Wildcat Red engaged in a battle with General a Rod from the very beginning of the Saturday's $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park, and just succeeded in edging his rival by a head at the end of the 8.5-furlong Kentucky Derby prep race.
Coming off of a dominant victory in the Hutcheson Stakes (gr. III), also at Gulfstream, Wildcat Red was sent off at odds of 9-2 in a field of twelve. With jockey Luis Saez aboard, Wildcat Red got off to a very alert start and quickly assumed command of the lead, but General a Rod flashed speed as well, and the two were separated by just a head following an opening quarter mile in :23.03 seconds. There was a gap of 3 1/2 lengths back to C. Zee in the third position, who was followed closely by Medal Count, Our Caravan, and Commissioner, who was saving ground along the inside. Best Plan Yet, We Miss Artie, Hesinfront, Almost Famous, East Hall, and favored Top Billing were the trailers.
Wildcat Red and General a Rod continued their duel through fractions of :46.25 and 1:10.13, all the while remaining just a head apart and 3 1/2 lengths clear of their closest pursuers. However, moving down the backstretch and around the far turn, Top Billing began to rally with powerful strides, closing ground along the rail and then splitting horses on the turn to reach contention at the head of the stretch. It appeared as though Top Billing had the two pacesetters measured, but Wildcat Red and General a Rod proved game on the front end, retaining their advantage through a mile in 1:35.24 and holding off Top Billing's run by two lengths at the finish, with Wildcat Red reaching the wire a head in front of General a Rod in the excellent time of 1:41.85 seconds.
Top Billing was clearly third best, finishing 4 1/2 lengths in front of East Hall, a 72.90-1 shot that rallied from way back to complete the superfecta. Medal Count, Commissioner, Our Caravan, We Miss Artie (who made a strong middle move to reach third place before tiring in the stretch), Best Plan Yet, C. Zee, Almost Famous, and Hesinfront rounded out the order of finish.
Wildcat Red is a son of D'wildcat out of Racene, by Miner's Mark. Trained by Jose Garaffalo and owned by Honors Stable Corp., Wildcat Red's victory in the Fountain of Youth earned him 50 Kentucky Derby qualification points, which all but guarantees him a spot in the Derby field. His next start is expected to come in the $1,000,000 Florida Derby (gr. I) on March 29th.
-Keelerman
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