Recapping Derby and Oaks Prep Races From Gulfstream

From favored to fourth was the theme of the day, as heavily hyped runners Hidden Scroll and Jaywalk both finished fourth in their respective races.

Hidden Scroll was favored in the $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) and looked like a good thing cruising around the far turn of the 1 1/16 mile race under Joel Rosario, but the Bill Mott-trainee was swallowed up in the stretch by eventual winner Code of Honor ($21), while closers Bourbon War and Vekoma also passed him. Bourbon War was closing fastest of all, rallying from ninth. Vekoma was the race’s second choice and finished a neck ahead of Hidden Scroll.

Fountain of Youth winner Code of Honor was slated for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) last fall but was scratched before the race. The son of Noble Mission – better known as Frankel’s brother – is trained by Shug McGaughey and ridden by John Velazquez. They teamed up to win this race – and the Kentucky Derby – with Orb in 2013. Code of Honor is out of the Dixie Union mare Reunited, a grade 3 winner at Keeneland in her day. She is already the dam of six other winners including multiple stakes placed Big League.

Code of Honor earned 50 Kentucky Derby points for his Fountain of Youth win, which ranks him second behind War of Will in the points standings. Bourbon War got 20 points for running second, and Vekoma got 10 for third. Hidden Scroll received five points for fourth; he will need to rebound in the Florida Derby (G1) to make it into the field.

In the $200,000 Davona Dale Stakes (G2) one race prior to the Fountain of Youth, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) heroine Jaywalk was making her return to the races. She was heavily favored but ran fourth, also under Rosario, while 51-1 longshot Jeltrin ($105) bombed the field by winning by a head over Cookie Dough. The latter, at 13-1, ran too good to lose, dueling early on and slugging her way through the stretch to just miss in the final strides.

Jeltrin is a daughter of Tapizar out of the Successful Appeal mare Song to the Moon. She is trained by Alexis Delgado and was ridden to victory by Luis Saez. She is now second on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with 51 points.