March 4, 2024
TORONTO — By Matthew Lomon
No Ordinary 9-to-5
A slew of late scratches in Saturday’s $400,000 Fountain of Youth (G2) shrunk the expected field from nine down to five, giving way for 3-year-old Dornoch to capture a second consecutive stakes score.
With legitimate contenders Speak Easy and Locked sidelined, Dornoch took full advantage of the depleted crowd in a pacesetting, 1 3/4-length triumph at Gulfstream. The colt, who was well-positioned before the mass exodus, saw his odds improve greatly as a result, closing at 1-5.
The Fountain of Youth success also extended Dornoch’s overall win streak to three. In five career starts, the Danny Gargan trainee has yet to finish lower than second, running to a 3-2-0 line.
Saturday’s effort paid a lean $2.40.
TCB
A determined effort propelled 3-year-old colt Deterministic (7-2) to victory in Saturday’s $300,000 Gotham Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct.
Making his return to the pro ranks after a near seven-month layoff, Deterministic showed no signs of rust in his graded stakes debut. Running through less than ideal conditions on a sloppy but sealed track, the Christophe Clement protégé turned in a stellar performance to outlast closing line favourite Just a Touch by two lengths.
Now a perfect 2-0-0 in as many starts, Deterministic also picked up 50 valuable Kentucky Derby qualifying points.
The Gotham victory paid $9.80.
Plan and Execute
Turfway Park regular Encino broke through in a big way on Saturday afternoon, climbing to the top of the leaderboard in the $150,000 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes.
At 5-1, the Axel Concepion mount executed the game plan perfectly, patiently stalking the pack before taking command in the late goings to steer clear of even-money choice Epic Ride by one length.
The professional outing resulted in Encino’s first career stakes score in his debut at the level. Like Deterministic, Encino received Kentucky Derby qualifying points for the big win, albeit a lesser bounty of 20.
The Brad Cox trainee returned $13.38 on a $2 win bet.
Stakes Stealer
Sunshine wasn’t the only thing Steal Sunshine stole on Saturday at Gulfstream. The 5-year-old swiped the $200,000 Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) by a nose to secure his first graded title in nine tries at the level.
Luckily for Steal Sunshine, who closed as the slight 7-5 favorite, the five-horse board landed in the exact order that oddsmakers predicted. While it took a late rally on behalf of the Paco Lopez mount, the duo was finally able to track down the elusive title of ‘Graded Stakes Winner.’
It remains to be seen what kind of follow-up act Steal Sunshine has in store, but it would be in the Kentucky-bred’s best interest to avoid a Len-like trajectory.
The Mile win paid an even $5.
Score Du Jour
Du Jour made a triumphant return to the winner’s circle on Sunday at Santa Anita following a dismal showing in last November’s Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1).
The 5-year-old Gelding flipped the script on heavy 8-5 favorite Easter (FR), outdueling the multiple graded stakes winner to take the $300,000 Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G1T) by two lengths.
Closing at 3-1, Du Jour was the board’s second choice, but a spectacular performance with rider Flavien Prat at the helm vaulted the Bob Baffert charge atop the group.
The Kilroe marks Du Jour’s third career graded win, and second in his last three tries (Grade 2 Del Mar Mile in September 2023).
The score Du Jour paid $8.40.
