It's a Knockout upends Upstart via disqualification in Fountain of Youth
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. -- The $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes was not over when it was over on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
Anyone who thought Upstart was a gritty 2¾-length winner against runner-up Itsaknockout in the Grade 2 race that annually marks an important step toward the Kentucky Derby needed to look twice.
Actually, stewards, after posting the inquiry sign, reviewed the stretch run many more times than that before disqualifying Upstart and agreeing with Luis Saez, Itsanockout's rider, who objected that Jose Ortiz, astride Upstart, had impeded him.
It all made for roiling emotions as Ralph Evans, owner of Upstart, quietly exited the winner's circle and his trainer, Rick Violette, left not so quietly.
"Bad call," Violette said, noting that Upstart had been pushed into Itsaknockout's path by a horse inside of him.
Violette went on: "It's disappointing. The horse ran great. We just don't get credit for it."
Winning trainer Todd Pletcher said he thought it was a "jump ball" that stewards would reverse the order. But he insisted they had done the right thing.
"We definitely got impeded. Luis had to stop on him for a couple of strides," he said.
The good news for both parties is that they headed home feeling good about their horses and their prospects.
Pletcher said of his son of Lemon Drop Kid and his effort in the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth: "With his pedigree, we feel the more he stretches out, the better he will do."
Frammento, trained by Hall of Famer Nick Zito, rallied for third.
Pletcher has been high on Itsaknockout from the beginning.
"He's just one of those colts who's easy to train," he said. "Everything we've asked him to do, he's stepped up and done. We've been able to train him with some nice horses, and he's shown he's capable."
Itsaknockout returned $12.80 for a $2 wager to win. He remained perfect through three starts, all at Gulfstream Park. He came on to win by a nose in his debut on Dec. 7 before dominating a one-mile allowance race by 5 1/4 lengths on Jan. 4.
Jack Wolf, who purchased Itsaknockout for $350,000 as a yearling as the managing partner of Starlight Racing, was not sure what to think or feel when the strange afternoon was over.
"It really is weird to not win the race and win the race," he said. "God bless the stewards."
In the Grade 2 Davona Dale Stakes, longshot Ekati's Phaeton produced a front-running victory that showed what a bargain she was when she was purchased for $50,000 as a yearling.
"It just goes to show you nobody knows where they are going to come from and what they are going to cost," said John Dowd, who purchased the daughter of Tale of Ekati with the idea of selling her for greater value as a 2-year-old. Bucked shins forced that plan to be scrapped, much to be benefit of Bill Kaplan, her trainer.
"This filly has more speed than any filly I've trained," said Kaplan, a veteran conditioner. He said he previously asked jockey Luis Saez to keep Ekati's Phaeton off the pace. Saez told him before this start that he thought it best to turn her loose and capitalize on her abundant early speed, and that made the difference after a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Forward Gal Stakes here in mid-January.
Kaplan said the result in the one-mile Davona Dale will allow him to point to the Kentucky Oaks, the companion race to the Derby that is limited to 3-year-old fillies. "She's still got to get around two turns," he said. "I don't think that should be a problem."
Ekati's Phaeton has undoubtedly demonstrated an affinity for Gulfstream Park. This was her fourth victory in six starts here.
