Fountain of Youth hopefuls Gunnevera, Three Rules breeze at Gulfstream

Peacock Racing Stables’ Gunnevera breezed five furlongs in 1:01 Saturday at Gulfstream Park West in preparation for a scheduled start in the $400,000 Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park March 4.

The Antonio Sano-trained 3-year-old worked for the first time since finishing second behind Irish War Cry in the $350,000 Holy Bull (G2) Feb. 4, registering the third fastest clocking of 20 recorded at the distance.

“He’s a very happy horse. He went very easy, very handily. He went 1 minute, 1 second and galloped out in 1:14,” Sano said. “I’m very excited about the horse.”

Edgard Zayas was aboard for the breeze. Javier Castellano has the return mount aboard the son of Dialed In for the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth, a major prep for the Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream April 1 and the Triple Crown.

The multiple graded-stakes winner finished 3 ¾ lengths behind Irish War Cry and five lengths ahead of favored Eclipse champion Classic Empire in the  Holy Bull after being forced to steady on the far turn.

“To me, it was a winning race,” Sano said. “On the last turn my horse was bumped and it broke the action of my horse.”

The Holy Bull was Gunnevera’s first start since capturing the $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot (G3) by 5 ¾ lengths Nov. 19. The Kentucky-bred colt broke his maiden at Gulfstream in July before winning the Saratoga Special (G2) in August.

Florida Sire Stakes champion Three Rules returned to the Gulfstream worktab for the first time since finishing second behind Favorable Outcome in the $200,000 Swale (G2) at Gulfstream Feb. 4, breezing five furlongs in 1:01.77 in preparation for a planned start in the Fountain of Youth.

“It was a maintenance work. He just galloped around,” said trainer Jose Pinchin, whose stable star posted the seventh fastest of 30 works recorded for the five-furlong distance. “He handled it good. He came back real good.”

The Jose Pinchin-trained colt had concluded a most successful 2-year-old campaign with a sixth-place finish in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Santa Anita Nov. 5. Bred and owned by Shade Tree Thoroughbreds, Tom Fitzgerald and Geoff Roy, the son of Gone Astray was victorious in his first five races, in including the $200,000 FSS Dr. Fager, the $300,000 FSS Affirmed and the $500,000 FSS In Reality.

In the Swale, Three Rules came off the pace to hold the lead in deep stretch before succumbing to Favorite Outcome’s last-to-first surge.