Fri Feb 22 14:47:19 2008

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Fountain of Youth - First major battle

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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Two of the top Kentucky Derby contenders in training will be making their first start of the season this Sunday in the $350,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Court Vision, the Remsen Stakes winner, is coming off three consecutive wins, while Monba had all of Hollywood Park buzzing with his stout finish in the Cash Call Futurity last December.

Anak Nakal, the expected third choice in the field of 12, is another who'll be recording his 2008 debut, and as is the case with Court Vision and Monba, the Nick Zito-trained colt already possesses a victory at Churchill Downs, a key advantage on the Kentucky Derby trail. Most experts have at least two of these three on their top ten Derby lists, making the Fountain of Youth the first key prep race to be run this season. It's also the first one at nine panels.

Court Vision is by far the most accomplished of the troika with a pair of stakes triumphs already under his belt. The Bill Mott-trained colt's three wins in four starts, along with impeccable breeding, has Court Vision as one of the favorites for the "Run for the Roses." His sire, Gulch, won the 1987 Wood Memorial and finished third in that year's Belmont Stakes to Bet Twice and Cryptoclearance. In addition, the "Gulchster" previously sired the 1995 Kentucky Derby winner, Thunder Gulch.

More importantly, Court Vision's dam, Weekend Storm, is a full sister to 1990 Preakness winner Summer Squall, and a half-sister to A.P. Indy, 1992's Horse of the Year. With lineage like this, it's no surprise that Court Vision is the only member of the 23-horse "Pool 1" field to have won a stakes race on the dirt at nine furlongs.

Monba was victorious in his first two starts, but failed at 6-1 in his final two-year-old race: the Cash Call Futurity on December 22. The pace was not too quick that afternoon (46 2/5 for the half) and the Todd Pletcher-trained son of Maria's Mon lagged behind in 10th place after getting bumped at the start. Monba still only had two horses beaten as the field hit the three-quarter mark, but the gray colt began to get into gear at the top of the stretch. Ten lengths was too much to make up, but his fourth-place finish garnered him tons of respect among the throng at Hollywood Park.

He ran his final 2-furlongs in a brisk 28 4/5 and if the race had been another sixteenth-of-a-mile, Monba would have easily gotten up for second and maybe even challenged Into Mischief for the top spot.

Anak Nakal won his last start, the Kentucky Jockey Club over at Churchill Downs last November, but benefited by a perfect trip sitting behind the three front-runners, who incidentally ended up in 5th, 6th and 7th in the seven horse field. In addition, second-place finisher, Blackberry Road, has won only one of his eight lifetime races while consistently failing against the best of his generation.

The "KYJC" winner has two wins in three lifetime starts, but was ripped apart by Etched in the Nashua Stakes last November. Etched, himself, did not fare too well in his three-year-old debut at Dubai, finishing fourth in the UAE 2,000 Guineas on Valentine's Day.

If one wants to duck the favorites and set his sights on a longshot, look no further than Adriano. The Courtlandt Farms homebred has raced primarily on the turf with two victories in four grass appearances, including a win in his three-year-old debut by 6 3/4-lengths.

The son of A.P. Indy has yet to race on dirt as his only non-turf event came on Polytrack at Keeneland in the Breeders' Futurity. His fourth-place finish in that event was very respectable considering all he had accomplished up until that point was a maiden win on the Saratoga turf.

Even though Court Vision is my personal choice to win the Kentucky Derby, it will be a tough task to win this race off the long layoff of almost three months. In addition, it's likely he will be the favorite this Sunday, and wagering on him in this race is not the easiest way to increase the bankroll.

Monba is the horse to back in the Fountain of Youth, but don't just play him to win. Save some money for a three horse exacta box with Monba, Court Vision and Adriano.

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS

There were a couple of preps run over the holiday weekend, namely the Sam F. Davis down at Tampa Bay Downs and the Southwest over at Oaklawn. The former was led by Z Humor, who had previously won the Delta Downs Jackpot in a dead heat with Turf War. (In a surprising move, Bill Mott has wheeled Z Humor right back in the Fountain of Youth, maybe to be used as a rabbit for Court Vision.)

However, at 6-5 in the Sam F. Davis, against the likes of Fierce Wind and Smooth Air, it was advisable to look past the favorite.

One other horse that deserved consideration was Big Truck. The New York-bred fought off a brutal trip in the Remsen to lose by just five lengths to Court Vision. He then threw in a clunker in the slop vs. Smooth Air, running a well- beaten fifth in the Hutcheson, but was primed for a huge effort.

The race ran almost exactly as planned as Fierce Wind, who had won his last two starts by over 15 lengths, rated for the first time in his short career. The son of Dixie Union toyed with the field around the turn, moving from fourth to first in a powerful burst. His jockey, Cornelio Velasquez, gave him a very confident ride, as if no other horse had a chance to win. Fierce Wind, who led by more than a length for most of the stretch run, eventually held off the late charging combo of Big Truck and Smooth Air (who finished second and third, respectively) to gain the half-length victory.

Those that backed the Nick Zito charge were welcomed to a very generous $8.80 win price and the exacta with Big Truck came back a shade under $75. Both extreme overlays.

Fierce Wind still has some work to do if he is to be considered a major Kentucky Derby contender. The April foal hung through the stretch and finished the 1 1/16 in a pedestrian 1:44, earning a low Beyer number of 85. Still, both he and Big Truck are bred to run all day long, and should improve as winter turns to spring.

The Southwest Stakes featured the undefeated Denis of Cork and the other dead heat winner of the Delta Downs Jackpot, Turf War. In the end, it was Denis of Cork continuing his winning ways with a 2 1/4-length victory, earning a very impressive 96 Beyer figure. The David Carroll-trained colt ran his final quarter in 25 1/5 and finished the flat mile in 1:37 4/5.

The 9-2 third choice, fifth as the field hit the half in a brisk 45 1/5 seconds, rallied from 18 lengths behind to win going away. What made his run most impressive was the fact that only one other horse that was as far back as he was at the half-mile pole was able to finish in the top five.

JEFF FRANK'S TOP 10 KENTUCKY DERBY PROSPECTS WITH POOL 1 ODDS

Not much has changed in this week's rankings, except for the removal of both Etched and Crown of Thorns. The former failed to hit the board in his three- year-old debut, while the latter will miss at least three months after injuring his left front leg earlier in the week. The new top 10 looks like this:

1) Court Vision, 15-1; 2) Monba, 16-1; 3) War Pass, 6-1; 4) Tomcito, 3-1 (field); 5) Pyro, 5-1; 6) Colonel John, 19-1; 7) El Gato Malo, 16-1; 8) Denis of Cork, 46-1; 9) Fierce Wind, 3-1 (field); 10-T) Giant Moon, 51-1, and Big Truck, 3-1 (field).