Mon Feb 25 15:22:11 2008

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War Pass sends clear message with opening start

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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - If there was any doubt about last year's champion two-year-old colt War Pass, those doubts were extinguished on Sunday. The Eclipse Award winner made his first start of the year in a $60,000 allowance race at Gulfstream Park.

Under the experienced handling of jockey Cornelio Velasquez the three-year-old showed himself to be ready for a campaign leading to the Kentucky Derby. He easily disposed of four rivals in the one-mile race.

"He's a very happy horse," said Velasquez. "He's the best horse in the country right now. He's better than last year, he galloped out really strong. He wanted to win today."

War Pass posted a 7 1/2 length win while covering the mile in 1:36.38. Velasquez never had to do much more than stay in the saddle as the colt began to answer questions about his stamina.

"You still have anxiety no matter how you look at it," noted trainer Nick Zito. "When horses haven't run for a long time, there are injuries every day, so I know how grateful I am. He's unbelievable. That's what we wanted for him."

Owned by Robert LaPenta, War Pass is expected to make his next start on Saturday, March 15 in the 1 1/16 mile Tampa Bay Derby. Street Sense captured last year's Tampa Bay Derby leading to his Kentucky Derby victory.

"Three weeks from now it will be a little tougher," Zito continued. "I was happy for the fans. I'm a fan myself. I'm grateful to Gulfstream Park for putting the race on. He broke like a rocket. It would have been nice if he had sat back, but as long as he keeps winning, I'm happy. He's a special horse, he really is."

War Pass is undefeated in five career starts with better than $1.4 million in earnings. Last year he won the Champagne Stakes before taking the Breeders' Cup Juvenile by nearly five lengths.

If things continue to go well for War Pass, the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on Saturday, April 5 would be his final race before the Run for the Roses.

LaPenta and Zito also won Sunday's $350,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park with Cool Coal Man. The colt made a three wide move from fourth place on the final turn to win the 1 1/8 mile event.

Zito is still mapping out Cool Coal Man's schedule, but the Florida Derby on Saturday, March 29 is a possibility.

"I can't say where or what race he'll will run in," Zito noted, "possibly the Florida Derby. He's not a big horse. He'd need to have a good 30 days from now. We'll see."

Cool Coal Man is a winner of four of seven starts for more than $300,000. He turned the tables on Anak Nakal, another Zito trained thoroughbred. Anak Nakal, eighth on Sunday, won last year's Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes when Cool Coal Man finished seventh.

It must be noted that the final time for the Fountain of Youth was revised to 1:49.53 from 1:51.86.