HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Saturday’s Grade 2 Fountain of Youth may be the key local prep for the $1 million Florida Derby but it’s not the only race here this week that could produce a starter or two for Gulfstream Park’s marquee 3-year-old fixture on April 2. So too might Wednesday’s fourth event, a $61,000 allowance test for 3-year-olds carded at 1 1/8 miles which is the first of three allowance races on the eight-race program that begins at the new weekday post time of 1:05 p.m. Wednesday’s headliner lured a field of six that includes trainer Todd Pletcher’s pair of Swing Shift and In the Union; the speedy Little Vic off a seventh-place finish in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs; and perhaps the most intriguing member of the lineup, the lightning-fast King Cab, making his two turn debut off an eye-catching seven-furlong allowance victory here one month earlier. :: For the first time ever, our premium past performances are free! Get free Formulator now! King Cab returned from a five-month-plus hiatus to win off by a widening 7 1/4 lengths launching his 3-year-old campaign on Feb. 3 in a race restricted to Florida-breds, his final time of 1:21.79 earning him an 88 Beyer Speed Figure. The win was the second in three starts for the son of Noble Bird, who is trained by Eddie Plesa Jr. for a partnership that includes his wife, Laurie, along with owners Leon Ellman and David Melin. “If he has a future going long, this is the perfect step for him,” Plesa explained. “It’s basically a fact-finding mission. All I want to do is learn something from the race. The key for him is to see if he can control himself a little more during the early stages of the race.” King Cab was ridden to victory last month by Paco Lopez, who opted instead to take a return call on Little Vic, with Plesa choosing the veteran Julien Leparoux as his replacement on Wednesday. :: Want the best bonus in racing? Get a $250 deposit match, $10 free bet, and free Formulator with DRF Bets. Code: WINNING “Of all the riders I see here, I think Julien has the best chance of curtailing the early fractions with him,” said Plesa. The key question when handicapping the race is whether Leparoux can keep King Cab from engaging in an early duel with Little Vic, who in the Sam Davis wound up doing just that with ultimate winner Classic Causeway for the opening seven furlongs of the 1 1/16-mile race. Little Vic tired from the effort to finish seventh, beaten 8 1/2 lengths, in his two-turn debut. Little Vic, who is trained by Juan Avila, will have the benefit of racing on Lasix for the first time on Wednesday. Trainer Todd Pletcher’s seemingly never-ending arsenal of 3-year-old prospects is led in this spot by Swing Shift, who also showed a good turn of speed in his only previous start, contesting the early pace before edging away to a 1 1/4-length victory going seven furlongs on Jan. 29. In the Union also won at first asking, shipping to Tampa to win a maiden race by a length going one mile and 40 yards on Jan 8. He returned to the central Florida oval three weeks later to finish a well-beaten third behind his odds-on stablemate Emmanuel, who figures to be one of the favorites later this week in the Fountain of Youth. That race was under allowance conditions, also at a mile and 40 yards. Skippylongstocking, who did not have the cleanest of trips when finishing fourth in a similarly conditioned allowance race going a mile here Feb. 4, and Steal Sunshine complete the lineup. Plesa also figures to have one of the favorites in Wednesday’s co-featured seventh race, restricted to 3-year-old Florida-breds with the promising Klugman set to take on seven more experienced rivals in the 6 1/2-furlong dash offering a $54,000 purse. Klugman finished a distant second behind Gloucester debuting at 5 1/2 furlongs on Jan. 7 before returning to post a one-sided and very popular 13-length maiden victory stretching to six panels five weeks later. He sprinted the distance in 1:10.09, for which he received a 79 Beyer Figure. “He’s a different kind of horse than King Cab,” said Plesa. “He’s a big, improving horse who you can do whatever you want with. I really wanted a little more distance for his next start but the only alternative other than this race was going seven furlongs against non-Florida-breds and it didn’t make sense to waste a condition doing that.” The pace figures to be an honest one, with Klugman likely to be joined up front by probable favorite Yes I’m a Beast, who brings a three-race winning streak into the race off the claim for new trainer Rohan Crichton, last-out maiden winner Stormy Pattern, and Hope in Him. A contentious pace could be a blessing for late runners such as Rapturous, a winner of three of four starts but second best behind the in-form Hot Peppers in his last start, or Clapton, a distant third behind King Cab in his most recent outing. Plesa, who is in the midst of a big meet with a dozen wins from 40 starters, said he’s also contemplating his options for Miles Ahead, currently riding a three-race win streak that includes an upset over the odds-on Grade 1 winner Drain the Clock two weeks ago in the Gulfstream Park Sprint. “Right now we have no definite plans on the table although he does love this track, so the Sir Shackleton on Florida Derby Day is probably the most logical step,” said Plesa.