Fountain Of Youth

[redshift1]

Javier Castellano to ride Algorithms in Fountain of Youth, Julien Leparoux picks up mount on Union Rags.

Nice pick-up for Leparoux who is having a much improved meeting over last year.

Early guess:

Algorithms 6-5

Union Rags 9-5

All others 7-1 or above.

.

[nijinski]

JC acknowledged it was a tough decision for him to make but he also had to consider all the mounts he gets from Pletcher and that weighed in heavily.
I wish Julien the best of luck , great catch for him.

[holmmd]

Agreed. I view this as a smart business decision over anything else. JC is effectively 1B to JV's 1A as far as TP's go-to jockey. I don't discount Matz's ability as a trainer but there's no comparison numbers' wise.

[Cholly]

Agreed. I view this as a smart business decision over anything else. JC is effectively 1B to JV's 1A as far as TP's go-to jockey. I don't discount Matz's ability as a trainer but there's no comparison numbers' wise.

Portland thought it was a smart business decision to draft Sam Bowie--it was part of a clever "positioning strategy".

[holmmd]

Anyway you look at it, it's the right move for JC's career given we're 3 months out from the Derby. If we were 3 weeks out w/ no races left, then you drop all allegiances and go with the better horse (which, for all I know, may be Algorithms but I still think UR is the horse to beat).

[Cholly]

He’s ridden both horses so maybe he’s convinced Algorithm (or the other TAP horses dangled) has a superior shot at winning—or at least he doesn’t think Union Rags is the super thing. If that’s what’s going on, then best of luck to him.

But if he did this as a “career-move”, that’s where the Portland analogy came to mind. If a super athlete is available, jump on for the ride (like the Bulls did with MJ) and forget about being clever or trying to hedge a position.

Barring serious injury, Castellano’s going to have prosperous career--with or without TAP’s patronage. Winning the Derby is a legacy-maker.

[papillon]

did a little digging about the foy and found out that last year wasn't the first year that a lightweight beat the heavy weight.

in 2010, eskedereya was a light weight too, and 2nd and 3rd where the two lightest weights in the race (ice box and pleasant prince).

in 2009, quality road toting an earth shattering 114 lbs beat capt. candyman can the high weight (122lbs)--curiously, the race was only a mile then, and the margin of victory and final time were almost identical to algorithms win over hansen in the holy bull...

2008, light weight cool coal man beat heavy weight court vision (highweight and unbeaten winner of three, including the remsen, going in)....and poor manba, the favorite...what ever happened to him?

so lightweight soldat beats heavy weight THAS; lightweight eskendereya beats heavy weight buddy's saint; feather weight quality road beats heavy weight capt. candyman can' and lightweight cool coal man beats heavy weight court vision...

another curious trend--only soldat made it to the KY derby of the last 3 FOY winners, all of whom won the FOY very impressively, with talk of world beating and triple crowns and best since whoevers...and even soldat was basically washed up by the FL derby, even though he wasn't taken out of racing until he was completely ruined by the KY derby...cool coal man continue to race (poorly) in both the blue grass and the ky derby....eskendereya was retired, and while capt. candy man had a succesful caleb's posse type rest of his year, quality road was put on the shelf for a year..

seems to me, mr. feather weight discrete dancer is the horse to beat in this race (if he runs) and fans of algorithms and union rags better light some candles so that the horse come out ok...