By Sports Network
The Sports Network
Highly regarded Union Rags stamped himself as a clear favorite for
this year's Kentucky Derby with a convincing victory in Sunday's
$400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park. The
three-year-old was using the 11/16-mile stakes as his seasonal debut.
Trained by Michael Matz, Union Rags was the 6-5 second pick in the
seven-horse field behind 4-5 favorite Discreet Dancer. The favorite's
stablemate Algorithms, the 8-5 program favorite, was scratched from
the race due to a popped splint in his right front leg.
"The colt has been training beautifully," said trainer Todd Pletcher
in a statement. "It's an unfortunate situation. We'll monitorhim
closely and see how he responds."
Algorithms had won Gulfstream's Holy Bull Stakes in January.
Union Rags, ridden by Julien Leparoux, broke cleanly from the gate and
settled into third as the field went up the backstretch. Discreet
Dancer and jockey John Velazquez set the pace with News Pending
pressing the leader.
Around the final turn Union Rags, runner-up in the Breeders' Cup
Juvenile, was three wide to draw even with the two leaders and tooka
clear lead coming into the stretch.
Velazquez drove his mount to a commanding four-length win over News
Pending followed by Discreet Dancer, Neck 'n Neck, Fort Loudon, Csaba
and Casual Trick.
Union Rags, owned by Chadds Ford Stable, ran the race in 1:42.68on a fast track.
The colt was using the Fountain of Youth as a prep for the Florida
Derby on March 31. The Fountain of Youth win was worth $240,000 to
bring the winner's career earnings to more than $1 million. In five
starts Union Rags has four wins.
The colt, who was 7-1 in the first Kentucky Derby Future Wager this
month, won his first three starts last year before losing by a head as
the 11-10 favorite to Hansen in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He then
finished second to Hansen in Eclipse Award voting for 2011 champion
two-year-old
Leparoux lands Derby favorite, and a bride to be
By RICHARD ROSENBLATT, AP Sports Writer
Julien Leparoux is on a winning streak, on and off the racetrack.
Over the past 10 days, the French jockey landed the ride aboard early
Kentucky Derby favorite Union Rags, revealed he'll be racing in New
York shortly and flewcross country to win the El Camino Real Derby in
California aboard Daddy Nose Best.
He also announced his engagement just before Valentine's Day to Shea
Mitchell, the daughter of California-based trainer Mike Mitchell. The
wedding is set for December.
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"I'm engaged to the most wonderful man," Mitchell posted on her
Twitter feed Feb. 12.
In his public reply, Leparoux tweeted: "You are the best my love, I'm
a very lucky man."
With three victories and a narrow loss in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile,
Union Rags is set to make his 3-year-old debut in the Fountain ofYouth
Stakes at Gulfstream Park onSunday.
Union Rags remains No. 1 in The Associated Press' latest Run to the
Roses Top 10 list of Derby contenders going into a race that features
a slew of Derby hopefuls, including Algorithms, who remains No. 2 this
week.
Javier Castellano had been the rider for both colts, but chose to stay
with Algorithms, trained by Todd Pletcher. Castellano rides several
other Derby contenders forPletcher; Union Rags is trained by Michael
Matz.
On Sunday, Union Rags worked a half-mile in 48.64 seconds at Palm
Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach, Fla.
"He's ready to go," Matz said. "Other than running in a race, he's as
ready as he could possibly be."
So is Leparoux, who has been based in Kentucky since his first
fullriding season in 2006. He's leaving, agent Steve Bass says,
because New York has "the better racing dates and better purses."
On Monday, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert pulled off a double in the
Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park, winning the 11-horse first division
with 6-1 choice Castaway and the 10-horse second division with 3-5
favorite Secret Circle. The twin wins give Baffert more Derby hopefuls
to go along with No. 4-ranked Liaison and impressive allowance winner
Fed Biz.
Over the weekend, there were a pair of photo finishes in California:
Daddy Nose Best beat Lucky Chappy by a nose in the 1 1/8-mile El
Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday, and Baffert's
Drill held off American Act by a nose in the seven-furlong San Vicente
at SantaAnita on Sunday, a race contested by four horses.
After the San Vicente, Baffert said he's not sure if Drill will remain
on the Derby trail.
———
1. Union Rags (Michael Matz, trainer; Julien Leparoux, jockey):
Leparoux takes over for Javier Castellano. … Colt worked 4 furlongs in
48.64 seconds Sunday at Palm Meadows … Champagne (G1) winner is 3 of
4, lone loss by a head in BC Juvenile (G1). … Next start: Fountain of
Youth (G2), Gulfstream, Sunday. … Derby futurewager odds: 7-1.
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