Zito has pair in Fountain of Youth Stakes

By: SPORTS NETWORK

 

Hallandale Beach, FL (Sports Network) - Sunday's $350,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park has drawn a field of 12 Kentucky Derby contenders with several considered among the best three-year-olds.

The 1 1/8 mile Fountain of Youth is situated five weeks before the $1 million Florida Derby, which will be held Saturday, March 29. Two years ago, Barbaro won the Florida Derby on his way to capturing the Run for the Roses.

Trainer Nick Zito has a pair of three-year-olds entered in the Fountain of Youth. Breaking from the inside post will be Cool Coal Man with Kent Desormeaux in the saddle and possible favorite Anak Nakal, ridden by Julien Leparoux, will start from post eight.

Owned by Robert LaPenta, Cool Coal Man is coming off a win in an allowance race here. The colt has three wins in six career starts for $97,531. In his first stakes race last year Cool Coal Man was seventh to Anak Nakal in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes.

Anak Nakal, owned by Four Roses Thoroughbreds, earned $220,916 in three starts last year. After breaking his maiden in September, the colt was second to Etched in the Nashua Stakes.

Eclipse Award winning trainer Todd Pletcher will try to win his second consecutive Fountain of Youth with Monba. Pletcher won last year's race with Scat Daddy.

Monba will be making his 2008 debut on Sunday for owners Starlight Stable, Don Lucarelli and Paul Saylor. The colt will be ridden by Edgar Prado from post seven.

The three-year-old won his first two starts last year and closed 2007 with a fourth place finish in the CashCall Futurity at Hollywood Park. He has earned $112,534.

Here is the complete field for the Fountain of Youth in post position order: Cool Coal Man, Kent Desormeaux; Golden Spikes, Javier Castellano; Court Vision, Garrett Gomez; Kentucky Bear, Elvis Trujillo; Z Humor, Cornelio Velasquez; Ready Set, Jose Lezcano; Monba, Edgar Prado; Anak Nakal, Julien Leparoux; Elysium Fields, Eibar Coa; Halo Najib, Rene Douglas; Make the Point, John Velazquez and Adriano, Eddie Castro.

Post-time for the Fountain of Youth Stakes is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. (et).

Immediately following the running of the Fountain of Youth 2007 two-year-old champion colt War Pass will race for the first time this year. The colt will go in a one-mile allowance race at Gulfstream Park versus five challengers. He will start from post five with jockey Cornelio Velasquez.

War Pass, owned by Robert LaPenta and trained by Nick Zito, is undefeated in four starts for nearly $1.4 million. He was voted top two-year-old of last year after his convincing win in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.