Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Promises Fulfilled leads start to finish in upset
HALLANDALE BEACH — Promises Fulfilled lived up to his optimistic name in the Fountain of Youth on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
An 18-1 longshot, he sprinted to the lead from his disadvantageous outside post and never relinquished it under Irad Ortiz, scoring by 2 1/4 lengths in the $400,000 Grade 2 Kentucky Derby prep.
Promises Fulfilled was the fifth winner of the day for Ortiz, whose brother Jose won three on the 14-race program. “The trainer [Dale Romans] told me to go to the lead and hold on,” Irad said. “When I asked my horse, he just took off again. He ran the whole race.”
Romans said he has had only a few horses in his career who could go fast from beginning to end. “This is one of them. He’s a special horse.”
Eclipse champion Good Magic, making his 3-yearold debut, was a non-threatening third, another 2 1/4 lengths behind second place finisher Strike Power, who chased Promises Fulfilled from the start.
“He got a good trip,” Good Magic’s trainer Chad Brown said. “The latter part of the race, he didn’t have it.”
There was little drama in the race, which played out like a merry-go-round. Except for a brief rush into the runnerup spot on the backstretch by Storm Runner, another Romans runner, the first three finishers were in that position all the way around.
The big race by Promises Fulfilled and disappointing showing by Good Magic, made the Derby picture “muddy water right now,” Romans said.
Promises Fulfilled earned 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points for the victory, which is generally enough for a spot in the Churchill Downs starting gate. He’ll try to add to that in his final Kentucky Derby prep, the Florida Derby on March 31, Romans said. “When a horse runs good on a track, you keep him there.”
Romans scratched Free Drop Billy, who was the second choice on the morning line Saturday. He’ll run in the Gotham at Aqueduct next Saturday. “It was strictly a strategy play,” Romans said. “He’s already a Grade 1 winner so we want to get him the easiest race we can before the final round of preps.”
Promises Fulfilled covered a mile and a sixteenth in a relatively slow 1:44.17.
Supporting stakes
Irad Ortiz tucked in Holy Helena behind pacesetting favorite Daring Duchess then tipped out at the head of the stretch and ran by the leader to take the Grade 3 The Very One, his first stakes winner of the day. He came back later in the day to win the Canadian Turf aboard Hogy.
John Velazquez put Team of Teams on the lead, set soft fractions then sprinted away in the stretch to win The Sand Springs, giving trainer Jimmy Jerkins, who also conditions Holy Helena, a pair of stakes wins.