By US Racing Team
The $300,000 Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park and the 3-year-old debut of champion Essential Quality in the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park highlight Saturday’s top races.
Both are preps for the Kentucky Derby (G1) on May 1: The Fountain of Youth offers qualifying points of 50-20-10-5 to the first four finishers; the Southwest offers points of 10-4-2-1. Also, the $100,000 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes on Friday night at Turfway Park offers points of 10-4-2-1.
America’s Day at the Races will air eight hours of live racing from Aqueduct, Oaklawn Park and Gulfstream Park.
FS2’s Saturday coverage runs from 2-7 p.m. ET; and Sunday’s coverage runs 4-5 p.m. ET on FS2 and from 5-7 p.m. on FS1.
Here’s a brief rundown of the races, with post times and TV coverage:
Friday
John Battaglia Memorial (Turfway Park)
Post time 8:16 p.m. ET (Race 5)
Gretzky the Great, a Grade 1 winner on turf in Canada, is the 3-1 top choice in a full field of 12 as he makes his 3-year-old debut. The1 1/16-mile race is run over a Tapeta surface.
Saturday
Fountain of Youth (Gulfstream Park)
Post time: 6:10 p.m. ET (Race 14)
Holy Bull (G3) winner Greatest Honour leads a field of 10 in the 1 1/16-mile race. The race is a steppingstone to the Florida Derby (G1) on March 27.
Southwest Stakes (Oaklawn Park)
Post time 6:58 p.m. ET (Race 10)
Long-awaited 3-year-old debut of Essential Quality finally takes place in this 1 1/16-mile race. The colt is the 3-2 favorite in a field of seven, which also includes Jackie’s Warrior and Bob Baffert-trained Spielberg.
Grade 3 Davona Dale (Gulfstream Park)
Post time: 5:04 p.m. ET (Race 12)
Champion 2-year-old filly Vequist makes her 3-year-old debut as the favorite in a field of 12 in this Kentucky Oaks (G1) points qualifier with a 50-20-10-5 points structure to the first four finishers. Vequist won the BC Juvenile Fillies in November.
Other graded stakes races on Saturday that will air on FS1 or FS2 include:
At Gulfstream: $200,000 Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) for 4-year-olds (Race 9, 3:27 p.m. ET)
At Oaklawn: $600,000 Razorback (G3) for 4-year-olds and up (Race 7, 5:20 p.m. ET and the $200,000 Spring Fever (Race 8, at 5:52 p.m. ET)
At Aqueduct: $125,000 Stymie for 4-year-olds and up (Race 3, 2:03 p.m. ET).
On Sunday:
At Oaklawn: $250,000 Bayakoa (G3), a 1 1/16-mile test for older fillies and mares without Monomoy Girl in the field. (Race 6, 7:11 p.m. ET).
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
