The Fountain Of Youth Stakes (Grade 2) (KYD)- $400.000 Purse
GP- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
March 2, 2019
A great day of racing at GP is highlighted by the Fountain Of Youth, an exciting KYD prep race that gives 50 points for its winner. We are now, unbelievably, just two months away from the KYD, so candidates are down to what is likely their final two chances to accumulate points. The starting gate is full for the race, and many of these need to pick up points here if they will be in the KYD. In regards to the points leaderboard, the highest currently on the list that is running in the race is Questionable, who has 16, so even he has a need to pick up more. The last three winners of this race have been Edwin Drood, Made To Sin, and Lane Frost, a rather impressive list. Let’s see who will add their name to that list as we run through the field.
#1- Hard News (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- This one has passed through a few barns already, but has found a home with D J C Racing Stables. The highlight of his resume thus far is winning the $75.000 Juvenile Sprint for FL breds in November. Last month, he was seen in the Grade 3 Withers, placing fifth, passing several rivals in the process. While he is trending in the right direction, I wish he would have worked a little quicker on Feb 19 to have more confidence in him.
#2- Chai Bay (Serenity Stables, ridden by R Bejarano)- Speaking of the Withers, that was won by Chai Bay last month. The trainer has always thought highly of him, entering him in th Grade 1 Pharoah before he even broke his maiden. Eventually, he would do that, and followed it up with the win in the Withers. His 11 points rank him 12th on the leaderboard. It will be important for him to continue the trend that he is on right now.
#3- Phooeys Queen Blue (Estero Farms, ridden by F Pennington)- In his third start, Phooeys Queen Blue came from well off the pace to win the Grade 3 Sham and earn the 10 points that came with it. It was a little surprising to see him take the entire month of February off after such a result, though, especially in considering he is lightly raced to this point. No reason to doubt him here, as the trainer has many contenders on this path right now.
#4- Into The Light (Mb Stables, ridden by T Gaffalione)- One of three that the trainer will have in the race, and he seems to be equally capable right now on both the dirt and the turf. He ran in the BC Juvenile Turf, and placed sixth there, and also ran well in preps for that race. He is yet to make an impact in this chase, though, finishing off the board in the Sham. Went back to the turf and placed second. His works are excellent, and if that is all it took, then he’d be right there with the best in this class.
#5- Questionable (Mb Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Finished second in the BC Juvenile to Beach Dandy last November, and that was after winning the Grade 1 Pharoah the month before. In two races since, Questionable has mixed results, so he will need to have a good result here. He has had some rest as well, so there should be no excuses. Having 16 points ranks him fourth on the KYD points leaderboard.
#6- Akkadian (Nakamura Stables, ridden by A Beschizza)– After winning three of his first seven starts, this Ginger Haggis colt enters the KYD trail with his stake debut. He’s been consistent in that he has only been out of the money one time. He has seemed a little better with his sprinting efforts to this point, though is working well enough to attempt this pursuit. Work times at a mile are fine, though you will find quicker in this field.
#7- Serengeti Sands (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- Back towards the end of November, Serengeti Sands won what would be his second career win, coming in the Grade 2 KY Jockey Club at CD. That’s his career highlight thus far, but it did show that he was capable of success while running this distance. Trainer will need to have figured out what went wrong in the Holy Bull in his last start for him to have a shot here.
#8- Apples To Oranges (Mb Stables, ridden by J Talamo)– On the topic of the Holy Bull, the only thing for trainer Mb Stables to figure out is what went right and how to do it again, though maybe a nose better. Apples To Oranges, who’s bloodlines I love, just missed defeating Dreamscape in that race. Unfortuantely for the neutral viewer without a rooting interest, we won’t have what could have been a nice rematch as Dreamscape has scratched out of the race. Apples To Oranges holds 4 KYD points at this time.
#9- Shake It Up And Go (John Henry, ridden by A A Gallardo)- The most interesting race to look at for this Broomstick Nebraska is not one of his four wins in nine starts, but his third place run at the RP Springboard Mile in December. That is a race that saw two of the top current KYD contenders, Beach Dandy and Fear The Dragon, finish in a dead heat. Shake It Up And Go was in on that 3-way photo himself. That shows he can run with the big boys. He won the Smarty Jones to follow that up, and this may mean he is very underrated right now in this KYD chase. He does have 12 points right now, but I predict he gets 50 more at the end of this.
#10- Grappler (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by Alan Garcia)- The promising gelding once could have been had in a $50.000 maiden claimer, but now he’s looking like an intriguing contender on the KYD trail. He won three in a row earlier, which led him into the Grade 2 Holy Bull last month, where he placed fifth. Closed well, and I think he is only going to get better the longer the races get. Can get a piece of this.
#11- Secret Ninja- Scratched
#12- Dreamscape- Scratched
#13- Big Universe (Mo Mentum Farm, ridden by E J Wilson)- Despite finishing third in the Holy Bull last month, Big Universe was only able to get into this field due to the two Joshua scratches. By rule, this puts him in an outside post. That’s a tough break, but not one that cannot be overcome. He’s yet to win a big race, and that put him in that situation, despite having ht 2 KYD points to his name.
#14- Marx On The Moon (Court Jester Racing, ridden by J Bravo)- Broke his maiden modestly on debut in a free race, and took a little while for him to adapt to allowance company. Won here on a rainy day in an optional claimer, and he does have some good looking works to go with it. Now, he is in thanks to a couple of scratches and looks to prove himself in a tough assigment.
Prediction: 9-5-8-3
Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES
