THE Gulfstream card features the first big Derby trial in Florida in the Grade 2 Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes (11.44pm). Godolphin’s Into Mischief colt Sovereignty, selected last season by our US correspondent Sean Clancy as his likely Kentucky Derby winner, reappears with Junior Alvarado aboard for trainer William Mott.
He broke his maiden in the Grade 3 Street Sense Stakes at Churchill Downs last October and needs to get some points on the Road to the Derby table.
Todd Pletcher’s River Thames is the morning line favourite under John Velazquez. The Maclean’s Music colt is unbeaten in his two starts, both at this track.
Other interesting runners on the card are in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile.
Mindframe, one of Mike Repole’s top three-year-olds of 2024, returns to action for the first time since he was second to Dornoch in the Grade 1 Haskell Stakes last season.
He also finished runner-up to that horse in the Belmont Stakes on only his third start.
Also on the card, in the Grade 3 Honey Fox Stakes (10:07pm), is Special Wan, trained to a Kentucky win by Pat Foley last season, and reappears for Brendan Walsh and Team Valor in the mile contest. The daughter of Belardo was not disgraced in Grade 1 company at Keeneland on her final 2024 run.
Santa Anita
Santa Anita hosts a top-class card with two Grade 1s and Locked is favourite for the Santa Anita Handicap (12.30pm). Winner of the Grade 2 Cigar Mile and favourite for the Pegasus World Cup, he was no match for White Abarrio there, though he stayed on for second, over six lengths behind.
A better bet here might be Brad Cox’s Hit Show, a multiple Grade 2 winner coming off a Fair Grounds win in the Grade 3 Louisiana Stakes.
The Grade 1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile on turf has Mi Hermano Ramon from the Mark Glatt barn as a narrow favourite.
Fourth last time in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational, he has Dan Blacker’s El Pointe as his main rival with that consistent six-year-old coming on a hat-trick.
The Grade 2 DK Horse San Felipe Stakes (11.43pm) over a mile and half a furlong features the Bob Baffert-trained Kentucky Derby contender Barnes. He is unbeaten in his two runs including the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes here.
Barnes, a son of Into Mischief, is even money against five rivals, two more from the Baffert barn.
Rodriguez, a son of Baffert’s Kentucky Derby winner Authentic, has one win from three and was second to Derby favourite and top juvenile Citizen Bull last time.
Mike Mcarthy’s Journalism, a Curlin colt who won the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity, looks the bet of the rest.