Locked, Victory Avenue scratched from Fountain of Youth

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Locked and Victory Avenue, two of the top three choices on the morning line for Saturday’s Grade 2, $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park were both scratched from the race Saturday morning by their connections.

Merit, who ran second in an allowance race on Friday, was obviously also scratched, reducing the field for the key Kentucky Derby prep race to six horses.

Locked, the 5-2 second choice, was scratched by trainer Todd Pletcher after he trained Saturday morning at Palm Beach Downs.

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“I galloped him this morning and didn’t like the way he was moving,” Pletcher said of Locked. “We’ll regroup.”

This is the second race Locked has missed this winter. The Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity winner was being pointed to the Sam F. Davis on Feb. 10 at Tampa Bay Downs and missed that race due to a fever.

Victory Avenue, who finished second in his lone start here Jan. 27, also was scratched. According to Ramiro Restrepo, who represents JR Ranch, part-owner of Victory Avenue, the typically energetic horse was quiet, didn’t eat, and was standing in the corner of his stall Saturday morning.

“He didn’t eat last night or this morning,” Restrepo said. “No temperature, nothing off physically, he’s just not exhibiting the signs of his energetic self that we’re accustomed to seeing. You can’t run a horse in a race like this when you’re not how you typically are.”

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Restrepo said Victory Avenue, trained by Gustavo Delgado, walked Saturday and will do so again on Sunday. Restrepo said bloodwork will be done on the horse to see if there is any underlying issue.

The two scratches likely will leave Dornoch, the Grade 2 Remsen winner, a heavy favorite in his 3-year-old debut. Speak Easy, who beat Victory Avenue in a Jan. 27 maiden race, figures be a strong second choice.

Frankie’s Empire, the Swale Stakes winner; Real Macho, an allowance winner on Feb. 3; Dancing Groom; and Le Dom Bro complete the field.

The top five finishers of the Fountain of Youth receive qualifying points (50-25-15-10-5) to the May 4 Kentucky Derby.

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