Commandment Gains Education in G2 Coolmore Fountain of Youth

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Wathnan Racing’s Commandment was looking good at Payson Park Sunday on the morning after passing the two-turn test in the $425,000 Coolmore Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park.

“He looks great this morning,” trainer Brad Cox said. “We’re real pleased with him.”

Commandment, who was coming off a 5 ¼ romp in the one-turn mile Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream Jan. 3, dug deep in the final sixteenth of a mile to capture Saturday’s 1 1/16-mile Coolmore Fountain of Youth by a neck over Chief Wallabee. The son of Into Mischief rated off the early pace before moving into contention entering the turn into the homestretch and cutting the corner to pass inside leader Solitude Dude at the top of the stretch. Immediately, confronted by Chief Wallabee, who made a three-wide move past Solitude Dude, Commandment fought off his challenger to stamp himself as a prime prospect for the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) March 29 at Gulfstream.

However, Commandment’s work was far from done when he hit the first finish line used for 1 1/16-mile races on Gulfstream’s 1 1/8-mile main track. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. asked him for more, and the 2-1 favorite responded by continuing to gallop out with good energy to the second finish line.

“I think it was important that Irad asked him to run to the second wire there for the experience moving forward. If we pursue the Florida Derby, it makes sense to continue on to the second wire,” Cox said. “You’re only doing it if everything’s going well. If you’re fading or not doing well down the lane, you don’t ask him, but if you have horse and you’re finishing well, you may as well go ahead and educate him, stay on and finish up.”

Commandment, who rallied to finish fourth in his six-furlong career debut at Keeneland before winning a seven-furlong allowance at Churchill Downs and the Mucho Macho Man, has impressed Cox with his development leading into his successful graded-stakes debut in the Coolmore Fountain of Youth.

“I think his first run at Keeneland, if you actually watch it and watch the gallop-out, he showed a good bit there as well. It was a better performance on tape than it was on paper. I think it was a fair way of looking at it,” Cox said. “He’s been nothing but impressive, the way I look at it, in the afternoons from the time he broke his maiden, won the Mucho Macho Man and yesterday.”

Commandment earned 50 Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying points with his impressive Coolmore Fountain of Youth score. Michael and Katherine Ball’s Chief Wallabee earned 25 Derby points for his strong second-place finish in just his second career start.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, who saddled 2025 Horse of the Year Sovereignty for a victory in last year’s Coolmore Fountain of Youth, Chief Wallabee entered the 80th running of the important Triple Crown prep off just a 1 ½-length debut victory in a seven-furlong maiden special weight at Gulfstream Jan. 10.

Mott said following the Coolmore Fountain of Youth that there are ‘four or five races to choose from’ for the son of Constitution’s next start.

Chris Fountoukis’ Solitude Dude, who finished two lengths behind Chief Wallabee in third, earned 15 Derby points but isn’t likely to need them. The son of Yaupon, who had won his first three career starts by a combined 20 ¼ lengths around one turn, came up short in his two-turn debut Saturday.

“I thought Solitude ran great. Distance might have gotten the best of him. Incredible effort. I feel like he’ll be tough when he gets back to one turn,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said Sunday. “Two good horses beat him. We didn’t lose anything in defeat.”

Albert Ciuffetelli, Stepanie Brennan and Shining Stable’s Bravaro, who finished second behind Nearly in the Jan. 31 Holy Bull (G3), disappointed Joseph with Saturday’s fourth-place finish, 8 ¾ lengths behind Solitude Dude, under Tyler Gaffalione.

“I thought he would run better than that. He had a hard time early in the race, he got checked twice. He was in a compromised spot. He was close enough at the 3/8ths pole to the first two and he didn’t continue that momentum. That for me, I do question distance as well,” Josph said. “In the Holy Bull we thought he needed the race. He didn’t need this race, obviously. His forward progression stalled. I don’t know if it was because of the trip – Tyler was confident it was the trip that caused that stall – but distance is a question mark, and he’ll have to prove himself. We’re going to wait a little bit before we decide what we do next time. We’ll talk it over with the owners.”