Vic Zast

HALLANDALE, Florida - Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow last week.

But the groundhog’s forecast of six more weeks of winter didn’t keep the trainers of South Florida’s most promising 3-year-olds from thinking of spring.

Although Eclipse Award winning trainer Todd Pletcher chose to keep highly regarded Bluegrass Cat in his stable, and Nick Zito followed suit with Hesanoldsalt, the trainers of 47 other horses in training for the spring classics entered their hopefuls at Gulfstream Park on the day of the Grade 1 Donn Handicap, the first of three “Spectacular Saturdays” scheduled by the track.

“At this time of year, trainers with a good 3-year-old are looking forward to the first Saturday in May,” said David Bailey, the racing secretary.  “I try to write as many races as I can for them to help them develop their horses.”

Gulfstream Park scheduled five races restricted to 3-year-old colts on Saturday, including two stakes – the Grade 2 $150,000 Hutcheson at 7 1/2 furlongs and the Grade 3 $150,000 Holy Bull at 1 1/8 miles. 

In the aftermath, Frank Stronach’s recently rebuilt track became home to at least two runners certain to make their presence felt on the road to the roses, and several more who shouldn’t be dismissed.

In winning the Holy Bull, Barbaro ran his unblemished record to four wins on four different racetracks – enough, one would think, to make him the day’s standout.  But a race before Barbaro won, Keyed Entry beat First Samurai, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile favorite, in the Hutcheson, and the manner in which he did it had the place abuzz.

The handsome son of Honour and Glory was making only his third lifetime start, and he shattered the track record as he won for the third time. 

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Heavy rains that fell through the night and during the course of the program left the track wet-fast, but even at Indy this time would have been lightning fast. The front running Keyed Entry ran the first 6 furlongs in 1:07.61 and the last 1 ½ furlongs in under 20 seconds.

Looking ahead, the Derby distance might pose a challenge for him, but there’s no sense in worrying about that now.  Keyed Entry is well on his way to Louisville.

And what fun for racing fans if he made it there! 

The owners of Keyed Entry are the Starlight Stable of Jack and Laurie Wolf, Paul Sayler and Donnie Lucarelli. Their appearance in the winner’s circle on Kentucky Derby day would be a welcome breather for the often-all-too-stuffy Sport of Kings. 

Jack Wolf can make candy happy.  Laurie Wolf and Barbara Lucarelli shed their fancy shoes to walk in the glop of the Gulfstream racetrack to bring Keyed Entry back from battle.  Saylor can be heard still kvetching that his flight from Atlanta was canceled and he was forced to watch the race on his computer.

The Wolfs and Saylor have been part of the ownership of such stars as the race mare Ashado, a two-time Eclipse Award winner, and Harlan’s Holiday, the 2002 Kentucky Derby favorite.  With Keyed Entry, they believe now is the time to introduce Lucarelli to this heady experience.

“It’s a big step up to go from an-other-than (allowances race) to run against a Grade 1 winner like First Samurai,” trainer Todd Pletcher said, affirming a proffered opinion that Keyed Entry was a force.

Other than First Samurai, a runner being aimed for the Kentucky Derby, no other horse was even close to Keyed Entry in the Hutcheson.