Grade 2, $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes, 1 1/16 miles, Gulfstream Park, March 5, 2022 (50 Derby qualifying points for first, 20 for second, 10 for third, 5 for fourth) Winner: Simplification, by Not This Time Trainer: Antonio Sano Jockey: Jose Ortiz Owner: Tami Bobo Beyer Speed Figure: 96 SIMPLIFICATION, coming off a nightmarish trip in the Holy Bull (https://www.drf.com/news/road-2022-kentucky-derby-holy-bull-stakes-analysis), got a deserved victory here, rallying wide while fortunate to stay clear of the scary accident nearing the top of the lane that caused one rival to fall and another to dislodge his rider. He earned a career-best Beyer figure and has now run two good races since heading around two turns. He’s made all his starts so far at Gulfstream, where he’s based, and he’ll undoubtedly stay home for the April 2 Florida Derby for his next start. In this race, Simplification broke well and saved ground around the first turn while in traffic and under a snug hold. He was pinched back between rivals entering the backstretch and lost position while continuing to race in traffic. Nearing the far turn, he was able to get a clear run outside, and after entering the turn three to four paths wide, he rallied in earnest about six paths wide. He vaulted to the lead coming off the bend, drifted in through the lane while, as in the Holy Bull, failing to change leads, but continued to draw away from his rivals. He’s grown up a lot in these last two starts. He had every right to chuck it in the Holy Bull, but kept finding. And here, he was in significant traffic early and got squeezed back, but never let it bother him. Considering he was cast as a front-running type early on, he has proven versatile, with qualities that will serve him well down the line. :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2022: Point standings, prep schedule, news, and more IN DUE TIME, who finished second, broke well and saved ground around the first turn while following pacesetting MARKHAMIAN. He drifted off the rail entering the backside to tighten things up on Simplification, raced between rivals in the two path entering the far turn while behind a wall of horses, shifted off the heels of DEAN DELIVERS nearing the end of the far turn to bump A.P.’S SECRET, who in turn bumped HIGH OAK, who subsequently clipped the heels of EMMANUEL and went down. In Due Time was out-footed coming off the bend and had to go around Emmanuel, then finished well to get the place. From a performance standpoint of the horse, this was a solid effort in his two-turn debut. Yet it’s utterly incomprehensible that he wasn’t disqualified for the egregious foul committed by his rider, Paco Lopez. Because he was not disqualified, he was very fortunate to come away with 20 points. And both riders who went down, and both horses who went down, are even more fortunate. This could have been tragic, and it’s far from the first time this rider has shown a lack of regard for his brethren. His sloppy move into the backstretch will be overlooked because of what he did later in the race. There were two points here where Lopez needed to sit tight and maintain his position, but chose to endanger others instead. O CAPTAIN, who was third, trailed around the first turn while two to three paths off the rail. He saved ground on the far turn, was fortunate to get past the spill without being impacted, was taken to the middle of the track for the stretch run and closed with interest. He had only raced twice in sprints prior to this, so this was a terrific effort considering his skimpy resume. Emmanuel, who was fourth, was shuffled back between rivals in the opening yards and wound up toward the back half of the field, three paths wide, around the first turn. He advanced while wide into and then down the backstretch, then continued his elongated run from the five path into and around the far turn. He was under an aggressive ride on the far turn, could not keep pace with Simplification - who was just to his outside - coming off the bend, shifted off the heels of Simplification in midstretch, then flattened out late. The race did not unfold ideally for him, and he ran decently, but he’ll have to come forward from this. I’d have liked to have seen him finish off the race just a bit better, while allowing that for a horse who was forwardly placed in his first two starts he had a lot to do here. The next race will be paramount. Dean Delivers, who was fifth, raced under a snug hold around the first turn while stalking Markhamian. He raced in the two path among five battling for the lead three furlongs out, poked his head in front midway on the far turn while under an aggressive ride, and tired in the lane. The pace wasn’t hot. He just couldn’t stay the trip in this, his first try around two turns. RATTLE N ROLL, who finished sixth, broke half a step slow and then was quickly guided to the rail to save ground while toward the rear of the field around the first turn. He advanced inside rivals down the backstretch and saved ground into the far turn while right behind the dueling leaders. He began to be outrun midway on the turn, managed to avoid the accident, had to wait for a moment in traffic at the top of the lane before switching out, was tightened up between rivals in upper stretch, then finished evenly. He had a fairly good trip overall, but likely was in need of knocking off the cobwebs after being out since October. His next race, as with Emmanuel, will be pivotal. A.P’s Secret, who was seventh, was three paths wide around the first turn while tracking Markhamian and Dean Delivers, then moved closer while under restraint down the backstretch. He went into the far turn three paths wide among a five-way battle for supremacy, was under an aggressive ride a quarter-mile out when he was knocked into by In Due Time, then was ridden with minimal encouragement the rest of the way, his rider understandably appearing to be shaken by the incident, as he looked back with concern. He was being outrun at the time of the accident. Markhamian, who was eighth, was hustled from his inside draw to take the lead, was asked aggressively three furlongs out to try and hold his position as part of a five-way battle for the lead, but was done before reaching the top of the stretch and tired. HOWLING TIME, who was ninth, raced mid-pack in the two path while between rivals and in traffic around the first turn. He was shuffled back entering the backstretch, came under a ride before the far turn in a futile attempt to get him to advance, continued to retreat, and had to check to avoid the accident, but he was well out of it by then. High Oak, officially placed 10th, raced mid-pack while three to four paths wide around the first turn, crept closer down the backstretch, then was sent along to vie for the lead while in the four path early on the far turn. He was in a precarious spot while appearing to start to tire near the quarter pole, then clipped the heels of Emmanuel and fell owing to the chain reaction bumping inside him that was initiated by In Due Time. GALT, officially placed last of 11, was hampered by his outside draw and had to race four paths wide around the first turn while toward the back half of the field. He continued to race wide on the far turn, and it was hard to determine how much ground he was making up when he was interfered with; he had no chance to avoid the fallen High Oak, causing Galt’s rider, Joel Rosario, to be dislodged. At the time of the incident, he was rallying in tandem with O Captain, who finished third.