Kentucky Derby 134 Update: Feb. 22

TOP STORIES:

- COURT VISION, ANAK NAKAL IN FOUNTAIN
- CHAMPION WAR PASS SET FOR SUNDAY RETURN
- DENIS OF CORK STAYS PERFECT IN SOUTHWEST
- CROWN OF THORNS INJURED, OFF DERBY TRAIL

SOUTHEAST/FIELD OF 12 SET FOR FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH – Multi-graded stakes winner Court Vision and Kentucky Jockey Club (Grade II) winner Anak Nakal are scheduled to take their first steps on the road toward the 134th running of the $2 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) on Sunday as part of a powerhouse, 12-horse lineup for the $350,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes (GII) at a mile and an eighth at Gulfstream Park.

All 12 entrants are Triple Crown nominees in the race that serves as Gulfstream's last major prep for the March 29 Florida Derby (GI), which is also run at a mile and an eighth.

Court Vision, owned by IEAH Stables and WinStar Farm, won the Iroquois (GIII) at Churchill Downs and the Remsen (GII) at Aqueduct in his final two starts of 2007 for trainer Bill Mott. Court Vision closed at odds of 15-1 earlier this month in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager. Garrett Gomez will ride Court Vision, who will break from post position three.

Anak Nakal is owned by Four Roses Thoroughbreds and trained by two-time Kentucky Derby winner Nick Zito. Anak Nakal closed at 33-1 in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Pool. Julien Leparoux will ride Sunday and the colt will break from post position eight.

Two other individual Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 1 colts are entered in the Fountain of Youth. Starlight Stable, Donald Lucarelli and Paul Saylor's Monba (16-1) will break from post seven and Zayat Stables' Z Humor (45-1) will exit post five.

The field for the Fountain of Youth, from the rail out, is as follows: Robert LaPenta's Cool Coal Man, M375 Thoroughbreds and Suarez Racing's Golden Spikes, Court Vision, Bear Stables' Kentucky Bear, Z Humor, Lael Stables' Ready Set, Monba, Anak Nakal, Robert Evans' Elysium Fields, Zayat Stables' Halo Najib, Edgewood Farm's Make the Point and Courtlandt Farms' Adriano.

WAR PASS MAKES 2008 DEBUT ON SUNDAY – Robert LaPenta's undefeated champion War Pass is scheduled to make his 2008 debut on Sunday in a one-mile allowance test at Gulfstream Park in the race immediately after the Fountain of Youth.

The Nick Zito trainee, winner of the $2 million Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) at Monmouth Park in his most recent start, is expected to use Sunday's race as a springboard to the March 15 Tampa Bay Derby (GIII), followed by the April 5 Wood Memorial (GI) and then the Kentucky Derby.

Cornelio Velazquez, who has ridden War Pass in his past three starts, has the call on Sunday and the champion will break from post position five in the six-horse field. Stablemate Web Gem, a maiden winner last fall at Aqueduct, is the only other Triple Crown nominee entered in the race.

War Pass closed as the third choice at 6-1 in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager.

SOUTH/UNDEFEATED DENIS OF CORK TAKES SOUTHWEST RESULT – Mr. and Mrs. William Warren Jr.'s unbeaten Denis of Cork rallied from far off a rapid pace set by Sacred Journey to win the $250,000 Southwest Stakes (GIII) in rousing fashion on Monday at Oaklawn Park.

Ridden for the first time by Robby Albarado, Denis of Cork raced in mid-pack down the backstretch but moved into contending position approaching the far turn.  He hit the stretch three wide with dead aim on Sacred Journey, who had posted strong early fractions of 22.72, 45.25 and 1:10.83. Denis of Cork easily disposed of Sacred Journey and cruised home 2 1/4 lengths ahead of California invader Sierra Sunset to complete the mile over a "fast" track in 1:37.89.

A son of Harlan's Holiday out of the Unbridled mare Unbridled Girl, Denis of Cork debuted on Nov. 24 at Churchill Downs with a victory in a seven-furlong maiden test. He followed that win with an allowance score on Jan. 19 at Fair Grounds. Now 3-for-3, Denis of Cork has earnings of $198,552.

Trained by David Carroll, Denis of Cork closed at odds of 46-1 in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 1 that closed Feb. 10. Carroll said he plans to take Denis of Cork back to his New Orleans base at Fair Grounds, but would return to Oaklawn for the $300,000 Rebel (GII) at a mile and a sixteenth on March 15.

Sierra Sunset, owned by Philip Lebherz, Al Mariani, George Schmitt and Carol Wirth, was 3 1/4 lengths clear of Fox Hill Farms and Thomas Vanderhyde’s Sacred Journey and Kenneth Maier’s Liberty Bull, who dead-heated for third in the field of 11.

Woodford Racing, W.S. Farish and George Bolton's Turf War, who went off as the 2-1 favorite, never threatened in finishing ninth in his 2008 debut. Zayat Stables' Riley Tucker, the 7-2 second choice, finished sixth.

Trainer Mark Casse said that Turf War cut his right front heel in the race. "We're going to bring him home (to Ocala, Fla.), give him a week or so and see how he is, and go from there," Casse said. "We'll come up with a strategy."

Sebastian County Faces Four Rivals In Mountain Valley – Dream Walkin Farms' Sebastian County is scheduled to make his 3-year-old debut Saturday in the six-furlong Mountain Valley Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

The lone Triple Crown nominee in the field, Sebastian County has a record of 3-2-0-1 for earnings of $56,770. In his most recent start, Sebastian County ran third in the Arlington Washington Futurity (GIII) on Sept. 1 at Arlington Park. Don Von Hemel trains Sebastian County.

WEST/SHIN INJURY SIDELINES CROWN OF THORNS – B. Wayne Hughes' Crown of Thorns, winner of the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (GII) on Feb. 2 at Santa Anita in his most recent start, was declared off the Kentucky Derby trail on Wednesday by trainer Richard Mandella because of an injury to the colt's left front leg.

"The shin is sore and it shows the beginning of a little stress fracture, so we had to stop on him," Mandella said. "This is extremely disappointing because he was the perfect Derby horse."

A Florida-bred son of Repent out of the Thunder Gulch mare Crowning Touch, Crown of Thorns has a record of 3-2-0-0 for earnings of $149,640. He closed at 18-1 in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager.

EAST/HURLEY'S GO GO SHOOT SINKS CAPOSSELA WINNER – Go Go Shoot, a non-Triple Crown nominee owned by former Duke University basketball star Bobby Hurley, held off Darley Stable's Accredit by a neck to win Monday's $75,000 Fred "Cappy" Capossela Stakes at Aqueduct.

Ridden by Chuck Lopez, Go Go Shoot led every step of the way in the six-furlong test over the inner track at Aqueduct. The time over a fast track was 1:10.73. Go Go Shoot is trained by James Ryerson. Go Go Shoot is a Florida-bred son of Songandaprayer out of the You and I mare Sailor Pluto.

Accredit was the only Triple Crown nominee in the field of five. Ridden by Mike Luzzi, Accredit finished a length ahead of Jacobson Racing Stable's Laysh Laysh Laysh, who rallied from last to be third.

GALLOPING OUT – Handicappers may want to look for a rider who has not won a Kentucky Derby when considering their options in Kentucky Derby 134.

The past seven runnings of the Kentucky Derby have been won by riders who were scoring their initial Derby victory. The string of seven first-time Derby winners is the third-longest in Derby history behind the 16-year streak from 1903-1918 and a 15-year streak from 1875-1889 that was broken when Isaac Murphy became the first two-time winning rider of the Derby in 1890.

Jorge Chavez began the current streak in 2001 aboard Monarchos and was followed by Victor Espinoza (2002, War Emblem), Jose Santos (2003, Funny Cide), Stewart Elliott (2004, Smarty Jones), Mike Smith (2005, Giacomo), Edgar Prado (2006, Barbaro) and Calvin Borel (2007, Street Sense).  Of those riders, Elliott was the only jockey to win the Kentucky Derby on his first try.