Two-year-old champ Good Magic sets out on Kentucky Derby trail

Preview: USA, Saturday 11.09pm GMT (live on ATR)

Gulfstream Park: Fountain of Youth Stakes (Grade 2) 1m½f | dirt | 3yo

A significant point on the Kentucky Derby trail is reached in the States on Saturday as Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Good Magic (Chad Brown/Jose Ortiz) makes his three-year-old debut at Gulfstream Park in the Fountain of Youth, the main trial for the Grade 1 Florida Derby.

After a couple of fine runs in good company, last year's two-year-old champ lost his maiden status at Del Mar when he scored by more than four lengths.

Vying for favouritism for Churchill Downs on the 12-1 mark with British and Irish bookmakers, Good Magic sets out on his Classic season in Saturday's $400,000 contest, where he breaks from gate six in a ten-runner field.

"The horse is training super," said Brown. "He's been strong in his works, great appetite, all the things you want to see this time of year.

"We're running to win," added the trainer, speaking to the Daily Racing Form. "We want him to run a really good race, want him to get something out of it, but don't want a really hard race.

"Hopefully, he can bounce out of it ready to move forward. We want to build off this race. He's doing really, really well, but we haven’t tightened the screws."

Among Good Magic's rivals is Free Drop Billy (Dale Romans/Robby Albarado), a fellow Grade 1 winner at two who can provide a good line to the form of major Derby hope Audible, who beat him four weeks ago in the Holy Bull.

Possible front-runner Strike Power (Mark Hennig/Luis Saez) is another to watch as he steps out of sprint company after two wins.

Coral: 4-5 Good Magic, 9-2 Strike Power, 6 Free Drop Billy, 12 Marconi, 16 Gotta Go, 20, Machismo, Storm Runner, 25 He Takes Charge, Promises Fulfilled, 66 Peppered

Also on Saturday

Gulfstream Park: Davona Dale Stakes (Grade 2) 1m | dirt | 3yo fillies (8pm GMT, live on ATR)

A major Kentucky Oaks prep. Fly So High (Shug McGaughey/Jose Ortiz), whose trainer is one win short of 2,000 career victories, has won her last two starts by a cumulative margin of more than 13 lengths. She gets 6lb from Take Charge Paula (Kiaran McLaughlin/Paco Lopez), out to complete a four-timer as she steps up in trip.

Gulfstream Park: Mac Diarmida Stakes (Grade 2) 1m3f | turf | 4yo+ (10.34pm GMT, live on ATR)

Sword Dancer winner Sadler's Joy (Tom Albertrani/Julien Leparoux), last seen when fourth in the Breeders' Cup Turf, is the class attraction here.

>>America's Dubai World Cup contingent has been bolstered by the addition of Doug O'Neill's Pavel; Mario Gutierrez will ride. Fellow Graded-stakes winner Holding Gold will run in the Al Quoz Sprint on the World Cup undercard.

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