Hidden Scroll Has First Work Since Fountain of Youth

Juddmonte Farms' Hidden Scroll breezed a half-mile in :50 1/5 March 15 at Payson Park, receiving a little education in rating while preparing for a scheduled start in the March 30 Xpressbet Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream Park.

"I thought it was very good," trainer Bill Mott said. "We purposely put him behind another horse. We sent a lead horse out in front of him. They actually went off in :13, :13, so they went off in :26 (for a quarter-mile). I wanted to make sure he was comfortably rating behind another horse, and he went off and was on the rider's fingertips."

Hidden Scroll debuted with a frontrunning 14-length victory on the Jan. 26 Pegasus World Cup Invitational undercard but came up short in the stretch to finish fourth as the 6-5 favorite in the March 2 Xpressbet Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream. The 3-year-old son of Hard Spun  became involved in a heated speed duel with longshot Gladiator King while setting rapid fractions of :22.80 and :45.69 for the first half-mile of the 1 1/16-mile stakes under Joel Rosario. Hidden Scroll continued to show the way into midstretch before faltering late, checking in three lengths behind victorious Code of Honor.

"I guess considering as fast as he went early, the fact that he was able to finish up at all was actually quite remarkable. I think it leaves us at a little bit of a loss to know where we're at. We're at a little bit of a learning stage with him," Mott said. "Not only do we have to find out if he can rate a little bit, we have to find out if he can truly get a mile and an eighth real well. If we go back to the Florida Derby, you're adding another sixteenth of a mile, which he'll have to rate a little bit in order to get that distance."

Friday's breeze, the Juddmonte homebred's first since the Fountain of Youth, was designed to give Hidden Scroll just that.

"Both the rider and the horse ate a lot of dirt, but (Hidden Scroll) got the experience and he let the dirt hit him. He pulled him out at the three-sixteenths pole, and he went out and joined his company. I told him to let them finish together, which they did," Mott said. "The work was :50 1/5 for Hidden Scroll, but he came home in :24, which is nice—:12, :12 (splits)—and he galloped out really well. He actually got five-eighths in 1:02-and-change."

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano will ride Hidden Scroll for the first time in the Florida Derby.

"There's a change in riders. As everyone knows, Joel Rosario was on last year's 2-year-old champion (Game Winner), and we felt if we go back in the Florida Derby, it's probably a good time to make a change and let somebody else get accustomed to the horse," Mott said. "Javier Castellano has the mount right now. He's a well-seasoned rider. He's been in those kind of races. Hopefully, it will be a good fit."

Mott plans to give Hidden Scroll a tuneup breeze next weekend before shipping him to Gulfstream Park two days before the Florida Derby to school in the paddock and gate.

Bourbon Lane Stable and Lake Star Stable's Bourbon War also tuned up for a scheduled start in the Florida Derby with a half-mile breeze at Gulfstream Park Friday morning.

The Mark Hennig-trained 3-year-old colt was timed in :50.50 for his first workout since finishing a fast-closing second in the Fountain of Youth.