Calder-based nominees eye Triple Crown preps

"The Fountain of Youth tells the truth," Morales said. "After this race he'll

continue his normal training and from there we'll see where he will run, but we

have to run this race first to see how he runs and where he finishes."

Casiguapo has been on the road to the Kentucky Derby from the start. He

started his career with a third-place finish in a stakes before breaking his

maiden, both races occurring at Calder. He came second in the Hopeful at

Saratoga before earning his first point for the Derby with a fourth-place finish

in the one-mile Champagne at Belmont Park. He closed out his two-year-old season

with a second-place finish in the 1 1/16-mile Delta Downs Jackpot, earning four

points.

In his three-year-old debut, Casiguapo raced in a six-furlong allowance at

Gulfstream Park on February 2 and finished fifth. Morales writes the race off.

"The last race you don't have to count," he said. "We put blinkers on him and

he was too nervous with the blinkers. He needed that race."

Morales said that Casiguapo will be without blinkers for the Fountain of

Youth.

Two more Calder-based horses that are preparing to run in the Fountain of

Youth are the Stanley Gold-trained pair of C. Zee and Best Plan Yet.

"Hopes and dreams," said Gold regarding their nominations. "If you don't do

the early nomination and you decide you have a horse good enough, it costs a lot

of money to nominate late."

Early nominations for the Triple Crown, which were due by January 25, cost

$600 per horse to nominate, while the price for late nominations is $6,000 and

can be made through March 22. Horses that are not nominated early or late can

still be made eligible with a supplemental nomination fee that tops at $200,000.

The Fountain of Youth will be C. Zee's first time going around two turns. C.

Zee made his career debut at Calder as a two-year-old where he was disqualified

from second to third and then broke his maiden at Gulfstream three months later.

He kicked off his three-year-old season with a second-place finish in the

six-furlong Spectacular Bid at Gulfstream on January 4. He became graded

stakes-placed one start ago in the seven-furlong Hutcheson on February 1, where

he again finished second.

Gold said that he is hopeful for C. Zee's two-turn debut.

"The father only ran twice -- both times with two turns and he won them both

from off the pace," said Gold of C. Zee's sire, Elusive Bluff. "They were both

on the turf, but he was a distance horse, the mare was also a distance horse. He

rates, he does what you want but he has speed so there's no question in my mind

he'll go long. I just have to get him ready to go long for his next race."

Best Plan Yet already has a lot of two-turn experience gained while running

his entire two-year-old season at Calder, mostly in stakes. After finishing

fourth in his career debut in the stakes where Casiguapo ran third, Best Plan

Yet came second in the first leg of the Florida Stallion Stakes series. He then

broke his maiden before finishing second in the second leg of the series. He was

immediately successful going two turns, winning the 1 mile-70 yard Foolish

Pleasure and the final leg of the series at 1 1/16-miles back-to-back.

He finished ninth in his three-year-old debut in the one-mile Gulfstream Park

Derby on January 1 and most recently ran fifth in the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull on

January 25 in his return to the two-turn distance.

"He's getting noticeably more focused, noticeably more aggressive, and he's

doing good," Gold said. "He didn't run that bad the last time. He only got beat

by 1 1/2 lengths for second; he could have easily been second. He didn't have

the best trip and he had to steady in the turn and then he had to steady again

and he still kept trying. I'm happy with him."

Gold said that while both horses may run in the Fountain of Youth, the 1

1/16-mile Tampa Bay Derby on March 8 is a possibility if they do not go in the

Fountain of Youth together.

Also set to run in the Fountain of Youth is Tashir, trained by Gennadi

Dorochenko.

"Everybody dreams of a Triple Crown horse, but I know one thing; this horse

has a lot of potential," Dorochenko said.

Tashir first broke his maiden at Delaware Park before fourth and third-place

finishes in stakes at Delaware. He then finished second and sixth in allowance

races at Keeneland. Tashir made his three-year-old debut at Calder, capturing a

seven-furlong allowance race on January 17 by 9 1/2 lengths. He made his first

graded stakes appearance in the Hutcheson and finished sixth.

"He had a bad trip, muddy track, everything," Dorochenko said. "His father

(Afleet Alex) had a bad trip, he lost the Kentucky Derby then won both the

Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. He was the one horse who was starting to

pick it up. This was a little bit too short, too fast. Seven furlongs is a very

tough distance."

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