On the Feb. 20 Fountain of Youth (gr. II) undercard, the Nick Zito trained Fly Down won an allowance race that will likely put him on the Triple Crown trail. The Feb. 27 program at Gulfstream Park will feature another allowance race that could turn out a prospect for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).
Trainer Rick Dutrow sends out two of the seven entered in the third race at Gulfstream, a one-mile test. Julien Leparoux is named to ride Louis Lazzinnaro and partners’ Homeboykris, and Edgar Prado will be aboard IEAH Stables and partners’ Radiohead.
Homeboykris will attempt to bounce back from a disappointing fifth place finish behind Winslow Homer and Jackson Bend in the Holy Bull Stakes (gr. III) Jan. 23 in his first start of the season. The son of Roman Ruler won the Champagne Stakes (gr. I) at Belmont Park in October in his first start for Dutrow after being purchased privately.
Radiohead will be making his first start for Dutrow and first since finishing seventh, beaten just four lengths, in the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I) Nov. 7 at Santa Anita for English trainer Brian Meehan. IEAH purchased Radiohead just before that race. He was entered for last weekend's Hutcheson Stakes (gr. II) but scrathed the morning of the race.
Two lightly-raced but promising contenders are General Maximus, trained by Joseph Imperio, and Thomas Got Even, trained by Nick Zito. General Maximus is a New York-bred son of Freud that has won both his starts, his debut against state-breds at Belmont Park July 9 and a six furlong allowance at Gulfstream Jan. 30. Thomas Got Even is a homebred son of Stephen Got Even and won his only start at seven furlongs at Belmont on Sept. 11 by 9 1/2 lengths.
Completing the field are Quick Ride, Call Shot, and Gesu.
In other 3-year-old news at Gulfstream, the March 6 Palm Beach Stakes (gr. IIIT) attracted nearly 40 nominees, headed by recent Hallandale Beach Stakes winner Bim Bam and Lael Stable’s Lentenor , the full brother to Barbaro. The Palm Beach, to be run at 1 1/8 miles on the turf, also drew Todd Pletcher trainees Interactif and Doubles Partner, who defeated Lentenor last out, to the nominations list.
Sharing the program with the Palm Beach will be the Herecomesthebride Stakes (gr. III). Top nominees are 2009 champion 2-year-old filly She Be Wild, and stakes winner In the Rough.