WinStar Farm LLC and Siena Farm LL's Emmanuel produced the fastest half-mile breeze of 32 recorded at the distance Saturday morning at Palm Beach Downs, covering a half-mile in 48:05 seconds in preparation for a planned start in next Saturday's $400,000 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.
“He worked great. I was very pleased with it,” Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said.
The undefeated son of More Than Ready handily won his debut by 6 ¾ lengths at a mile Dec. 11 at Gulfstream Park. He came right back to win a two-turn allowance at Tampa Bay Downs by 4 ½ lengths Jan. 30.
The 73rd running of the Fountain of Youth will be featured in mega promotion between Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita, which will host a total of 15 stakes (14 graded) between them Saturday. The Coast to Coast All Dirt Stakes Pick 5 and Coast to Coast All Turf Stakes Pick 5, multi-race wagers with a $1 minimum and a low 12-percent takeout, will be on the cross-track wagering menu.
Donegal Racing's Mo Donegal, who surged late to finish third in the Feb. 5 Holy Bull (G3) at Gulfstream, and WinStar Farm LLC and Siena Farm LLC's Major General, who captured the Iroquois (G3) at Churchill Downs last season, are also under consideration for the Fountain of Youth, Pletcher said.
“I don't know for sure. I have to talk to Jerry Crawford about Mo Donegal tomorrow. I talked to [WinStar's] Elliott [Walden] a little bit this morning,” Pletcher said. “One of my concerns is that it looks like it's going to be a big field. You might enter and draw a bad post. We might take a look at entering both Mo Donegal and Major General. All things being equal, Major General will probably go to the Tampa Bay Derby.”
Mo Donegal breezed a half-mile in 49.37 seconds, while Major General breezed five furlongs in 1:02.29 Saturday morning at Palm Beach Downs.
Lucky Seven Stable's Rattle N Roll breezed five furlongs in 58.67 seconds Saturday morning at Gulfstream Park in preparation for a start in the Fountain of Youth (G2).
The Kenny McPeek-trained Grade 1 stakes winner produced the second fastest clocking of 41 workouts recorded at the distance in advance of his scheduled 2022 debut in the 1 1/16-mile Triple Crown prep.
“It went really well. The horse worked super,” McPeek said. “He worked fantastic and came out of it good. We're going to do a little gate work Wednesday, and he's all set.”
Rattle N Roll has had a series of six workouts at Gulfstream for his return to action after closing out his juvenile campaign with a victory in the Oct. 9 Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland.
Albaugh Family Stable LLC's Howling Time earned the fastest-worker honor Saturday morning while breezing five furlongs in 58.54 seconds in preparation for the Fountain of Youth. The son of Not This Time has been idle since finishing fifth behind Smile Happy in the Nov. 27 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs. The Dale Romans trainee had been victorious in his two previous races, including the Street Sense Stakes at Churchill.
“He went really good. He's training super,” Romans said. “He's ready. We'll put him in there and see what happens.”
West Point Thoroughbreds' Giant Game breezed five furlongs in 59.04 seconds for a possible start in the Fountain of Youth. The Romans-trained son of Giant's Causeway finished third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Del Mar before disappointing in his 2022 debut in the Holy Bull.
Tami Bobo's Simplification, a game second in the Feb. 5 Holy Bull (G3), worked five furlongs in 1:02.66 for his final tune-up for the Fountain of Youth. The maintenance work came a week after the son of Not This Time turned in a bullet five-furlong breeze in 58.62 seconds. Antonio Sano-trained Simplification, who was a front-running winner of the Jan. 1 Mucho Macho Man.
“He worked very good. He breezed nice and relaxed,” Sano said.
The post Pletcher Brigade, McPeek’s Rattle N Roll Breeze Toward Fountain Of Youth appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
