Gulfstream Park: Florida Derby the target for Conquest Titan

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Although Saturday’s Grade 2 Fountain of Youth drew a field of 13 talented 3-year-olds, it failed to attract the top three finishers from the Grade 2 Holy Bull here last month – Cairo Prince, Conquest Titan, and Intense Holiday.

Cairo Prince was not even nominated to the Fountain of Youth, with his connections having made the decision weeks ago to bypass the race and await the $1 million Florida Derby on March 29. Intense Holiday, trained by Todd Pletcher, is running Saturday at Fair Grounds in the Grade 2 Risen Star.

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Conquest Titan, however, is a bit conspicuous by his absence, with the Fountain of Youth originally penciled in on his dance card following a big effort in the Holy Bull. But trainer Mark Casse said earlier this week that he will take the same route as Cairo Prince with Conquest Titan, skipping the Fountain of Youth to point to the Florida Derby.

“Everything’s good, but he’s not a big horse and he lost a few pounds coming out of the Holy Bull,” Casse explained. “He got a little hot in the Holy Bull and he’s still getting hotter than I’d like him to get. I don’t think you can run in all of these preps, and going a mile and one-sixteenth in the Fountain of Youth, we’re already at a disadvantage. So I just decided we’re going to wait.”

[Clocker Reports: Get Mike Welsch’s clocker reports from Gulfstream Park and Palm Meadows]

Conquest Titan, an impressive allowance winner at Churchill Downs in his 2-year-old finale, has had just a single work since the Holy Bull, going five furlongs in 1:00 at Palm Meadows on Feb. 8. Casse said he is scheduled to breeze again later this week.

– additional reporting by Jay Privman