Zulu ends long vacation in Tamarac

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla.— The last time Zulu ran at Gulfstream Park, he became a potential Kentucky Derby candidate with a second-place finish in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth. When he returns Sunday, he will close out his campaign in a significantly less glamorous spot – as the heavy favorite in the $60,000 Tamarac, a seven-furlong dash restricted to 3-year-olds who have never won a stakes.

Zulu opened his career here one year ago with a maiden special weight victory, followed by an impressive first-level allowance win. Those performances earned him a spot on the Derby trail, and he responded with a strong effort in the Fountain of Youth, finishing second behind the more-experienced Mohaymen while making his first start around two turns.

Trainer Todd Pletcher chose to bypass the Florida Derby and use the Grade 1 Blue Grass for what he hoped would be a final Kentucky Derby prep for Zulu. He added blinkers to Zulu’s equipment for the Blue Grass, but the horse finished 12th as the 2-1 favorite. He has not started since.

“He seemed a little burnt out after the Blue Grass, so we just lightened up on him and gave him some time,” said Pletcher. “He kind of accomplished a lot in a very short time, but we always thought we were playing catch-up with him. I think the time off has done him well, both mentally and physically.”

Pletcher will take off the blinkers when Zulu returns on Sunday.

“I put the blinkers on to try to get a couple of extra lengths out of him at the right time, but they didn’t seem to do him any good in the Blue Grass, so I figured we’d just start over,” said Pletcher. “I think he’s ready to run well on Sunday. He’s not the kind of horse who needs a lot of hard work to be ready, and this race looked like the logical place to start back when considering our options. He’s already run two good races here, seven furlongs is a good distance, and it’s a restricted race for 3-year-olds.”

Zulu, who’ll break from the outside in post 7 under Javier Castellano, will face six rivals in the Tamarac. That group includes Fearless Dragon, who exits a solid second-place effort behind Russian Greek going a two-turn mile at Gulfstream Park West, and Extravagant Kid, who won an optional-claiming race against older horses returning from a six-month layoff in his last start.