Fla. Derby Under Consideration for El Padrino

Let's Go Stable’s El Padrino, winner of the Risen Star Stakes (gr. II), will make his next start in either the Florida Derby (gr. I) March 31 or Louisiana Derby (gr. II) the following day, according to co-owner Kevin Scatuorchio.

“We haven’t committed to one race or the other,” Scatuorchio said. “The logical choice would be to go back to New Orleans, but we could keep him in Florida for the Florida Derby. There isn’t much difference. They’re both a mile and an eighth, they have the same time span going into the Kentucky Derby, and the same break from the Risen Star.

"It’s all going to come down to how the races shape up. Obviously, Union Rags will be going in the Florida Derby, and we’ll have to take that into consideration very significantly. He ran a great race in the Fountain of Youth, and I could see the race probably was over when he made his move. But we’re not in a position to dodge him. We’re just going to factor in what’s best for us and the horse.”

El Padrino, who was purchased by Let’s Go Stable for $210,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sale, has won both his starts this year to go along with his third-place finish, beaten three-quarters of a length in last year’s 1 1/8-mile Remsen Stakes (gr. II).

Trainer Todd Pletcher's main Florida Derby hopeful, Algorithms , was scratched out of the Fountain of Youth after popping a splint. The severity of the injury wont be known until the radiographs are returned.