Medaglia d'Oro | Horse Racing Free Tips

Prevalence Has Final Wood Memorial Prep For Walsh: ‘This Will Answer Our Questions’

Godolphin's Prevalence registered his final work before shipping to New York for Saturday's Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino, posting a half-mile breeze in 47.60 seconds Sunday at his home base at the Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach, Fla.

Trainer Brendan Walsh said he's been pleased with the Medaglia d'Oro colt's training and will see him ship to New York on Wednesday, when the draw for the 100-40-20-10-point Kentucky Derby qualifier at Aqueduct racetrack will occur.

Prevalence, unraced as a juvenile, is 2-for-2, recording a 8 1/2-length debut victory on January 23 at Gulfstream Park and following with a three-length score stretched out to a mile on March 11 at the same track.

“He worked here this morning at Palm Meadows and it went very well and he's flying up there on Wednesday. It looks like he's going into the race in good shape,” Walsh said. “It's another step now, so we'll find out if he can go the two turns as well. This will answer our questions and be a good test for him.”

Walsh said he's optimistic Prevalence can handle the challenge of shipping in for a race for the first time, citing his demeanor and temperament.

“He's a very nice, quiet, easy-going horse and I don't think the travel will affect him at all,” Walsh said. “We'll see how he handles the track. He hits me as a horse who can handle any kind of surface.”

Walsh, who has registered 364 wins and earnings of more than $20 million, said the chance to compete in a prestigious race such as the Wood Memorial is a special one, especially with the 2020 edition not being able to run because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It's fantastic. This is why we're in the game; to be part of these races, and to bring a horse up there who should be a live one, it's very exciting,” Walsh said.

Jockey Tyler Gaffalione, aboard for Prevalence's first two starts, will have the return call in the Wood Memorial.

“It's always good when you can have continuity,” Walsh said. “It all helps. Tyler's a great rider, so we look forward to having him on board.”

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Prevalence Preps for Wood

Godolphin's unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Prevalence (Medaglia d'Oro) recorded his final breeze ahead of Saturday's GII Wood Memorial S. presented by Resorts World Casino, covering a half mile in a best-of-30 :47.60 at Palm Meadows Sunday morning.

“He worked here this morning at Palm Meadows and it went very well and he's flying up there [to Aqueductus] on Wednesday,” said conditioner Brendan Walsh. “It looks like he's going into the race in good shape. It's another step now, so we'll find out if he can go the two turns as well. This will answer our questions and be a good test for him.”

A buzzed-about 8 1/2-length debut winner going seven panels at Gulfstream Jan. 23, the homebred annexed a one-mile optional claimer by three lengths Mar. 11.

Others to work in Florida Sunday before shipping to New York included the Saffie Joseph, Jr.-trained pair of GI Carter H. contender Mischevious Alex (Into Mischief) (4f, :47.14, 2/70 at Gulfstream) and GIII Bay Shore S.-bound Drain the Clock (Maclean's Music) (4f, :47.72, 5/70). Joseph will have 12 stalls at Belmont Park this spring.

“We're coming in with good horses in 'Alex' and Drain the Clock and it would be nice to get off to a good start,” he said. “I think we have a very strong set of horses.”

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Walsh: No Decision Yet On Next Start For Unbeaten Prevalence

A decision on Prevalence's next start on the Triple Crown Trail has yet to be made by the connections of Godolphin LLC's homebred colt, who was an impressive winner of his first two career starts at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

Based at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, Prevalence is among 25 sophomores nominated to the $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa Saturday, March 27. To be run for the 70^th time at Gulfstream, the Florida Derby has produced the winners of 60 Triple Crown races in its history.

The Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct and Arkansas Derby (G1) at Oaklawn Park, both scheduled for April 3, are also under consideration. All three races carry 170 Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying points on a 100-40-20-10 basis.

Trainer Brendan Walsh, who was traveling back to South Florida Wednesday from New Orleans, said he was unsure where the horse would run next.

“No idea yet,” he said. “We'll see how he's doing the next few days and go from there.”

Prevalence, a son of multiple Grade 1 winner Medaglia d'Oro and grandson of Hall of Famer Ghostzapper, was an eye-catching 8 ½-length maiden special weight winner in debut Jan. 23 on the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) undercard. A fever cost him a chance to run in the Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) Feb. 27, but he returned with a professional three-length optional claiming allowance triumph at Gulfstream March 11.

“He came out of the last race good and he's back training away and doing well,” Walsh said. “We'll see how he goes this week and then we'll have a better idea.”

Among the probable Florida Derby starters are Courtlandt Farms' Greatest Honour, impressive winner of the Fountain of Youth and Holy Bull (G3) trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey; St. Elias Stable's Known Agenda, a smashing optional claiming allowance winner who is trained by Todd Pletcher, who has saddled a record five Florida Derby winners; Michael Shanley's Nova Rags, the Sam F. Davis (G3) runner-up; Three Chimney's Farm and e Five Racing Thoroughbreds' Collaborate, a 12 ½-length maiden winner under wraps Feb. 27 at Gulfstream in his second career start; Magic Stables LLC's Papetu, second in the Mucho Macho Man and third in the Fountain of Youth; and Live Oak Plantation's Soup and Sandwich, undefeated in two starts for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse.

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Energy Level, Timing Will Help Determine Next Start For Unbeaten Prevalence

Two decisive victories to launch his career have the connections of Prevalence considering a start in the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino on April 3 at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Trained by Brendan Walsh, the Godolphin homebred captured plenty of attention with a flashy and effortless 8 ½-length debut triumph going seven furlongs on January 23 at Gulfstream Park. The Medaglia d'Oro colt followed on Thursday at the South Florida oval with a three-length win going a one-turn mile, registering an 86 Beyer Speed Figure.

Jimmy Bell, president of Godolphin's North American division, said that how Prevalence runs in his next start will be a large deciding factor as to how the horse will be campaigned on the Triple Crown trail.

“His maiden win told us something, his allowance win told us even more and his next race will decide where we go from there. Each race is its own entity,” Bell said. “We'll all be curious to see what his best distance is. He showed a nice step up from seven-eighths to a mile.”

The Wood Memorial, along with the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on April 10 at Oaklawn Park and Grade 2 Toyota Blue Grass on April 3 at Keeneland, are among the possible targets for Prevalence's graded stakes debut. All three races are Kentucky Derby qualifiers awarding 100-40-20-10 points to the top-four finishers.

“It becomes a question of where his energy level is and it comes down to a timing thing,” Bell said. “His past races gave him some good experiences and when asked, he responded professionally.”

A Kentucky homebred, Prevalence is out of the Ghostzapper mare Enrichment – a full-sister to multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Better Lucky and stakes-winning turf sprinter Final Frontier. All three are out of the graded stakes-winning Seeking the Gold mare Sahara Gold, whose dam was 1995 Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Desert Stormer.

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