Kentucky Derby: Champion Essential Quality is Back, plus FOY

The re-scheduled Southwest Stakes (G3) worth a whopping $750,000 is one of several major stakes races around the U.S. this weekend and two have attracted one of the most exciting horses of 2020. Essential Quality, an early Kentucky Derby favourite, and champion mare Monomoy Girl are returning to action this weekend. Monomoy Girl competes Sunday in the Grade 3 Bayakoa Stakes.

Essential Quality (3 for 3) will be making his first start since clinching an Eclipse Award as the country’s champion 2-year-old male in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) Nov. 6 at Keeneland. The gray son of super sire Tapit is the 3-2 program favorite for the Southwest, Oaklawn’s second of four Kentucky Derby points races. Essential Quality will break from the rail in the 1 1/16-mile race.

“Just see how it shakes out,” Cox said moments after watching Monomoy Girl gallop. “I’m sure there’s going to be some speed in there. We’ll see.”

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The Southwest and Bayakoa were originally scheduled to be run Feb. 15 before being postponed twice because of severe winter weather. Cox said the delay didn’t affect Essential Quality’s preparation for the Southwest because he was able to breeze the colt 5 furlongs twice (Feb. 14 and Feb. 20) at Fair Grounds.

“Monomoy Girl, kind of the same thing, really, as far as preparation,” Cox said. “Just two extra works.”

Monomoy Girl will be making her first start since winning the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) Nov. 7 at Keeneland. A winner of 13 of 15 career starts, Monomoy Girl was an Eclipse Award winner in 2018 (3-year-old filly) and 2020 (older dirt female). She drew the extreme outside, post 6, for the 1 1/16-mile Bayakoa, a major local prep for the $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) April 17.

“Monomoy Girl draws outside all the time, it seems,” Cox said. “Fourteen of fourteen in the (Kentucky) Oaks, 11 of 11 in the Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs.”

Cox said the Apple Blossom is the major spring objective for Monomoy Girl, who has never raced at Oaklawn.

Cox won his first Eclipse Award as the country’s outstanding trainer in 2020. He was Oaklawn’s third-leading trainer last year.

First post Saturday is 12:15 p.m. and the Southwest is scheduled as Race 10 at 4:58 p.m. First post Sunday is 1 p.m. and the Bayakoa is scheduled as Race 9 at 5:11 p.m.

Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream

Courtlandt Farms’ Greatest Honour, already a prime prospect on the strength of his dominating victory in the Jan. 30 Holy Bull (G3), will take a significant step along the Road to the Triple Crown in Saturday’s $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park.

The Shug McGaughey-trained colt will have the opportunity to virtually clinch a spot in this year’s Kentucky Derby (G1) field with a win in the Fountain of Youth, a 50-20-10-5 qualifying points race, as well as the important prep for the $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill ‘n Dale Farm at Xalapa March 27 at Gulfstream.

The Fountain of Youth, a tradition-rich 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds, will anchor Saturday’s blockbuster 14-race program with nine stakes, including the $200,000 Davona Dale (G2), featuring the 2021 debut of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) heroine and Eclipse champion Vequist.

Greatest Honour, who broke his maiden in his fourth career start Dec. 26 at Gulfstream, rallied from seventh in a field of nine to draw away by 5 ¾ lengths under Jose Ortiz in the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull. The son of Tapit has shown McGaughey all the signs that he has moved forward in his training at Payson Park in Indiantown, FL since his winning stakes debut.

“He had a really good work up there Sunday morning. I was pleased with the work and was very pleased with the way he looked and the way he was acting,” said McGaughey, who is hoping Greatest Honour, the 9-5 favorite, will follow the example of Orb, whom he saddled for victories in the Fountain of Youth, Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby (G1) in 2013.

Courtlandt Farms’ homebred colt launched his career with a pair of strong closing third-place finishes in maiden special weight sprints at Saratoga and Belmont before losing a photo finish in his first trip around two turns at Aqueduct and completing his juvenile season with his 1 1/16-mile maiden breaker at Gulfstream.

McGaughey would gladly accept a set-up in the Fountain of Youth like the one he had in the Holy Bull, in which he rated well behind a contested early pace before producing a strong stretch rally.

“We’d like to see some speed ahead of him. When you have a horse that comes from behind, if you have some pace in front of you, it helps you,” said McGaughey, who saddled Code of Honor for a win in the 2019 Fountain of Youth. “But I’m not going to be overly worried if there isn’t.”

Jose Ortiz has the return mount on Greatest Honour, who drew Post No. 8 in a field of 10.

Drain the Clock, an impressive winner of the seven-furlong Swale (G3) on the Holy Bull undercard, is expected to be an imposing pace factor from his rail post position Saturday in his stretch-out around two turns in the Fountain of Youth. He’s 5-1 in the morning line.

The son of Maclean’s Music was won four of five lifetime starts, his only loss coming when he lost his rider due to a broken iron during the running of the Nov. 30 Jeanne Laffite Stakes at Delta Downs. He entered the Delta stakes off a six-length debut victory at Gulfstream Park and an optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Park West. The Joseph trainee bounced back from his ill-fated trip to Louisiana with a 7 ½-length win in the Jan. 2 Limehouse and a 6 ¼-length triumph in the Swale during the 2020-2021 Championship Meet.

“He’s a very talented horse. He showed that before he even ran. The second or third breeze he showed he had talent,” Joseph said. “The only blemish on his record was at Delta, and that wasn’t his fault. Last time, he couldn’t have won any easier than he did. He’s won all his races in a good fashion. Hopefully, he can keep it going.”

Owned by Slam Dunk Racing, Madaket Racing Stables LLC, Wonder Stables and Michael Nentwig, Drain the Clock will be ridden by Edgard Zayas.

Three Diamonds Farm’s Fire At Will (7-2), who captured the Nov. 6 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G2) at Keeneland last time out, is set to return to dirt in the Fountain of Youth.

“It’s a tough task, whether he’s a dirt horse or a turf horse, but he’s earned the chance,” trainer Michael Maker said.

After finishing sixth on turf in his Aug. 8 debut at Saratoga, Fire At Will broke his maiden in the Sept. 2 With Anticipation Stakes over a sealed sloppy main track at the Spa. The son of Declaration of War went back to turf to capture the Oct. 3 Pilgrim (G2) at Belmont by two lengths and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf by three lengths.

Kendrick Carmouche, who guided Fire At Will to victory in the Pilgrim, returns to the saddle.

Tarantino, who is owned by SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Golconda Stables, Siena Stables LLC and Robert Masterson, made a respectable transition from turf to dirt in the Holy Bull, in which he pressed a solid early pace before finishing second behind Greatest Honour and 3 ¾ lengths ahead of third-place finisher Prime Factor.

The 3-year-old son of Pioneerof the Nile, who was a nose away from being undefeated on turf in his first three starts. He won his debut and lost a stakes by a nose in Southern California with Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert before capturing a Dec. 11 optional claiming allowance on turf at Gulfstream in his first start for trainer Rodolphe Brisset and finishing second in the Holy Bull on dirt.

“We’re hoping he can be a couple lengths better this time,” said Brisset, who expects Tarantino (8-1) to move forward from his dirt debut.

Tyler Gaffalione is scheduled to ride Tarantino for the first time Saturday.

WinStar Farm LLC and CHC Inc.’s Prime Factor (5-1), who was favored in the Holy Bull, will be seeking to rebound in the Fountain of Youth. The son of Quality Rod debuted with a dazzling 8 ¾-length victory at Gulfstream Dec. 12 before taking a giant step up in the Holy Bull, in which he stalked the pace and raced evenly in the stretch to finish a distant third.

“We’re hoping he shows improvement after having only two starts. He came out of that race good. He came back with two really good breezes,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “We’re just hoping it was a lack of experience and seasoning. He’s trained like a good horse, so we’ll see what he can do.”

Pletcher named Irad Ortiz Jr. to ride Prime Factor.

$300,000 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) – Post time 6:10 p.m.

Post Horse Trainer Jockey Odds

1 Drain the Clock, Saffie Joseph Jr. Edgard Zayas 5-1
2 Prime Factor, Todd Pletcher Irad Ortiz Jr. 5-1
3 Sososubtle, Armando De La Cerda Paco Lopez 20-1
4 Fire At Will, Make Maker Kendrick Carmouche 7-2
5 Jirafales, Gustavo Delgado Javier Castellano 20-1
6 King’s Ovation, Dale Romans Corey Lanerie 15-1
7 Tarantino, Rodolpho Brisset Tyler Gaffalione 8-1
8 Greatest Honour, Shug McGaughey Jose Ortiz 9-5
9 Tiz Tact Toe, Robert Hess Jr. Rajiv Maragh 30-1
10 Papetu, Antonio Sano Junior Alvarado 15-1

~ with files from Oaklawn/Gulfstream media