Booklet Turns Another Page On His Trip Down The Triple Crown Trail

The team of owner John Oxley and trainer John Ward Jr. took another step toward a reprise of the 2001 Kentucky Derby victory by Monarchos as Booklet wrapped up his second graded stakes victory of the year by capturing Saturday’s Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

The margin of victory was smaller than that in the Grade III Holy Bull Stakes, but the win in the first Grade I stakes of the year for male Visa Triple Crown candidates stamps Team Oxley’s son of Notebook a prime prospect for the $5 million Visa Triple Crown Challenge. The owner of any 3-year-old that can win America’s three classics — the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes — will win a $5 million bonus from Visa.

Just as Booklet stepped to the head of the class with his gate-to-wire victory in the Fountain of Youth, HARLAN’S HOLIDAY rates “contender” status in finishing second for the second time to the two-time winner. This time, however, the hard-running son of Harlan, owned by Starlight Stables and trained by Kenneth McPeek, was beaten by the narrowest of noses. His earlier loss to the Notebook colt in the Holy Bull was by three-quarters of a length as Booklet scored again in front-running style.

Finishing third in the Fountain of Youth was BLUE BURNER, a Deputy Minister colt owned by George Steinbrenner’s Kinsman Stable and trained by William I. Mott. The major disappointment in the race was Willmot Stables’ STEPHENTOWN, who finished a sluggish sixth in the eight-horse field for trainer Tony Reinstedler.

While the runner-up finish for HARLAN’S HOLIDAY no doubt was a disappointment for trainer McPeek, he recouped on Sunday when his Breeders’ Cup Juvenile runner-up Repent cruised to an impressive 2 1/4-length victory in the Grade III Risen Star Stakes at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans. The race set up perfectly for the come-from-behind running style of the son of 1996 Preakness winner Louis Quatorze owned by Feye Bach’s Select Stable.

The pace-setting BOB’S IMAGE, owned by West Point Thoroughbreds and trained by Dallas Stewart, gave way to the stretch-running Repent, but held on for second-place ahead of the fast-closing Easyfromthegitgo, who picked up third money.

Baldwin, Best Turn Stakes Hold Weekend's East-West Spotlight- This weekend’s Visa Triple Crown limelight sweeps from East to West as Aqueduct plays host to the Best Turn Stakes on Saturday and Santa Anita presents the Grade III Baldwin Stakes on Sunday.

In the Baldwin, HOLDTHEHELM, owned by Carmel and Carmel and trained by Paul Assinesi, is the only Visa Triple Crown nominee among those expected for the Grade III, $100,000-added turf race at 6 1/2 furlongs. Also expected to vie for the hardware winner’s trophy are Roman Dancer, Red Briar, Paxtecum and Sweet Stepper.

Saturday’s Best Turn offers only one Visa Triple Crown nominee, also, as SMOOTH JAZZ, owned by Andrew W. Dutrow and trained by Anthony Dutrow, is expected to head a possible field of nine for the $75,000-added fixture. Among those expected to tackle the Triple Crown nominee are Cool Cash, Eye of the Comet, Final Table, Hawk’s Expectation and War Notice.

Looking a bit farther ahead, Santa Anita’s Grade II, $200,000 San Rafael Stakes takes the spotlight on March 2, a day that also sees the running of the $100,000 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes at Northern Kentucky’s Turfway Park and the $75,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. The San Rafael, of course, is one of the preps for the Grade I Santa Anita Derby on April 6, the Battaglia prepares 3-year-olds for Turfway’s Grade II Lanes End’s Spiral Stakes, and the Southwest is one of the stops on the way to the Grade II Arkansas Derby.

Heading the prospective list for the San Rafael is San Vicente winner Came Home, one of the top prospects on the West Coast. Expected to join him in the field are FONZ’S, runner-up to Siphonic in the Hollywood Futurity; PELIRROJO, SHAH JEHAN, WERBLIN and possibly Danthebluegrassman, winner of the Golden Gate Derby in January.

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