Saturday's 57th running of the $200,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes, the first Grade I event on the road to Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby, looms as a battle of an established star against a group of talented, but unproven young contenders.

The morning line favorite is three-time stakes winner Whywhywhy, who has shipped from trainer Patrick Biancone's California base to begin his 3-year-old campaign in the 1 1/16 mile race at Gulfstream Park, the track's major prep for the $1 million Florida Derby (GI) on March 15.

Whywhywhy, who is owned by Biancone and Fabien Ouaki, won the Futurity (GI) and Flash (GIII) at Belmont and the Sanford (GII) at Saratoga before he completed his 2-year-old season with a disappointing 10th-place finish behind unbeaten champion Vindication in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) at Arlington Park.

Edgar Prado, who rode Whywhywhy in all of his 2002 wins, will be back in the saddle on Saturday.

Other major contenders in the field of nine include Einar P. Robsham's Trust N Luck, who scored an 11-length victory in the What A Pleasure Stakes at Calder Race Course for trainer Ralph Ziadie; Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Ten Cents A Shine, runner-up in the Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) and a dead-heat winner in a recent Gulfstream allowance race; and Azalea Stables Offlee Wild, the upset winner of the Holy Bull Stakes (GIII).

The field will be completed by Midway Cat, Ozzie Cat, Supah Blitz, Conservation and Seek Gold.

Gulfstream Park's undercard for the Fountain of Youth is packed with promising 3-year-olds, including a strong field of six entered in the 50th running of the $150,000, seven-furlong Hutcheson Stakes (GII).

Michael Tabor's Lion Tamer and Robert and Beverly Lewis' Scrimshaw figure to be the top choices in the Hutcheson. The former is a Todd Pletcher-trained son of Will's Way who won his last two races by a combined margin of 10 1/2-lengths. The latter is a D. Wayne Lukas-trained son of Gulch who is coming off his first loss in three career races as he finished third to Domestic Dispute in the Santa Catalina (GII) at Santa Anita. Other major contenders include First Blush and Crafty Guy, the 1-2 finishers in Gulfstream's Spectacular Bid (GIII), and recent winners Strength Within and Cajun Beat.

Other Gulfstream Park races for 3-year-olds include a six furlong allowance that marks the U.S. racing debut of $3.3 million yearling purchase Newfoundland; a mile and 70 yard allowance that matches recent winner Region of Merit against Irish import Governor Brown, who is making his American debut; and a 1 1/16-mile allowance that includes recent winners Christine's Outlaw and Ghost Mate.

Central -- Sunday's Risen Star (GIII) at the Fair Grounds will be an important Kentucky Derby barometer for several well-regarded contenders -- but none will be watched more closely than Wertheimer Farm's stretch-running Indy Dancer.

The Todd Pletcher-trained son of A.P. Indy is unbeaten in two starts and invades from Florida and makes his stakes debut in the 1 1/16-mile race. The task for Indy Dancer and jockey John Velazquez became more formidable when Pletcher's colt drew the outside gate in a crowded field of 13-year-olds.

The Risen Star includes two budding stars based at the Fair Grounds who possess credentials very similar to those of Indy Dancer. The Mike Stidham-trained Seattle Hoofer and the Ronny Werner-trained Badge of Silver are both unbeaten in two starts and will make their stakes debuts in the Risen Star.

Stakes veterans in the field include Lecomte winner Saintly Look; Lone Star Sky, winner of the Bashford Manor (GIII) at Churchill Downs and the Cradle Stakes at River Downs; and Leo's Last Hurrahy, the champion 2-year-old in Texas in 2002.

Other contenders in Sunday's race include the D. Wayne Lukas-trained Deep Shadow, Defrere's Vixen, Canaan Land, Gohalo, Gentleman J J, Crowned King, and Prince Alphie.

Martin Racing Stable and Betty Massey's Commander's Affair turned back Astral Plane in the final yards to win a mile and 40 yard allowance race on Thursday at the Fair Grounds. The Bret Calhoun-trained son of Deputy Commander won by three-quarters of a length under Gerard Melancon. Grand Steal was third.

Likely favorite Political Risk was scratched from the race after he came down with a cough.

Dubai -- Dubai-based Godolphin Racing sent six of its major contenders for the Kentucky Derby and Visa Triple Crown in Thursday's $250,000 UAE 2000 Guineas, but saw all six finish behind an invader from the Southern Hemisphere.

South African-bred Victory Moon rallied from eighth in the nine-horse field to win the one-mile race at Dubai's Nad Al Sheba by a half-length over Godolphin's Western Diplomat. Bourbonnais, a colt considered to be Godolphin's leading Kentucky Derby contender, finished third. Dublin, a Group 3 winner for Godolphin last fall in Ireland, finished a distant seventh.

Victory Moon completed the distance in 1:37.04. The last two winners of the UAE 2000 Guineas, Street Cry and Essence of Dubai, went on to win the $2 million UAE Derby, Dubai's major Kentucky Derby prep.

Godolphin may have unveiled a major Kentucky Derby hope earlier Thursday in Al Saqaar, a half-brother to 2000 UAE Derby winner China Visit, who won a one-mile maiden race by 8 1/2 lengths. The colt, who is a Visa Triple Crown nominee, covered the distance nearly a half-second faster that Victory Moon's Guineas time.

West -- Trainer Gary Mandella has his eye on the Kentucky Derby for Man Among Men, who upset Empire Maker in last week's Sham Stakes at Santa Anita and continues to map out a schedule that he hopes will get the son of Gentlemen to Churchill Downs.

Mandella said this week that he has ruled out the El Camino Real Derby (GIII) on March 8 or the Louisiana Derby (GII) on March 9 as possible starts for Man Among Men. The colt could run in the San Felipe (GII) at Santa Anita on March 16 if California's rainy weather allows his training to continue without interruption, but Mandella said the only definite race on the colt's schedule is the Santa Anita Derby (GI) on April 5.

"I'm definitely not going to run him back that quick and I'm definitely not going to ship him out of town," Mandella said. "This horse proved the other day he can run very, very well off a 60-day layoff, so if the weather doesn't allow me to do it the way I want to do it, I'll just train him up to the Santa Anita Derby and then I've still got four weeks to the Kentucky Derby."

The Thoroughbred Times reported Thursday that trainer Bobby Frankel has confirmed plans to ship Juddmonte Farm's Empire Maker to Gulfstream Park to make his next start in the $1 million Florida Derby (GI) on March 15. Frankel will outfit the colt with blinkers in that 1 1/8-mile race.

Trainer Ron Ellis said B. Wayne Hughes' highly-regarded Atswhatimtalknbout is scheduled to run in a 1 1/16-mile allowance race on Feb. 20 at Santa Anita. But the soggy winter weather also concerns Ellis, who worries that it may affect the plans of other horses that could be entered in that race.

"My horse is ready to go, but I just hope it doesn't hurt some of the other horses," said Ellis. "There should be enough horses around. It's just a matter of whether this rain keeps them from being ready or not."

Atswhatimtalknbout finished third to Apalachian Thunder in a recent Santa Anita allowance race.

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