2 big wins last year help Dennis’ Moment land 2-1 favorite odds in the Fountain of Youth

On his good days, Dennis’ Moment is magnificent. On his bad ones, not so much.

Take away his two misadventures, and the favorite for Saturday’s Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park could be the best 3-year-old in the country, a dazzling top contender for the Kentucky Derby in May.

“With this horse, there’s so much hype with him,” said his trainer, Dale Romans.

Dennis’ Moment was listed as the 2-1 favorite to win the 74th running of the Fountain of Youth, a major prep for the March 28 Florida Derby, based on two eye-popping wins last year, a nearly 20-length romp in his second career race and another impressive win in his third, the Grade III Iroquois.

But mishaps in his other two races left blemishes on his racing resume. He dumped his jockey shortly after the start of his debut race and he stumbled so badly at the start of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile as the 4-5 favorite that it took him out of contention. He finished last.

Now comes his 2020 debut as he takes aim on the Kentucky Derby.

“I’m feeling a lot of pressure,” Romans said. “I’m not usually in this situation where I feel pressure. I usually like being the underdog because there’s not so much pressure.”

Dennis’ Moment, a $400,000 yearling purchase by Albaugh Family Stables, is a consensus top five horse in most rankings of Kentucky Derby prospects, and a win Saturday in the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth would likely elevate his status.

Romans is confident.

“I think he’s ready to roll,” he said.

The Fountain of Youth is worth 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the winner and would all but guarantee a spot in the starting gate at Churchill Downs on May 2. The results of Saturday’s race will also help shape the field for the Florida Derby, Gulfstream’s premier race.

Flavien Prat is listed to ride Dennis’ Moment for the first time Saturday.

But Dennis’ Moment won’t be without competition. Not only did the Fountain of Youth attract a full field of 12, several other notable 3-year-olds are taking part, including locally based Chance It (the 7-2 second choice), As Seen on TV (9-2) and Ete Indien (8-1).

Chance It proved himself the best of the South Florida-based 2-year-olds in 2019 with victories in three of his five races and showing he could compete with all-comers by winning the Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream in January by a head over As Seen on TV.

That victory followed a four-month layoff, making it all the more impressive .

“That showed he had a lot of guts that day,” said trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. “He only got in front at the wire and he still galloped out big.”

Jockey Tyler Gaffalione will have his work cut out, though, as Chance It drew the far outside post in the 12-horse field, an especially demanding spot considering the short run to the first run.

Été Indien didn’t fare much better in Wednesday’s draw, landing post No. 11.

Trained by Patrick Biancone, Ete Indien is coming off a second-place finish to Tiz the Law — a leading Kentucky Derby prospect — in the Holy Bull Stakes on Feb. 1.

“Tiz the Law was the best horse that day,” Biancone said. “We ran a big race and left the rest of the field far behind. If he can’t do better than that, I don’t think he has a chance on Saturday. But I think he has improved enough.

Another horse that could figure into the outcome is 10-1 Shotski, who won the Grade II Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct in December.

“It’ll be nice to get him away from the Aqueduct course and see if he can compete with the big boys on a faster surface, which I think he will,” said his trainer, Jeremiah O’Dwyer.