Gulfstream: Perfect Irish War Cry Favored in $400,000 Fountain of Youth (G2

By David Joseph —-

Perfect Irish War Cry Favored in $400,000 Fountain of Youth (G2)
Multiple Grade 1 Winner Practical Joke Among Rivals in Competitive Field of 11
Richest of Nine Stakes, Eight Graded, Worth $1.5 Million in Purses

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Undefeated through three career starts, most recently taking down 2016 juvenile champion Classic Empire in their sophomore debuts, Isabelle de Tomaso’s New Jersey homebred Irish War Cry will face his toughest test yet in Saturday’s $400,000 Xpressbet.com Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park.

The 71st running of the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth, the second of Gulfstream’s three major Triple Crown preps for 3-year-olds during the Championship Meet, anchors a blockbuster 13-race card featuring nine stakes, eight graded, worth $1.5 million in purses.

Also on the program are the $200,000 Fasig-Tipton Davona Dale (G2) for 3-year-old fillies and $100,000 Fred W. Hooper (G3) for older horses on dirt, along with six turf stakes: the $200,000 Mac Diarmida (G2), $150,000 The Very One (G3), $150,000 Canadian Turf (G3) and $100,000 Sand Springs for older horses; and the $100,000 Palm Beach (G3) and $100,000 Herecomesthebride (G3) for 3-year-olds.

Trained by Graham Motion, a late arrival in his last trip down the Triple Crown trail with 2011 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Animal Kingdom, Irish War Cry returns to Gulfstream as a narrow 5-2 program favorite in the Fountain of Youth four weeks after an impressive front-running 3 ¾-length triumph over multiple graded stakes winner Gunnevera in the Lambholm South Holy Bull (G2).

Fourth-place finisher Talk Logistics is also back from the Holy Bull to take another shot at Irish War Cry in the Fountain of Youth, which drew a competitive field of 11 featuring dual Grade 1 winner Practical Joke in his 3-year-old debut, multiple graded stakes winner Made You Look trying dirt for the first time, four-time Florida-bred stakes winner Three Rules, Grade 3-placed Takaful, Peruvian Group 1 winner Huracan Americo and promising but lightly raced Beasley and Looking for Eight in their stakes debuts.

Irish War Cry, a chestnut son of Hall of Famer Curlin, overcame a wide trip and his own greenness to rally from off the pace for a 4 ½-length victory in his unveiling last fall at Laurel Park, where he returned with a gutsy nose decision over multiple stakes winner O Dionysus in the Marylander Dec. 31.

He was soon shipped from Motion’s base at the Fair Hill Training Center in northern Maryland to his southern string at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, to prepare for his sophomore opener.

“He has really perked up in the mornings. He was a pretty laid-back horse when we left Fair Hill in the fall. He is now a pretty sharp 3-year-old colt, which is exciting to see,” Motion said. “I thought he was a nice horse but when he broke his maiden I couldn’t have imagined ever he would have won the why he did. He has just handled everything so well. Some horses just seem to handle every step and, knock on wood, he has.”

Motion was initially unsure about tackling Classic Empire in the Holy Bull but listened as Irish War Cry touted himself during training. There was less hesitation to come back in the Fountain of Youth where he is one of five horses already with a victory over Gulfstream’s main track.

“It just seems logical. He’s here. He’s lightly raced. I don’t really need to be skipping races at this point,” he said. “He’s only run three times. The Fountain of Youth on its own is a big race. I think he needs to be in there.”

Proven to be fast and talented, circumstances more than his natural speed and ability have led Irish War Cry to win on the lead in his last two races, particularly in the Holy Bull. The scratch of Fact Finding left him loose up front with Classic Empire never able to threaten and Gunnevera racing in his familiar spot off the pace.

“It’s going to be a little different this time. We didn’t have a target on our back last time. I couldn’t believe how comfortably he beat the 2-year-old champion. That was exciting,” Motion said. “This time … people will have expectations, as they should. I just would like to see him run a similar race. He’s doing great and I see no reason not to run in the Fountain of Youth. We’re looking forward to it.”

Owned by Seth Klarman and William Lawrence, 3-1 morning-line second choice Practical Joke shows seven breezes at Palm Meadows for his comeback race, most recently going a half-mile in 48 seconds Feb. 26, third-fastest of 41 horses.

Last time out, the bay son of Grade 1 winner Into Mischief was jostled at the start and raced wide to the half-mile pole, looming a threat at the top of the stretch before settling for third behind Classic Empire in the Juvenile. That effort came after back-to-back narrow victories in the Champagne (G1) and Hopeful (G1) that followed a runaway debut triumph at Saratoga.

Jockey Jose Ortiz, last aboard in the Hopeful, is named to ride in place of Joel Rosario who opted to stick with Irish War Cry following the Holy Bull. Ortiz ranks second with $2,644,938 in purse earnings from just 79 mounts at the Championship Meet, 20 of them wins. They will break from Post 6, two spots inside Irish War Cry, and both share topweight of 122 pounds.

Like Irish War Cry, Peacock Racing Stables’ Gunnevera kicked off his sophomore campaign in the Holy Bull 12 weeks after capping his juvenile season with a 5 ¾-length victory in the $1 million Delta Jackpot (G3). He broke his maiden last July at Gulfstream before a 9-1 upset of the Saratoga Special (G2) in his subsequent start.

In the Holy Bull, Gunnevera ran into traffic trouble and had to steady when jockey Javier Castellano attempted to get through along the inside on the far turn. Once back running, he closed sharply to finish five lengths ahead of Classic Empire in third. Castellano returns to ride from Post 2 as the 7-2 third program choice.

“The last time when he lost the race, he got bumped on the last turn and it broke his action. He had to start running again,” trainer Antonio Sano said. “He’s a very good horse. Thank God the horse is very sound for the race.

“I am very confident and thinking he can win. He will be facing some very good horses. No race is easy but I have a good horse,” he added. “We don’t want to change anything from the last race. The only difference is, we want to win.”

Shade Tree Thoroughbreds, Tom Fitzgerald and Geoff Roy’s Three Rules (12-1) stretches back out after finishing second as the favorite in the seven-furlong Swale (G2) on the Holy Bull undercard. He quickly moved into a contending position after an early stumble and took a half-length lead into the stretch before yielding late to Practical Joke’s stablemate Favorable Outcome

Three Rules, a son of Gone Astray, had won his previous five starts at Gulfstream, lastly a 10-length romp in the 1 1/16-mile In Reality to complete a sweep of the Florida Sire Series. He drew Post 7 with meet-leading rider Luis Saez up for the first time.

“He won at a mile and a sixteenth already but this will be a good test,” trainer Jose Pinchin said. “He ran a great race last time. The horse that beat him is a nice horse. He had a little problem when he stumbled out of the starting gate. When you run against that caliber of horse you have to have everything perfect. I think he’s going to run great.”

Three Chimneys Farm and Let’s Go Stable’s Made You Look (10-1) has made six starts, all on turf, winning the 1 1/16-mile With Anticipation (G2) last summer at Saratoga and beginning 2017 with a 2 ½-length victory in the Dania Beach (G3) Jan. 7 at Gulfstream.

Searching for a spot to try Made You Look on dirt, trainer Todd Pletcher settled on the Fountain of Youth which comes four weeks after the More Than Ready colt was a troubled third by length in the Kitten’s Joy Feb. 4. Hall of Famer John Velazquez will ride from Post 9.

“This time of year there’s a lot of opportunities, but when you search through them none of them are what I would call soft spots. You kind of have to just pick your place and give it a try and we think there’s some pros to the Fountain of Youth,” Pletcher said. “He’s down here, and the Gulfstream track may be something he would like.

“I thought Irish War Cry was very impressive. I thought Gunnevera had some subtle trouble and he ran very well. Practical Joke is coming back,” he added. “It’s no easy race.”

Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin won the Holy Bull and Fountain of Youth last winter with Mohaymen, and this year will send out another Shadwell Stable runner in Takaful (12-1). Third in the Remsen (G2) in his 2-year-old finale, the Bernardini colt led for a half-mile before fading to finish last in the Jerome (G3) Jan. 2 over Aqueduct’s muddy main track in his last start.

McLaughlin initially looked at bringing Takaful back in the Holy Bull but opted to wait the extra four weeks. Paco Lopez will be aboard from Post 10.

“He’s doing well. It’s still a mystery from his last race, but I think it was a bad track. He’s trained great before that and after that,” McLaughlin said. “The Holy Bull was a consideration but we wanted more time just to make sure. It’s a little nerve-wracking after being eased almost to run back in a graded stake so we wanted to make sure we did everything we could to make sure everything was OK. That racetrack was really bad that day; wet, muddy, terrible. He didn’t like it, we hope.

“He’s a nice horse. We need to draw a line through that and give him another chance,” he added. “If he’s not good enough we’ll move on, but we’ve got to give him a chance.”

Thinking along the same lines is McLaughlin’s brother-in-law, trainer Mark Hennig, with Lee Lewis and Mark Grier’s Beasley (6-1). The bay son of Preakness (G1) winner Shackleford has shown talent and grit in just three starts, from a nose victory in his Dec. 1 debut at Aqueduct to dueling for the lead with Florida Derby (G1)-bound Battalion Runner before finishing second in a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance Feb. 3.

Irad Ortiz Jr. replaces younger brother Jose in the irons from Post 5.

“We need to see where he fits in this crop. I think he’s been advancing a little bit every race,” Hennig said. “He’s fooled around a little on the turn in a couple of his races, his first and third race, and I think we’ve corrected that with some equipment changes. We’re looking forward to running him again and hoping he moves forward again.”

Though John Oxley’s Classic Empire was forced to sit out recovering from a foot abscess, trainer Mark Casse will still be represented in the Fountain of Youth by Lookin for Eight (20-1). He was purchased privately by Gary Barber and Oxley from Ervine Woolsey and Ralph Kinder, who retained an interest, following a three-length maiden special weight victory going seven furlongs Jan. 28. Julien Leparoux retains the mount from outside Post 11.

Dona Licha Stables’ Huracan Americo (50-1) is making just his third career start and first since winning the 1 ½-mile Derby Nacional (G1) Nov. 6 in Peru. His trainer, Dante Zanelli Jr., followed a similar pattern with Tomcito, who won the same race in 2007 before finishing third in the 2008 Florida Derby in his North American debut.

Completing the field are Hardway Stables’ Talk Logistics (20-1), second in the six-furlong Buffalo Man and third in the one-mile Mucho Macho Man prior to his first graded try in the Holy Bull for trainer Eddie Plesa Jr.; and Rontos Racing Stable Corp.’s Quinientos (50-1), fourth in the Just One More Feb. 8 at Gulfstream in his stakes debut.Perfect Irish War Cry Favored in $400,000 Fountain of Youth (G2)

$400,000 Fountain of Youth (G2)

1 Huracan Americo Dante Zanelli Edgar Prado 50-1
2 Gunnevera Antonio Sano Javier Castellano 7-2
3 Quinientos Enrique Sanchez Marcos Meneses 50-1
4 Talk Logistics Edward Plesa Jr. Joe Bravo 20-1
5 Beasley Mark Hennig Irad Ortiz Jr. 6-1
6 Practical Joke Chad Brown Jose Ortiz 3-1
7 Three Rules Jose Pinchin Luis Saez 12-1
8 Irish War Cry Graham Motion Joel Rosario 5-2
9 Made You Look Todd Pletcher John Velazquez 10-1
10 Takaful Kiaran McLaughlin Paco Lopez 12-1
11 Lookin for Eight Mark Casse Julien Leparoux 20-1

Cover Photo: Irish War Cry; Lauren King Photo

Gulfstream Park is a Stronach Group company, North America’s leading Thoroughbred racetrack owner/operator. The Stronach Group racetracks include Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park & Casino, Golden Gate Fields, Portland Meadows, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, home of the world-famous Preakness. The company owns and operates the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida, and is one of North America’s top race horse breeders through its award-winning Adena Springs operation. The Stronach Group is one of the world’s largest suppliers of pari-mutuel wagering systems, technologies and services. Its companies include AmTote, a global leader in wagering technology; XpressBet, an Internet and telephone account wagering service; and Monarch Content Management, which acts as a simulcast purchase and sales agent of horseracing content for numerous North American racetracks and wagering outlets.