By Alan Carasso
For all that he has accomplished in his Hall of Fame career, a victory in the GI Xpressbet.com Florida Derby has to this point eluded trainer Bill Mott. He has, however, sent out the runner-up on two occasions, with Blue Burner (French Deputy), a horse campaigned by long-time Mott client Kinsman Farm in 2002; and just last year with Hofburg (Tapit). The latter is owned by Prince Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms, who won the 2003 Florida Derby with future GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Empire Maker (Unbridled). Despite a fourth-place effort when last seen in the GII Xpressbet Fountain of Youth S. Mar. 2, 'TDN Rising Star' Hidden Scroll (Hard Spun)–produced by a daughter of the 2003 victor–has been made the 5-2 morning-line favorite, but it doesn't figure to come easy, if at all.
The Juddmonte homebred, off at 8-1 in his debut on the Pegasus undercard Jan. 26, set lightning fractions over a sloppy strip that afternoon, but he never stopped, scoring by 14 lengths. He was set a near-impossible task in the Fountain of Youth, as he was kicked straight into the lead, was pressed along by 132-1 Gladiator King (Curlin)–recent winner of the GIII Hutcheson S.–and weakened to be fourth. Connections have tried to get him to settle and finish in his recent works, suggesting that could be ridden from off the pace this time. Javier Castellano takes over from Joel Rosario.
“I would probably have preferred to have him behind the other speed horse that was in the race, but [setting a pressured pace] was the way it turned out,” Mott told the Gulfstream notes team. “We're going to play the hand that's dealt out. We hope in the next race, whatever the pace scenario may be, he's in a spot that gives him the best chance.”
At a generous $21 mutuel, Will Farish's Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) registered the upset in the Fountain of Youth, settling mid-field before kicking home best of all. Last year's GI Champagne S. runner-up had disappointed at 4-5 when a lackluster fourth in the Jan. 5 Mucho Macho Man S., but he was a fitter animal for his two-turn debut and proved more than equal to the task.
“I think I have a little bit more confidence [going into the Florida Derby] because I was a little bit shook after the Mucho Macho Man,” trainer Shug McGaughey told the notes team. “I kind of changed my strategy and that worked, so I've kept on with it and I think he's progressing the right way.”
Bourbon War (Tapit) seems to be the talking horse out of the Fountain of Youth and could well go off at odds shorter than his 7-2 morning line quote. A good-looking allowance winner Jan. 18, he raced a few spots behind Code of Honor through the middle stages of the FOY and was gaining ground through the short stretch to lose by 3/4 of a length. The $410,000 Keeneland November weanling, a son of GISW My Conquestadory (Artie Schiller), gets more ground and a longer run home as he tries to turn the tables Saturday.
Maximum Security (New Year's Day) has won his three career starts by a combined 34 1/2 lengths, albeit against considerably weaker competition and at distances between six and seven furlongs. By a GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile-winning son of a Dubai World Cup winner and out of a mare by an A.P. Indy stallion, the trip doesn't necessarily figure problematic, but can he set or attend what looks a fast pace and hold off his more seasoned rivals? That is the million-dollar question.
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