro, Solitude Dude, and Napoleon Solo all turned in sharp works a little more than 24 hours before the important Kentucky Derby prep was to be drawn here Saturday afternoon.
Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. couldn’t have been happier with Bravaro and Solitude Dude after they each worked five furlongs. Bravaro completed the distance in 1:00.70, Solitude Dude went in a similar 1:00.30 about an hour later.
Bravaro enters the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth off a second-place finish behind division leader Nearly in the Grade 3 Holy Bull. Solitude Dude is undefeated and virtually untested in three starts but will be stretching out around two turns for the first time and thus must answer the distance question in his graded stakes bow.
“They both worked about as well as they possibly could,” Joseph said while making the drive back to Gulfstream Park from Palm Meadows late Friday morning. “Bravaro had Tyler Gaffalione aboard, sat off a filly that’s a pretty good worker, and went by her pretty easily.
“Solitude Dude also went super. I think a mile and one-quarter might be a question for him, but the way he worked this morning, it gives me confidence he can handle a mile and one-sixteenth just fine.”
Bravaro and Solitude Dude are two of the three horses Joseph will enter in the Fountain of Youth along with maiden winner Bull by the Horns, who is currently stabled at Gulfstream Park and will likely have his final work for the race over the weekend.
Joseph said Gaffalione will be back aboard Bravaro in the Fountain of Youth. Flavien Prat will ride Solitude Dude for the first time, while Micah Husbands will be reunited with Bull by the Horns.
Trainer Chad Summers was equally pleased with Champagne winner Napoleon Solo, who breezed a maintenance-like half-mile in 48.50 seconds.
“He came his last quarter in 23 and 2 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:14 and change,” said Summers, who plans to cross-enter Napoleon Solo in the Fountain of Youth and Gotham at Aqueduct, which also will be run Feb. 28.
“We’d like to stay here, but it could be a full field and a lot will depend on the post-position draw.”
At Gulfstream Park, Global Aviator had his final prep for the Fountain of Youth, breezing an easy half-mile in 49.15 while finishing under a good hold with his regular rider Joe Bravo in the irons. He galloped out with excellent energy, completing five furlongs in 1:02.22 while kept a bit wide into the clubhouse turn.
Global Aviator, who overcame a brutal trip to win his debut, will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing fifth-place finish when making his two-turn debut in the Holy Bull.
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