Something's Gotta Give in Fountain of Youth

The top four chances on the morning line for Saturday's GII Xpressbet Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream Park have combined to win 12 of their 13 trips to the post, including Shadwell Stable's Mohaymen (Tapit), who brings a perfect four-for-four record into the final local prep for the GI Florida Derby five weeks down the line.

Only a May foal, the $2.2-million joint topper at the 2014 Keeneland September sale has made few mistakes in racking up those wins, with his two best efforts–from a speed figure perspective–coming in his two tries around two turns. After successfully stretching out to a mile to land the GII Nashua S. at Aqueduct Nov. 4, he raced away to a 1 1/2-length success in the nine-furlong GII Remsen S. to earn a spot on the Eclipse ballot. With three races in the span of 70 days, Mohaymen got a little time off, made the trek down to Florida and got his season started in the GII Holy Bull S. Jan. 30. Bumped at the break, he rated off the pace early, but when John Velazquez aboard Greenpointcrusader (Bernardini) left the rail open on the backstretch, Mohaymen surged to the lead and covered his final 2 1/2 furlongs in a smart :29.55 to score by 3 1/2 lengths, cementing his status as the East Coast's top Derby threat.

Mohaymen debuted the same September Saturday that stablemate Frosted (Tapit) was winning the GII Pennsylvania Derby, and with many of the elite riders in Philadelphia for the weekend, Junior Alvarado picked up the ride on the son of MGSW & GISP Justwhistledixie (Dixie Union). Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin is quick to give credit where credit is due.

“They seem to get along great. I know Junior has a lot of confidence in him and the horse responds to him,” McLaughlin said. “They're a good team, that's for sure. Four-for-four, everything has gone well so far.”

Each of the three chief protagonists in the Fountain of Youth will be trying two turns for the first time Saturday. Awesome Banner (Awesome of Course), part of an uncoupled entry for Fred Brei's Jacks or Better Farm, looms the biggest threat to the favorite if able to reproduce the same numbers he has in three sprint tries to date. Winner of the six-furlong GIII Hutcheson S. first off a seven-month absence Jan. 2, he stretched out a panel and proved a handy five-length victor of the GIII Swale S. when last seen Jan. 30.

“He hasn't been asked and he's got something left,” commented trainer Stanley Gold when asked about the homebred's ability to stay Saturday's trip. “I don't see any reason he can't go further. It's not like we're pushing him around there and he's in a stiff drive. He's been pretty much eased up coming to the wire in both of those races.”

Awesome Speed (Awesome Again) defeated subsequent MGSP Vorticity (Distorted Humor) to celebrate graduation day at Laurel in October and returned to that oval to annex the James F. Lewis S. Nov. 14. He paired up speed figures to annex this track's Mucho Macho Man S. Jan. 2, though the horse he defeated on that occasion, El Charro (Put It Back), was a distant last of five to champion Nyquist (Uncle Mo) in the Feb. 15 GII San Vicente S.

'TDN Rising Star' Zulu (Bernardini) is the least exposed of this leading quartet, with two soft wins over off tracks, including a 7 1/4-length allowance victory in a sloppy allowance Jan. 15. While that effort has been much dissected, his debut victory Dec. 5 looks more solid in retrospect, as the runner-up Sharp Azteca (Freud) rolled home a four-length winner going a mile Feb. 20. Zulu has the Classic-winning half-brothers A.P. Indy and Summer Squall and the associated 'Rasmussen Factor' close up in his pedigree, suggesting Saturday's distance–and beyond–should be up his alley.