Fountain of Youth Hopefuls Work in Florida
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Derbe Glass
Hidden Scroll is training toward a start in the Fountain of Youth Stakes
Bourbon Lane Stable and Lake Star Stable's Bourbon War breezed an easy half-mile the morning of Feb. 22 at Gulfstream Park in preparation for a start in the $400,000 Xpressbet.com Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) March 2 at Gulfstream.
The 3-year-old son of Tapit covered four furlongs in :48.68 under regular exercise rider Juan Oyola in his final tuneup for the 1 1/16-mile prep race that leads up to the $1 million Xpressbet.com Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream March 30.
"It went great, just what I was looking for," said trainer Mark Hennig. "He's doing very well. I wouldn't change a thing."
Juddmonte Farms' Hidden Scroll, a dazzling debut winner Jan. 26 at Gulfstream, also tuned up for a start in the Fountain of Youth on a foggy Friday morning, breezing five furlongs in 1:00 2/5 at Payson Park in Indiantown, Fla. The son of Hard Spun worked in company, racing outside 3-year-old stablemate Tacitus on the backstretch before taking over the turn and drawing clear in the stretch.
Bourbon War made an auspicious 3-year-old debut Jan. 18 at Gulfstream, when he rallied from off the pace while weaving through traffic to win by 2 1/4 lengths in a 1 1/16-mile optional-claiming allowance. The Kentucky-bred colt debuted Nov. 14 with a 2 1/4-length victory in a one-mile off-the-turf maiden race at Aqueduct Racetrack. He came back 17 days later to finish fourth in the 1 1/8-mile Remsen Stakes (G2).
Hidden Scroll romped to victory in his debut, scoring by 14 lengths without urging from jockey Joel Rosario. The Juddmonte homebred completed a mile in 1:34.82 over a sloppy (sealed) track.
"The Fountain of Youth will be a big barometer for Hidden Scroll," said Garrett O'Rourke, Juddmonte's manager in the U.S., at the time of his maiden win.
"He's only run a maiden race, and we don't want to ask too many questions with each step forward. We want to take one step at a time," O'Rourke said. "We're upping him in class, and we don't want to add travel and a new surface to that equation. If it's going to be a really big step, you want it to be on the big day. The two big days for him, if all works out, will be the (March 30) Florida Derby (G1) and the (May 4) Kentucky Derby (G1), though we don't want to get ahead of ourselves."
Meanwhile, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and William Branch's Frosted Grace breezed an easy half-mile at Gulfstream for the Fountain of Youth. Coming off a fifth-place finish in the Feb. 2 Swale Stakes (G3), the son of Mark Valeski finished the four furlongs in :49.30 for trainer Kathy Ritvo.
Fountain of Youth nominee Zenden, Pichi Investments' Swale Stakes (G3) runner-up, breezed five furlongs in 1:00.14 at Gulfstream for trainer Victor Barboza Jr. The move was the fastest of 16 at the distance.
The Fountain of Youth is also expected to attract Nashua Stakes (G3) winner Vekoma, Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) winner Signalman, Fasig-Tipton Holy Bull Stakes (G2) runner-up Everfast, Remsen winner Maximus Mischief, and Champagne Stakes (G1) runner-up Code of Honor.