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By Richard Rosenblatt In a 13-minute span on Saturday afternoon , early Kentucky Derby favorite Essential Quality cruised to victory in the slop in the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3), followed by Greatest Honour stamping himself a top Derby contender with a closing run to win the $300,000 Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park. Essential Quality’s long-awaited 3-year-old debutwas a smashing success on a rainy day in Arkansas. The 1 1/16-mile race had been postponed three times due to frigid weather and was run nearly two weeks later than originally scheduled. No worries, trainer Brad Cox said before the

By Margaret Ransom Saturday marks the 56th running of the Southwest Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park after a nearly two-week delay due to winter storm Uri, which blanketed the southeast From Texas to North Florida with frigid temperatures, ice, and snow for about 10 days. The race had been postponed three times, but still drew a field of seven, including Godolphin’s 2-year-old male champion Essential Quality. The Southwest the traditional prep for the Rebel Stakes (G2), which is in two weeks because of the delay, and the Arkansas Derby (G1), which is set for April 10. In 55 previous editions,

By US Racing Team The $300,000 Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park and the 3-year-old debut of champion Essential Quality in the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park highlight Saturday’s top races. Both are preps for the Kentucky Derby (G1) on May 1: The Fountain of Youth offers qualifying points of 50-20-10-5 to the first four finishers; the Southwest offers points of 10-4-2-1. Also, the $100,000 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes on Friday night at Turfway Park offers points of 10-4-2-1. America’s Day at the Races will air eight hours of live racing from Aqueduct, Oaklawn Park and Gulfstream

By US Racing Team Can there be two unanimous selections to the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Class of 2021? Maybe, maybe not, but there should be: 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and seven-time Eclipse Award winning trainer Todd Pletcher. Both were chosen as finalists in their first year of eligibility by the 15 members on the Museum’s Hall of Fame nominating committee. Five other racehorses, two trainers and one jockey also made the list of finalists, which was released on Feb. 25. The other horses are Blind Luck, Game On Dude, Havre de Grace, Kona Gold,

By Margaret Ransom The Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon set out in the 1500s in search of a mythical fountain, which was believed to be located in the southeastern part of the North American continent and gave all who drank from it eternal youth. Gulfstream Park named a race in honor of the mythical tale and now in its 79th running, the $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) has become a key stop on the road to the Kentucky Derby (G1), which is set for May 1 at Churchill Downs. Holy Bull Stakes (G3) winner Greatest Honour, trained

By Ed McNamara There’s no better place to hang out than at a racetrack. In 40 years, I’ve met fascinating characters at 116 of them from Hong Kong to Berlin, from Del Mar to Saratoga. A few even offered advice that made sense. Most lost money in the long run, as 95% of horseplayers do. It’s not as if they didn’t understand this maddening game, just that they were undisciplined and made too many bad decisions. I fondly recall a long-gone pal who loved to bet tons. Many times, I stood behind Steve as he chanted long, complex strings of