With the value of prep races to the Kentucky Derby rising exponentially this week, trainers are getting right to the points. Both the Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds and the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Saturday are worth 50 points to the winner – five times more than the 19 Derby points races run so far.
Palace Malice, who runs Saturday in the Risen Star, and Shakin It Up, who captured the San Vicente, muscled their way onto the top 20 of this week’s Derby Watch list.
He’s Had Enough arrived safely at Gulfstream Park from California on Tuesday and got his first feel for the local surroundings going to the racetrack to train Wednesday morning.
Eleven horses were entered for Saturday's Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park, but at least one, Sky Captain, figures to come out at scratch time. Trainer Mark Casse said Wednesday that barring any significant scratches, he’ll come out and await either Turfway’s Battaglia or the Grade 3 Gotham at Aqueduct for Sky Captain’s stakes debut. Both races will be decided March 2.
Two years ago, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin won the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth with Soldat, a colt best known for his exploits on turf at 2. On Saturday, McLaughlin is hoping lightning will strike in a similar manner with Elmutahid, who made all four of his 2-year-old starts on grass before switching to dirt to register an impressive maiden win over a sloppy track at Gulfstream last month.
The last three Risen Star Stakes winners shipped from Florida, and the pipeline is still open. Normandy Invasion, from trainer Chad Brown, and Palace Malice, from Todd Pletcher, could wind up the top two betting choices in this year’s Risen Star on Saturday.
Super Ninety Nine left Oaklawn Park early Tuesday morning to head back to Southern California, and trainer Bob Baffert said that the colt’s next start is yet to be determined but that if Super Ninety Nine were to return to Oaklawn it would likely be for the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby on April 13 rather than the Grade 2, $600,000 Rebel on March 16.
Trainer Todd Pletcher sent out Capo Bastone to win his 3-year-old debut Saturday, then came back Monday to register impressive allowance wins with a pair of 4-year-olds, Hierro and the filly Ciao Bella.
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Super Ninety Nine continued the grip his trainer, Bob Baffert, has had on the 3-year-old stakes program at Oaklawn on Monday, when he took quick command of the Grade 3, $300,000 Southwest and went on to an 11 1/4-length victory over Fear the Kitten. It was another 2 1/4 lengths back to Heaven's Runway in third.
A surprisingly large field of 11 3-year-olds, including favored Violence and surprise entrant He's Had Enough, passed the entry box Monday for Saturday’s $400,000 Fountain of Youth, although just how many will actually make it into the starting gate remains to be seen.
