Fountain of Youth Stakes Racing Roundup

©2019 Calvin L. Carter. All rights reserved.

The Road to the Kentucky Derby takes us to Florida, Saturday, where HIDDEN SCROLL will go to the starting gate as the 9-5 morning-line morning favorite in the 73^rd running of $400,000 Xpressbet.com Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park. Post time is 5:32 p.m. ET.

Hidden Scroll comes into this race off an impressive maiden-debut win for trainer Bill Mott. Here’s the video and chart call of that race:

HIDDEN SCROLL emerged off the chute well off the rail and vying for command inside ROBINTAKINCHARGE, edged away from that one after a sharp half mile, remained well out in the track widening with every stride under his own power around the turn, was mildly hand-urged past the eighth pole along with a tap on the shoulder, and finished in hand.

Hidden Scroll led from the start and looked good to win his maiden debut by an impressive 14 lengths.

Hard Spun, the sire of Hidden Scroll, was undefeated in three starts as a two-year-old, including wins in the Port Penn Stakes and Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes. As a three-year-old on the Derby trail, Hard spun was 2-0-0 in three starts including wins in the Le Comte Stakes (G3) and Lane’s End Stakes (G2).

Hard Spun went on to finish second in the Kentucky Derby (G1), third in the Preakness Stakes (G1) and rounded out his classic campaign with a fourth-place finish in the Belmont Stakes (G1).

As a stallion, Hard Spun’s best runner on the Kentucky Derby trail was Wicked Strong who finished fourth in the 2014 Derby. His other top runners include: Le Romain, Hard Aces, Hard Not to Like, Someries, Gatting, King’s Spun, Promising Run, Questing and Hardest Core.

Hidden Scroll has an A Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® and I look for him to take another step forward in his second start of the season.

A long shot I like is GLOBAL CAMPAIGN (10-1) and he comes into this race undefeated in two starts for trainer Stanley Hough. Here’s the video and chart call of his last race:

 GLOBAL CAMPAIGN broke well and held lead heading into first turn then conceded position to BLUE STEEL, edged off rival in opening quarter them moved back up to race on near equal terms with aforementioned foe midway through the backstretch, vied for the lead then cleared on top still unasked past three eighths pole, widened margin under mild hand rousing in upper stretch then wrapped up to easy victory.

Geared down at the wire, Global Campaign looked good winning his second start by 2¼ lengths.

Curlin, the sire of Global Campaign, was an outstanding racehorse that compiled an 11-2-2 record in 16 career starts with $10,501,800 in career earnings.

Curlin did not start as a two-year-old. But, at the age of three, Curlin was 6-1-2 in nine starts with $5,102,800 in earnings including wins in the Rebel Stakes (G3) and Arkansas Derby (G2) en route to a third-place finish in the 2007 Kentucky Derby (G1). He went on to win the Preakness Stakes (G1) and he finished second in the Belmont Stakes (G1).

Other important stakes wins include the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), twice, Dubai World Cup (G1), Stephen Foster Handicap (G1), Woodward Stakes (G1), and the UAE Jaguar Trophy Handicap.

In six crops as a stallion, Curlin has sired the 2013 Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Palace Malice and the 2016 Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Exaggerator. In addition, Curlin produced the classic-placed runners Good Magic (second, 2018 Kentucky Derby), Tenfold (third, 2018 Preakness), Ride On Curlin (second, 2014 Preakness), Keen Ice (third, 2015 Belmont) and Irish War Cry (second, 2017 Belmont).

Global Campaign has an A+ Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® and he was a yearling (Hip 1230) we profiled at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He’s been training good and I look for him to take another big step forward in his third start of the season.

BOURBON WAR (10-1) comes into this race with a 2-0-0 record in three starts for trainer Mark Henning. Here’s the video of his last race. Unfortunately, I could not access the chart call from the Equibase website.

Bourbon War settled toward the back early and sat chilly, gradually moving up, until the far turn when he made a nice move splitting horses to take the lead and win by an easy 2¼ lengths.

Tapit, the sire of Bourbon War, was a multiple graded stakes winner that compiled a 3-0-0 record in six starts with $557,300 in career earnings.

As a two-year-old, Tapit was undefeated in two starts including a win in the Laurel Futurity (G3).  Tapit was troubled by a lung infection for much of his three-year-old season but he did win the nine-furlong Wood Memorial Stakes (G1) in route to a ninth-place finish in the 2004 Kentucky Derby.

At stud, Tapit has sired numerous graded stakes winners including the Belmont Stakes (G1) champions Tapwrit (2017), Creator (2016) and Tonalist (2014).

Bourbon War has an A+ Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® and I look for him to improve in his second start of the season.

CODE OF HONOR (20-1) comes into this race with a 1-1-0 record in 3 starts for trainer “Shug” McGaughey including a fourth-place finish in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes last out. Here’s the video and chart call of that race:

CODE OF HONOR bumped with GLADIATOR KING at the start, exchanged brushes with MIHOS up the backstretch, stayed in striking range four wide between horses into the turn, struggled to keep pace after six furlongs and gave way.

I think the mile distance was too short for Code of Honor. In addition, he missed some training toward the end of his season as a two-year-old but still finished a respectable fourth in this race.

Noble Mission, the sire of Code of Honor, is a full brother to Classic Champion Thoroughbred Frankel and multiple Group Stakes winner that compiled a 9-6-2 record in 21 starts with $2,202,887 in career earnings.

Noble Mission finished second in his only start as a two year old racing in the United Kingdom.

As a three-year-old, Noble Mission was 3-3-0 in seven starts with wins in the maiden weight for age race, Qatar Racing Newmarket Stakes and Bet365 Gordon Stakes (Group 3). He finished second in the Popetelecom.com.co.uk Fairway Stakes, King Edward VII Stakes (Group 2) and the Worthingtons Champion Shield Navigation Brewery St. Simon Stakes (Group 3).

At the age of four, Noble Mission was 1-0-2 in six starts with a win in the Tapster Stakes. He finished third in the Dubai Duty Free Finest Surprise John Porter Stakes (Group 3) and the Betfred Rose of Lancaster Stakes (Group 3).

Noble Mission was 5-2-0 in seven starts at the age of five with victories in the Betfred Gordon Richards Stakes (Group 3), Betfair Price Rush Huxley Stakes (Group 3), Tattersalls Gold Cup (Group 1), Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (Group 1) and the QIPCO Champion Stakes (Group 1). He finished second in the John Porter Dubai Duty Free Finest Surprise Stakes (Group 3) and the Grosser Dallmayr-Preis – Bayerisches Zuchtrennen (Group 1).

Code of Honor has an A+ Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® and he’s the best-bred horse in this herd of runners. He has room to improve in his second start of the season and he has the breeding to be competitive.

Honorable mention goes to Vekoma (7-2) and Signalman (9-2) who have lower profile scores but could, perhaps, be factors in this race.

*****

A total of 35 prep races comprise the USA Road to the Kentucky Derby. In addition, there are seven races on the European road and four races on the Japan road to Derby glory.

2019 KENTUCKY DERBY LEADERBOARD

Ranking, total points, Trainer, Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings

1. War of Will, 60, Mark Casse, $440,840

2. Game Winner, 30, Bob Baffert, $1,460,000

3. ++Country House, 20, Bill Mott, $80,000

4. Knicks Go, 18, Ben Colebrook, $656,085

5. Signalman, 18, Ken McPeek, $392,840

6. Gunmetal Gray, 18, Jerry Hollendorfer, $210,000

7. Long Range Toddy, 14, Steve Asmussen, $330,000

8. Mucho Gusto, 14, Bob Baffert, $210,000

9. Maximus Mischief, 12, “Butch” Reid, Jr., $171,100

10. Tax, 12, Danny Gargan, $167,500

11. Mind Control, 10, George Sacco, $295,000

12. Improbable, 10, Bob Baffert, $239,520

13. +Harvey Wallbanger, 10, Kenny McPeek, $208,320

14. Well Defined, 10, Kathy O’Connell, $172,970

15. Gray Attempt, 10, Jinks Fires, $135,000

16. Anothertwistafate, 10, Blaine Wright, $60,000

17. Roiland, 10, Tom Amoss, $47,460

18. Hog Creek Hustle, 9, Vickie Foley, $65,000

19. Our Braintrust, 6, Cathal Lynch, $147,000

20. Code of Honor, 4, Shug McGaughey, $100,000

+ = Profiled as an A+ yearling on our 2017 Fasig-Tipton July Yearling Sales list. ++ = Profiled as a B yearling (Hip 2203) on our 2017 Keeneland September sale list.

EUROPEAN ROAD LEADERBOARD

Ranking, total points, Trainer, Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings

1. Royal Marine (IRE), 10, Saeed bin Suroor, $264,968

2. Magna Grecia (IRE), 10, Aidan O’Brien, $185,000

3. Mohawk (IRE), 10, Aidan O’Brien, $128,702

4. Japan (GB), 10, Aidan O’Brien, $75,316

5. Phoenix of Spain (IRE), 4, Charlie Hill, $157,944

6. Broome (IRE), 4, Aidan O’Brien, $140,871

7. Sydney Opera House (GB), 4, Aidan O’Brien, $40,956

8. Mount Everest (IRE), 4, Aidan O’Brien, $24,254

9. Anodor (FR), 2, Freddie Head, $99,215

10. Western Australian (IRE), 2, Aidan O’Brien, $43,084

11. Cape of Good Hope (IRE), 2, Aidan O’Brien, $41,515

12. Power of Now (IRE), 2, Michael O’Callaghan, $11,489

13. Boitron (FR), 1, Richard Hannon, $44,917

14. Victory Command, (IRE), 1, Mark Johnston, $35,108

15. Circus Maximus (IRE), 1, Aidan O’Brien, $24,368

16. Sovereign (IRE), 1, Aiden O’Brien, $5,106

JAPAN ROAD LEADERBOARD

Ranking, total points, Trainer, Earnings

1. Nova Lenda (JPN), 20, Takashi Saito, $446,285

2. f-Make Happy, 12, Koichi Shinkai, $184,181

3. Derma Louvre (JPN), 8, Hirofumi Toda, $447,672

4. Gal Vihara, 4, Kiyoshi Hagiwara, $216,271

2. Kingen (JPN), 4, Kunihide Matsuda, $97,867

3. Johaan (JPN), 2, Yasuyuki Takahashi, $72,900

4. Romantico (JPN), 1, Kazuo Fujisawa, $91,245