Forte returns against nine in Fountain of Youth

Feb 28, 2023 James Scully/TwinSpires.com

Last seen winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Keeneland in early November,
juvenile male champion Forte will open his three-year-old campaign in Saturday’s
$400,000 Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park. He tops a field of 10
three-year-olds in the 1 1/16-mile race, which will award points on a 50-20-15-10-5 basis
to the top five finishers as a Road to
the Kentucky Derby series qualifier.

Here are three talking points for the Fountain of Youth.

1. Forte an
imposing favorite, seeks to buck recent trend at Gulfstream

Forte boasts strong credentials, recording consecutive wins
in the Hopeful (G1), Breeders’ Futurity (G1), and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last
year, and the once-beaten colt is trained by two-time Kentucky Derby winner
Todd Pletcher. The dark bay son of Violence has been installed as the 7-5
morning line favorite in the Fountain of Youth, and probably will be lower odds
by post time, but Forte must overcome a negative trend.

The last four juvenile champs to open their three-year-old
season at Gulfstream Park sustained upset losses. Classic Empire
(2017), Shanghai Bobby (2013), and Hansen (2012) lost the Holy Bull (G3) at
short odds, and Good Magic dropped the 2018 Fountain of Youth as the .70-1
favorite.

Forte remains the horse to beat, the only Fountain of Youth
entrant to earn multiple triple-digit Brisnet Speed ratings, and he appears to be
training forwardly in preparation. Leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr. will be up on
Forte, who figures to be stalking the pace in midpack before offering his best
run.

2. Rocket
Can heads cast of Holy Bull returnees

Rocket Can made
his stakes debut a winning one in the Feb. 4 Holy Bull, rallying wide to score by about a
length, but questions remain about the quality of performance. His 93 Speed
rating is one of the slowest from 12 Kentucky Derby qualifiers this year, and
stablemate Shadow Dragon, a restricted
maiden winner exiting a poor sixth in a New York-bred stakes, finished a clear
second at 34-1. They didn’t receive much respect from the oddsmaker, as Rocket Can is tabbed as the 8-1 co-fourth choice and Shadow Dragon is a 12-1 outsider,
and the Fountain of Youth will provide a better gauge on both Bill Mott-trained
runners.

Legacy Isle
(fourth) and Il Miracolo (fifth) are
also back from the Holy Bull, and Cyclone Mischief (seventh) will try to rebound after fading to
seventh as the 6-5 favorite.

3. Blazing
Sevens a serious challenger

A convincing winner of the Champagne (G1) two back, Blazing Sevens rallied for fourth in
the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile after a poor start, and the dark bay son of Good  Magic has been pegged as the 7-2 second
choice in his three-year-old opener. Joel Rosario will be up for Chad Brown. General Jim, who rallied to a sharp win
in the seven-furlong Swale (G3) on the Holy Bull undercard, also merits respect
on the stretch out in distance, and Mage
will jump to stakes competition off a fast debut maiden triumph in late January,
earning a 101 figure for a wire-to-wire romp at seven furlongs.