Havana to miss Fountain of Youth; Palace Malice, Princess of Sylmar back in training

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Todd Pletcher said Havana, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile runner-up, will not make the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on Feb. 22 and could kick off his 3-year-old campaign in the seven-furlong Swale Stakes the following week instead.

“We got a little behind schedule with him, but hopefully we’ll be able to get him back on the work schedule this week and make the Swale,” Pletcher said. “If he runs well in the Swale, we’d still have time to give him two preps before the [Kentucky] Derby, although only one of them will be around two turns, that’s all.”

Pletcher definitely will have at least one major player in the Fountain of Youth, with Commissioner on target for the key Kentucky Derby prep. Commissioner opened his 3-year-old campaign with a game victory over Top Billing going 1 1/8 miles here earlier this month.

[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]

Two of Pletcher’s stars from 2013, Palace Malice and Princess of Sylmar, are just in the beginning stages of their training routines as they prepare for the upcoming campaign.

“Palace Malice has had three works back, seems to be doing great, but we’re still a little ways away before thinking about when he might run,” Pletcher said. “Princess of Sylmar has had seven days of galloping, and we’ve still got another month or so of galloping before we put her on a breeze program.”

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