Fountain of Youth win advances Promises Fulfilled in Derby standings

Mar 06, 2018 Vance Hanson/Brisnet.com

Promises Fulfilled (#2) became the latest horse to virtually confirm a spot in the gate for the May 5 Kentucky Derby when springing the upset of champion juvenile Good Magic in last Saturday's Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park.

Sent away at 18-1, Promises Fulfilled led wire-to-wire in scoring his first career stakes win. It also earned the Dale Romans trainee 50 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby, boosting his total to 52. He had previously earned two points by finishing third in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs last November.

Good Magic (#3), the Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner, could only finish third in the Fountain of Youth, improving his Derby point total to 34. Entering the top 20 with a runner-up placing was Strike Power (#7, 20).

In addition to European Road to the Kentucky Derby preps in England and Ireland on Wednesday and Friday, point-scoring opportunities will be abundant on Saturday when the Kentucky Derby Championship series hits Aqueduct, Tampa Bay Downs, and Santa Anita. All three races will provide qualifying points of 50-20-10-5 to the top four finishers.

Among the likely entries in the Gotham (G3) at Aqueduct over one mile will be Grade 1 winner Free Drop Billy (#10, 14 points), second in the Holy Bull (G2) and a race-day scratch from the Fountain of Youth. The Tampa Bay Derby (G2) at 1 1/16 miles is expected to include Sam F. Davis (G3) winner Flameaway (10 points) and Vino Rosso (#35, 2).

By the far the most anticipated of the three is the 1 1/16-mile San Felipe (G2) at Santa Anita, which will feature a showdown multiple Grade 1 winner Bolt d'Oro (#9, 14), among last year's leading juveniles, and the undefeated McKinzie (#6, 20).

All three, plus the third pool of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW), can be wagered on at TwinSpires.com.

(Leslie Martin/Adam Coglianese Photography)