Algorithms is undefeated in three starts. He made his stakes debut in last month’s Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes in which he defeated the favored Hansen by five lengths over a sloppy Gulfstream track. That performance earned him a 105 Brisnet speed figure and the graded earnings needed to make the Kentucky Derby’s limited field.
“This horse has tried so hard that I would expect that he would be sharp enough to win this race,” said Jack Wolf of Starlight Racing, owner of Algorithms. “Whether he wins it or not, I don’t think really makes a difference. I think the horses that are in this race are looking to get in here and get out of here in one piece and move onto the next one. But I think he’ll do well.”
Although the race will likely come down to these two stars, the Fountain of Youth’s eight-horse field includes others hoping to shine. Pletcher will send out another lightly-raced colt in Discreet Dancer. This colt appears to be on the same path as stablemate Algorithms. Discreet Dancer is coming into this race with the same race history—impressive wins in a maiden race and a subsequent optional claiming race. Will he be the one to upset the apple cart just as Algorithms did in the Holy Bull?
An interesting long shot play might be Csaba, a son of Kitten’s Joy. He has two victories in three starts on the synthetic track and will make his first start on dirt in Sunday’s race. In his last start, the ungraded Dania Beach Stakes, he finished fifth on the turf. Frequently, horses proven on the synthetics and making their first start on dirt, explode on the track and turn in an unexpected performance.
The remainder of the field includes Neck ‘N Neck, who’ll add blinkers, Fort Loudon, who’s hoping to return to his form of last summer, Nick Zito’s Casual Trick, and Dale Romans’ News Pending.
The race is the 11th on Gulfstream Park’s 12-race Sunday card with a scheduled post of 5:13 p.m. It can be seen on HRTV and TVG.
Photo: Courtesy Kentucky Derby
