Locked, Dornoch Clash In Fountain of Youth

Between them, Irad and Jose Ortiz have accounted for four of the last six runnings of the GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth S., the third of three preps on the road to the championship meeting's main event, the GI Curlin Florida Derby four weeks down the road. The brothers will have every chance to extend that dominance as they partner with two of the top fancies in Saturday's $400,000 contest, offering the winner 50 points and a virtual guaranteed berth in the field for the GI Kentucky Derby.

Jose Ortiz reunites with Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm's 'TDN Rising Star' Locked (Gun Runner), who makes his first trip to the races since running on nicely to round out the trifecta behind stablemate and fellow 'Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile nearly four months ago. In hindsight, his 2-year-old form looks pretty strong. A closing third to future SW & GSP Just Steel (Justify) at debut odds of 12-1 at Saratoga in August, the $425,000 Keeneland September grad thrashed GII Remsen S. third and this year's Jerome S. hero Drum Roll Please (Hard Spun) going the mile at the Spa the following month. The chestnut overcame a torrid trip to validate 3-4 favoritism in Keeneland's GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity in October and just failed to catch 'Rising Star' Muth (Good Magic) for second in the Juvenile, while 6 3/4 lengths behind Fierceness. Connections will be hoping for a strong pace in a race that is anything but a must-win.

Irad Ortiz will get a leg up on Speak Easy (Constitution), who earned a field-best 100 Beyer when besting the reopposing Victory Avenue (Arrogate) in a seven-furlong maiden Jan. 27. Speak Easy opts out of a two-turn Friday allowance for this and it will almost certainly be pedal to the metal from gate one the 9-2 chance. In light of the Speak Easy decision, Merit (Mastery) was to be re-routed for the aforementioned softer Friday allowance.

While the Mage connections are represented by Victory Avenue, the Kentucky Derby winner's full-brother will look to pick up where he left off in 2023. Dornoch (Good Magic) was placed in the Sapling S. as a maiden and looked very stylish in winning a two-turn test at Keeneland by open lengths Oct. 14. Favored in the Remsen, he looked a sure loser when 'Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) surged by in the final furlong, but somehow managed to claw his way back to score. The latter has since endorsed the form in the GII Risen Star S.

'Rising Star' Deterministic Returns in Gotham

It has been over 200 days since 'TDN Rising Star' Deterministic (Liam's Map) overcame a tricky trip to graduate in his only racetrack appearance to date and the $625,000 KEESEP yearling makes his sophomore debut in Saturday's GIII Gotham S., a race that lacks an obvious standout.

The priciest of his sire's 58 yearlings to sell in 2022, the dark bay missed the kick, looked uncomfortable in the opening stages, was wide and bumped with favored Eliminate (Curlin) in upper stretch and still managed to win.

“We're excited to see him run again,” said trainer Christophe Clement. “I wish I could have run in an allowance race in Florida or New York, but we could not find that race and the Gotham is really the only choice. But, I do like the horse very much.”

'TDN Rising Star' Deterministic | Sarah Andrew

Like Deterministic, Just a Touch (Justify) is only once-raced and also made the most of his debut over a sloppy six furlongs at the Fair Grounds Jan. 27. Away fairly, the bay set a tracking trip and finished full of run as the 1-2 mortal. Florent Geroux makes the trip up from the Big Easy to call the shots aboard the May foal, who has gate 10 to overcome.

“He's very athletic,” trainer Brad Cox said of Just a Touch. “He's a good-sized colt and done everything right in the mornings and he showed up first time out. It's going to be a big ask shipping him up there, but I like the idea of stretching him out to the one-turn mile. I'm hopeful he can handle that and we'll see how it goes.”

The Cox barn is also represented by Bergen (Liam's Map), yet another debut winner last October at Keeneland who toyed with four rivals to scoop a muddy renewal of the Jimmy Winkfield S. Jan. 27.

The form of the local GIII Withers S. is on display in the form of El Grande O (Take Charge Indy), who finished a nose behind Parx shipper Uncle Heavy (Social Inclusion) and 2 1/2 lengths clear of favored Lightline (City of Light).

Nysos Towers Over San Felipe Fivesome

'TDN Rising Star' Nysos (Nyquist) won't be traveling across the country for this year's Derby, but the Baoma Corp. colorbearer should be winning for the fourth time in as many trips to the races in Sunday's postponed GII San Felipe S.

The $550,000 OBS April breezer has won his three races by a combined 26 3/4 lengths and was up in trip for the one-mile GIII Robert B. Lewis S. Feb. 3, but handled it like a consummate pro, shooting clear in the lane to post a 7 1/2-length victory over Wine Me Up (Vino Rosso), who had three-parts of a length on Scatify (Justify) in third.

Mc Vay (Constitution), a distant fourth in the Lewis, tries again, and the Imagination (Into Mischief) is the third of the Bob Baffert trainees and is trying stakes company for the first time.

Sophomore Fillies In A Supporting Role at GP

While the 3-year-old boys continue on the Road to the Kentucky Derby in the Fountain of Youth, their female counterparts take their next step toward the first Friday in May in Saturday's GII Davona Dale S. at Gulfstream.

The one-mile test marks the seasonal debut of George Krikorian's Eclipse-winning 2-year-old filly Just F Y I (Justify), who was last seen proving a neck best as a 7-1 gamble in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies out at Santa Anita. She was running her record to three-from-three on that occasion, having won narrowly on Saratoga sprint debut Aug. 26 ahead of a more dominating victory in the GI Frizette S. at a rainswept Aqueduct Oct. 7. Junior Alvarado, fresh off the richest payday of his career in Saudi Arabia last weekend, has the return call.

The queen of the hill, at least for the time being, Just F Y I will have to content with a race-fit 'TDN Rising Star' Leslie's Rose (Into Mischief) in the comebacker. An eased-down 9 1/4-length winner of her 6 1/2-furlong bow at the Big A Nov. 19, the $1.15-million Keeneland September grad outslugged Gun Song (Gun Runner) to take a seven-furlong first-level allowance by a length Jan. 11 and the latter flattered the form with a 5 3/4-length tally going this track's one-turn mile Feb. 9.

“We thought she'd run well the first time because we had high hopes for her, but that even exceeded our expectations,” Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said. “I liked the way she came out of that, I liked the way she handed herself stepping up into her next race and she's continued to train very professionally.”

Into Champagne (Into Mischief) is perfect in two starts, including a 1 1/4-length success in the Glitter Woman S. run over a sloppy strip Jan. 7.

One race prior, 3-year-old turf fillies get their chance in the GIII Herecomesthebride S. Cheyenne Stable's Ozara (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) will try to take her local record to three-for-three, with previous scores in the Dec. 9 Wait A While S. and a last-out defeat of Life's an Audible (Audible) in the Jan. 6 Ginger Brew S.

Big 'Cap A World Cup Trial For Newgrange?

Newgrange (Violence) is the 5-2 favorite on the morning line for Sunday's GI Santa Anita H., with potentially bigger fish to fry in four weeks' time. A four-time winner since being acquired for $325,000 as the Fasig-Tipton Horses of Racing Age Sale in the summer of 2022, the 5-year-old is in peak form entering the Big 'Cap, including a 2 1/4-length defeat of Mixto (Good Magic) in the GII San Antonio S. on opening day of the meet Dec. 26 before successfully defending his title in the GII San Pasqual S. Jan. 27. Connections reportedly elected to stay home for the San Pasqual over the GI Pegasus World Cup with the goal of minimizing travel with a trip to the G1 Dubai World Cup being mulled over.

Godolphin's unexposed Highland Falls (Curlin) makes the trip out for Brad Cox, with Florent Geroux named. The chestnut son of GI Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Round Pond (Awesome Again) earned a 98 Beyer for a two-length Churchill allowance victory Nov. 17 and exits a 3/4-length tally in a second-level Fair Ground allowance Jan. 13.

Newgate (Into Mischief) went missing off a neck tally in the 2023 GIII Robert B. Lewis S. and has run well in his two starts since–a second to next-out GIII Palos Verdes S. winner Big City Lights (Mr. Big) in allowance company Jan. 6 before splitting Newgrange and Mixto last time.

Phil D'Amato also saddles the likely favorite in the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile S., Easter (Fr) (Lonhro {Aus}), who looks for four straight. A half-length winner of the 2023 Lure S. when under the care of Graham Motion, the 6-year-old beat Hong Kong Harry (Ire) (Es Que Love {Ire}) on the square in the GII Seabiscuit H. at Del Mar and added a 1 1/4-length defeat of subsequent GIII San Marcos S. hero Missed the Cut (Quality Road) in the GII San Gabriel S.

Du Jour (Temple City) is capable at this level on his very best. The unluckiest sort of loser in the 2023 Kilroe, he was impressive in taking out the GII Del Mar Mile Sept. 2 and though he was only 10th in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile, he was beaten just 3 1/2 lengths.

Goliad (War Front) exits an audacious pillar-to-post victory beneath Kazushi Kimura in the GIII Thunder Road S. over this course and distance Feb. 3 and tries Grade I company for the first time at age seven.

The post Locked, Dornoch Clash In Fountain of Youth appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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TDN Derby Top 12 For Mar. 2: Will March Separate Lions From Lambs

The first Saturday in May is the ultimate goal on the GI Kentucky Derby trail. But the first Saturday in March is often a make-or-break day on the national calendar, with key stakes in Florida, California and New York providing an uptick in intensity.

1) ARABIAN KNIGHT (c, Uncle Mo–Borealis Night, by Astrology) 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Zedan Racing Stables, Inc.; B-Corser Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Tim Yakteen. Sales history: $250,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $2,300,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: GSW, 2-2-0-0, $544.275 Last start: 1st GIII Southwest S. at Oaklawn Park, Jan. 28. KY Derby Points: 0.

'TDN Rising Star' Arabian Knight is the kingpin colt among the sophomores who switched out of trainer Bob Baffert's barn over the past week and into the care of Baffert's former assistant from two decades ago, Tim Yakteen. The transition was necessitated by a Churchill Downs ban on Baffert trainees that prohibits them from accruing qualifying points or racing in the Derby while under Baffert's control.

Top-ranked on this list since the outset of the season, this intimidatingly speedy, sales-topping son of Uncle Mo ($250,000 KEESEP, $2.3 million OBSAPR) is being aimed for either the GI Arkansas Derby Apr. 1 or the GI Santa Anita Derby one week later.

Staying home at Santa Anita means being able to race out of his own stall there. But shipping hasn't adversely affected either of his on-the-road wins, and Arabian Knight showed he can absolutely devour a wet Oaklawn racetrack if that condition arises again.

That last victory was a thorough shellacking of an overmatched field in the GIII Southwest S. in Hot Springs Jan. 28, in which Arabian Knight earned a 96 Beyer Speed Figure while dominating the tempo and not being throttled for maximum output.

Arabian Knight has only had one published workout since that win, a three-furlong move at Santa Anita back on Feb. 13, though there have been no recorded breezes of any variety since Feb. 23 owing to a rare winter storm.

2) FORTE (c, Violence–Queen Caroline, by Blame) 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable; B-South Gate Farm (KY); T-Todd Pletcher. Sales history: $80,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV; $110,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Colt, MGISW, 5-4-0-0,  $1,595,150. Last start: 1st GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile presented by TAA, Nov. 4. KY Derby Points: 40.

Divisional champ Forte ($80,000 KEENOV; $110,000 KEESEP) will have a figurative target on his back in Saturday's GII Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream. It's his 2023 debut off a four-month layoff, and he drew post four as the 7-5 morning line favorite.

Somewhat surprisingly, this 'TDN Rising Star' by Violence didn't go off favored in any of the three Grade I victories that closed out his juvenile campaign, although he was the chalk in both his May 27 debut win at Belmont (7 3/4 lengths) and in start number two, a fourth-place try in the GII Sanford S. at Saratoga.

Yet this colt's trio of Grade I wins in the Hopeful S., Claiborne Breeders' Futurity S., and Breeders' Cup Juvenile each revealed new tactical dimensions, and Forte's knack of being able to essentially pick his own positioning before reliably firing a big shot off the far turn is a skill that a number of his competitors still haven't mastered. Watching the leggy, athletic Forte target and reel in horses without flinching from stretch fights whets the appetite for what he might be able to deliver on a two-prep path to Louisville.

But longer-term statistical trends could be stumbling blocks: as for this Saturday, be aware that favorites have lost 12 of the last 16 editions of the Fountain of Youth. Widening the lens to take in 38 years of Breeders' Cup history, only two colts (Nyquist and Street Sense) have parlayed wins in the Juvenile into a blanket of roses on the first Saturday in May.

3) TAPIT TRICE (c, Tapit–Danzatrice, by Dunkirk) 'TDN Rising Star' O-Whisper Hill Farm LLC and Gainesway Stable (Antony Beck); B-Gainesway Thoroughbreds Ltd. (KY); T-Todd Pletcher. Sales history: $1,300,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-1, $100,150. Last start: 1st GP Allowance/Optional Claiming, Feb, 4. KY Derby Points: 0

'TDN Rising Star' Tapit Trice is headed for the Mar. 11 GIII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby for start number four.

His Nov. 6 debut at Aqueduct was a better-than-it-looks learning experience based on his fast-closing third. This colt's Dec. 17 MSW win, also at Aqueduct, rated as an eye-opener because of his unfazed attitude after brushing, bumping and running down a rival in a deep-stretch mud fight. But it was the over-the-top nature of Tapit Trice's gaudy, eight-length allowance pummeling at Gulfstream on Feb. 4 (92 Beyer) that stamped his Kentucky Derby aspirations as realistic and achievable.

This $1.3-million KEESEP son of Tapit still needs to hone his early-race skills by overcoming lackadaisical breaks from the gate. But as the distances increase and he gains experience against larger fields, those are the types of developmental concerns that seasoning can melt away like the spring thaw.

This year, the Tampa Bay Derby has been downgraded from Grade II to III. Part of that demotion had to do with the race's recent trend of well-meant favorites being no-shows while the long-shot winners went on to be low-impact factors in subsequent stakes.

Although the 4-5 choice Classic Causeway (Giant's Causeway) won Tampa's big race last year, the previous four Tampa Derbies were won by harder-to-figure horses at odds of 15-1, 49-1, 8-1 and 19-1.

4) ROCKET CAN (c, Into Mischief–Tension, by Tapit) O-Frank Fletcher Racing Operations Inc.; B-Woodford Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Bill Mott. Sales history: $245,000 RNA Ylg '21 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: 5-2-1-0, $249,738. Last Start: 1st GIII Holy Bull S., Feb. 4. KY Derby Points: 20

As the co-fourth choice on the morning line for Saturday's Fountain of Youth S., Rocket Can isn't facing the same scrutiny or pressure as race favorite and divisional champ Forte. But this Into Mischief gray ($245,000 FTSAUG RNA) will still be under the gun to prove his GIII Holy Bull S. score was no fluke, and he needs to shrug off the stigma of having relatively low speed figures compared to other top Derby hopefuls.

Rocket Can has plateaued with 82 Beyers in his last two starts on Nov. 26 and Feb. 4. But as discussed in previous editions of this list, his efforts rate considerably higher from a “how he did it” visual perspective. He gave up ground on both turns of the Holy Bull while always within three lengths of the leaders, and when he commandeered the lead off the final turn of that short-stretch configuration, Rocket Can finished focused through the lane while chased home by a tenacious stablemate.

Over the same 1 1/16-mile setup that starts close to the first turn and ends at the sixteenth pole, look for jockey Junior Alvarado to try and execute a follow-the-favorite strategy on Saturday, a tactic that should be a smooth fit for this colt's capable stalking style.

5) CAVE ROCK (c, Arrogate–Georgie's Angel, by Bellamy Road) 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Michael E. Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman; B-Anne and Ronnie Sheffer Racing LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $210,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV; $550,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: MGISW, 4-3-1-0, $748,000. Last start: 2nd GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile presented by TAA, Nov. 4. KY Derby Points: 0

'TDN Rising Star' Cave Rock, who races with his head slung low in a style that evokes his sire still merits a strong foothold within the Top 12 despite the certainty that he'll be the last colt on this list to make his first sophomore start.

Powerful and promising at age two, this physically imposing dual sales grad ($210,000 KEENOV; $550,000 KEESEP) detonated a 104 Beyer in his two-turn debut, the GI American Pharoah S., while never being fully extended.

But in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, he got hot and bothered pre-race, then had trouble settling when trying to clear an irrationally exuberant 70-1 shot through a :22.90 opening quarter. Cave Rock seized the lead a half-mile from home, but Forte had far more in the tank while Cave Rock languished too long on his left lead in the stretch.

Still, the second-place effort was commendable given those less-than-optimal circumstances, and Cave Rock looms as a front-end force when he finally hits the entries.

6) FAUSTIN (c, Curlin–Hard Not to Like, by Hard Spun) 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Michael L Petersen; B-DATTT Farm (Ky); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $285,000 RNA yrl '21 KEESEP; $800,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: GSP, 2-1-1-0, $80,200. Last start: 2nd GIII San Vicente S., Jan. 29. Kentucky Derby Points: 0.

Faustin ($285,000 RNA KEESEP; $800,000 OBSAPR) was christened a 'TDN Rising Star' upon debut back on opening day at Santa Anita, overcoming multiple examples of trip adversity (some of it self-inflicted) to win first time out.

In start number two, he ran a credible second despite being tactically disadvantaged behind a one-turn-specialist stablemate Havnameltdown (Uncaptured) in the GII San Vicente S. going seven furlongs. The latter returned to just miss in last weekend's G3 Saudi Derby Cup over a stamina-stretching mile.

Additional ground along the Derby trail (next start not yet disclosed) should aid Faustin's development arc, because 10 furlongs is well within the scope of his pedigree. His damsire and sire, Hard Spun and Curlin, finished second and third, respectively, in the 2007 Kentucky Derby. Half a year later, Curlin and Hard Spun ran one-two in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic.

7) HEJAZI (c, Bernardini–G Note, by Medaglia d'Oro) O-Zedan Racing Stables Inc.; B-Mary & Chester Broman (Ky); T-Tim Yakteen. Sales history: $3,550,000 2yo '22 FTMMAY. Lifetime Record: GISP, 4-1-2-1, $108,200. Last Start: 1st SA Maiden Special Weight, Jan. 15. Kentucky Derby Points: 0.

Hejazi, a New York-bred, $3.55-million EASMAY sale topper, is among the headliners in Saturday's 11-horse GII San Felipe S. at Santa Anita. He has four races of experience, but only one try around two turns, which came last October while still a maiden and attempting winners (third in the GI American Pharoah S.).

He drew post seven for the San Felipe, and coming off a 6 1/2-furlong MSW score in which he led the field through early fractions of :21.97 and :44.28, Hejazi projects to be a forward factor on the stretch-out.

This will be his second start off a freshening (and his first for trainer Tim Yakteen on a transfer from Bob Baffert), and Hejazi merits respect based on the 97 Beyer he earned and the authoritative way he swatted back two deep-stretch challengers inside the final 100 yards.

A concern, though, is that four of the horses he beat on Jan. 15 have already raced again, and the best finish among them was a third-place try.

8) INSTANT COFFEE (c, Bolt d'Oro–Follow No One, by Uncle Mo) O-Gold Square LLC; B-Sagamore Farm (Ky); T-Brad Cox. Sales history: $200,000 yrl '21 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: MGSW, 4-3-0-0, $442,815. Last Start: Won Jan. 21 GIII Lecomte S. at Fair Grounds. Kentucky Derby Points: 32.

Instant Coffee's company lines got a boost when the third- and fourth-place finishers out of his Jan. 21 GIII Lecomte S. tally came back to win their next starts. Confidence Game (Candy Ride {Arg}) scored in last Saturday's GII Rebel S. at 18-1 odds and Denington (Gun Runner) popped at 8-1 in a Feb. 18 first-level allowance route at Fair Grounds.

This son of Bolt d'Oro ($200,000 KEESEP) is three-for-four lifetime, with his only loss coming when fourth in a key renewal of the Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland last October.

He is, however, the type of colt you'd like to see more of before deciding if he's a true 10-furlong horse.

That's not going to happen under trainer Brad Cox's current two-prep sophomore plan. With the Mar. 25 GII Louisiana Derby projected as his next race, Instant Coffee is going to have nine weeks between starts trying to make the jump from 1 1/16 miles to 1 3/16 miles, then another six weeks until the 10-furlong Kentucky Derby.

He's currently two breezes into training since his last race.

9) RED ROUTE ONE (c, Gun Runner–Red House, by Tapit) O/B-Winchell Thoroughbreds, LLC (Ky); T-Steve Asmussen. Lifetime Record: GISP, 7-1-2-1, $492,575. Last Start: 2nd in Feb. 25 GII Rebel S. Kentucky Derby Points: 33.

Red Route One is a longer-the-better type who isn't going to head to Louisville as a Derby standout. Yet he has the staying power and pedigree to be a dangerous threat; the type of double-digit longshot who will sit far back, make one sustained run, and if the trip and pace scenarios shake out in his favor–look out.

This son of Gun Runner out of a full-sister to Eclipse Award and GI Longines Kentucky Oaks winner Untapable (Tapit) is a Winchell Thoroughbreds homebred who rallied from far off the tailgate and splashed into the homestretch of the GII Rebel S. with abandon, avoiding the crowding that was going on closer to the rail but not still shying from outer-path roughhousing in upper stretch before accelerating with a separate, deep-race burst in the run to the wire (92 Beyer for second).

True, he's never won on dirt. But Red Route One's past-performance block consists of seven route races on turf and dirt, and a wet racetrack hasn't been a problem on the three occasions he's encountered slop (twice second, once fifth).

“Obviously, we're anxious for the races to go farther,” said trainer Steve Asmussen. “Not positive we won't wheel him back in the Louisiana Derby, a mile and three-sixteenths. Quit messing around and get him on out there.”

10) GEAUX ROCKET RIDE (c, Candy Ride {Arg}–Beyond Grace, by Uncle Mo) O-Pin Oak Stud LLC; B-OXO Equine LLC (Ky); T-Richard Mandella. Sales history: $350,000 yrl '21 FTKJUL. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $40,200. Last Start: Won Maiden Special Weight at Santa Anita Jan. 29. Kentucky Derby Points: 0.

This colt's 92-Beyer, 5 3/4-length, smash-and-grab score in a six-furlong Santa Anita MSW sprint was encouraging enough for the generally conservative trainer Richard Mandella to declare him a “geaux” for two-turn stakes company, and he'll start from post eight in the 1 1/16-mile San Felipe S. on Saturday.

Geaux Rocket Ride's form was flattered when the runner-up from that Jan. 29 win, Sonoran (Ride on Curlin), returned Feb. 20 to break his maiden by 7 1/4 lengths as a 3-5 favorite.

This $350,000 FTKJUL son of Candy Ride (Arg) retains the services of jockey Flavien Prat for this weekend's engagement.

But, like six other entrants in the San Felipe, he'll have to come off the medication Lasix as he advances into stakes territory. That many horses making the off-Lasix switch lends an accentuated a wild-card flavor to what already looms as a tough 11-horse race to handicap.

11) CONFIDENCE GAME (c, Candy Ride {Arg}–Eblouissante, by Bernardini) O-Don't Tell My Wife Stables; B-Summer Wind Equine, LLC (Ky); T-J K Desormeaux. Sales history: $25,000 yrl '21 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 7-3-1-2, $785,525. Last Start:  Won Feb. 25 GII Rebel S. at OP. Kentucky Derby Points: 57.

Confidence Game is a plucky, adaptable overachiever ($25,000 KEESEP) with some racing royalty in his bloodlines: his dam, former 'TDN Rising Star' Eblouissante, is a Bernardini half-sister to the mighty Zenyatta.

Trainer Keith Desormeaux said this son of Candy Ride (Arg) “sort of lost his mind in the paddock” prior to his 94-Beyer winning effort in the sloppy Rebel S. last Saturday. But jockey James Graham was able to settle down Confidence Game during his warm-up, and the colt got a sweet mid-pack trip while fifth behind two longshot speedsters and two stalking favorites who never truly fired despite no-excuse trips.

Responding to far-turn rousing, Confidence Game got third run at the wilting leaders while widest off the turn, then largely avoided inside traffic with a work-in-progress kind of stretch run that included some outward wandering late (94 Beyer).

“He's really come into his own,” Desormeaux said. “He started off pretty immature. But as the races went on [seven total, five of them routes], he has improved things mentally and physically.”

12) LITIGATE (c, Blame–Salsa Diavola, by Mineshaft) O-Centennial Farms; B-Nursery Place, Donaldson & Broadbent (Ky); T-Todd Pletcher. Sales history: $370,000 yrl '21 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 3-2-1-0, $182,590. Last Start: Won Feb. 11 GIII Sam F. Davis S. Kentucky Derby Points: 20.

Litigate, a $370,000 KEESEP colt by Blame, will be on trainer Todd Pletcher's traveling team with an expected next start in the Louisiana Derby. He most recently scored a 1 1/4-length win in the GIII Sam F. Davis S. at Tampa.

Note that even though the track is listed as 'fast' on the Equibase chart, that Feb. 11 race was run in a downpour, which might be a contributing factor to Litigate's tepid 77 Beyer and the race's lethargic closing fractions.

Sent to clear the field from post 10 by Luis Saez, Litigate ably rated back to fifth on the backstretch. He uncorked a decent move between the five-sixteenths pole and the quarter pole, then had to be ridden hard through the lane to put away a 21-1 shot and a 12-1 shot, finishing through driving rain in a sluggish final sixteenth clocked in :7.05.

His two previous tries showed promise, and they could prove to be useful building blocks as this colt attempts longer races more suited to his distance-centric pedigree: sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs at Aqueduct Nov. 19, Litigate stalked with purpose behind a three-way battle for the lead, patiently took the overland route through the turn, then drew away respectably. Tasked with a one-turn mile allowance at Gulfstream Jan. 8, he nailed second by a nose behind a daylight winner.

He's worth consideration in New Orleans if you think the long Fair Grounds stretch will be his friend.

The post TDN Derby Top 12 For Mar. 2: Will March Separate Lions From Lambs appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Forbidden Kingdom Gets the Acid Test in San Felipe

Two for three in one-turn tests on the main track, MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm's Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah) tries a distance of ground as the narrow 8-5 morning-line favorite for Saturday's GII San Felipe S. at Santa Anita.

A $300,000 graduate of the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearling Showcase, the chestnut wired a field of Del Mar maidens on debut going 5 1/2 furlongs Aug. 21, but failed to transfer that form to the grass when third–albeit with some trouble–in the Oct. 1 Speakeasy S. at this venue. A pacesetting second behind 'TDN Rising Star' and future GIII Robert B. Lewis S. romper Messier (Empire Maker) in the GIII Bob Hope S. at the seaside oval in November, Forbidden Kingdom accounted for next-out G3 Saudi Derby hero Pinehurst (Twirling Candy) when last seen in the GII San Vicente S. Jan. 29.

Produced by a Grade III-winning juvenile, Forbidden Kingdom is out of a half-sister to Sara Louise (Five Star Day), twice a graded winner at a one-turn mile and whose daughter Sara Street (Street Sense)–also by a GI Kentucky Derby winner–stayed nine furlongs well enough to go close in the nine-furlong GII Gazelle S.

A 3 1/2-length debut winner in a six-furlong maiden at Los Alamitos Dec. 11, 'TDN Rising Star' Doppelganger (Into Mischief) was the 9-10 chalk for the San Vicente, but raced wide on the track and never landed a serious blow, finishing fourth. Acquired for $570,000 at the same sale as Forbidden Kingdom, the April foal is bred on the Into Mischief cross over Fappiano-line sires that has resulted in Grade I winners Mandaloun, Covfefe and other two-turn graded winners Private Mission, Largent and Maximus Mischief. Bob Baffert has saddled eight winners of the San Felipe, including Into Mischief sons Authentic and Life Is Good the last two years.

The commonly owned Armagnac (Quality Road), a $210,000 KEESEP purchase, holds the distinction of being the only member of this septet with a victory going two turns on the main track, having graduated by 2 1/4 front-running lengths over this track and distance Jan. 21. He was previously third to his stablemate Wharton (Candy Ride {Arg}) sprinting on New Year's Eve debut.

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