Fountain of Youth Stakes Preview

The Fountain of Youth Stakes helps kick off the Derby prep season today:

There's a good chance we'll have a clear-cut favorite for the Kentucky Derby after the Feb. 26 clash between the undefeated Holy Bull winner Algorithms and Champagne winner Union Rags in the Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes. Throw in the undefeated and untested Discreet Dancer from the same barn as Algorithms' and you have one of the most anticipated Derby trail matchups in years.
"It's a little scary taking on a horse like [Union Rags]," said Jack Wolf, who manages Starlight Partners, owner of Algorithms. "It's pretty exciting to have three horses of this caliber in the field; they're very hard to separate. It's a tough race, but in this game if you don't like action you're in the wrong sport. It's going to be a lot of fun to see these horses go against each other."

Meanwhile, El Padrino won the Risen Star Stakes yesterday at Fair Grounds by a nose:

El Padrino outdueled Mark Valeski by a nose following a furious stretch drive, then had to survive a claim of foul by Rosie Napravnik, the rider of Mark Valeski, before being declared the official winner of this prep for the Louisiana Derby on April 1.

"I thought it was a huge effort, shipping in to the track for the first time over a track favoring speed the last two days," Pletcher, who watched the race at Gulfstream Park, said in a teleconference with reporters here.

El Padrino ($3.60), the heavy favorite, was in tight quarters with Mark Valeski through the final furlong, but there did not appear to be anything untoward, and the stewards agreed.

"We were both in tight, but it was not big contact," said Javier Castellano, who rode El Padrino. "It was tight, we were race riding, but he was going forward. We didn't bump. It was more of a brush. I don't blame her for taking a shot."

Napravnik seemed to agree with the decision after seeing the replay.

"Many times, it feels worse than it looks, and that was the case today," she said.

The finish was pretty exciting.  It is good to see the thoroughbred season getting fired up.