RACING VIEWS : Mister Frisky Is the No. 1 Derby Prospect

Who’s No. 1?

Contrary to initial assessments, all of the best 3-year-olds bound for the Kentucky Derby are not wintering in Florida. Mister Frisky awaits the Triple Crown in Laz Barrera’s barn at Santa Anita in Arcadia, not far from the barn in which Sunday Silence awaited his Derby ambush of the heavily favored Easy Goer a year ago.

Mister Frisky is 15-for-15 lifetime after an impressive victory in Saturday’s mile San Rafael. It was his second victory in California after 13 in Puerto Rico, three of which set track records at El Comandante, where he won at distances up to 9 furlongs.

Mister Frisky is a Florida-bred son of the little-known Marsayas, who is by Damascus. After the weekend’s 3-year-old stakes he not only stands alone as the Kentucky Derby favorite but poses an immediate threat to Citation’s record of 16 consecutive victories at ages 2 and 3.

“A lot of people didn’t believe he could run this way,” Barrera said after the San Rafael. “They don’t realize he set three records. When I went to Puerto Rico to see him, I said, ‘He’s a machine.’ He’ll go any distance.”

Gary Stevens said that when Tight Spot challenged his mount in the stretch Saturday, “(Mister Frisky) grabbed the bit like a cat and hit another gear.” So far, he is the only 3-year-old to find that extra gear this season. He’s No. 1.

If the Western leader has been determined, his counterpart in the East remains unidentified. An assessment of Saturday’s Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park requires a fair amount of guessing. And then there is Red Ransom, who lost at 3-to-10 odds in his seasonal debut in a 7-furlong allowance.

--Red Ransom did not appear sharp in the paddock before his debut, which was probably the result of trainer Mack Miller’s backing off after a very fast work 10 days before. Miller said he may have left the colt a bit short for his first start, but that may have been his intention. After what was more a useful conditioning race than a true preview of what may be the real Red Ransom, Miller mentioned the 7-furlong Swale Stakes March 17 at Gulfstream as the next step. He also mentioned a 1 1/16-mile allowance.

--Slavic, who went off as the favorite Saturday and took sixth place, turned in a one-paced effort that is also less alarming than was evident at first glance, and it is likely that the Fountain of Youth provided the useful prep for the Florida Derby that his connections were looking for.

--Roanoke ran well on a speed-favoring track to finish fifth in his first start of the season, and he appears capable of playing a more substantial role in the 9-furlong Florida Derby.

--Shot Gun Scott, surprise winner of the Fountain of Youth, is apparently the season’s best-kept secret, understandable since he has never raced outside Florida. Trainer Ron Sarazin is considering the Florida Derby and the Jim Beam Stakes, March 31 at Turfway Park.

--There is room for alarm in the Rhythm and Yonder camps, however.

Examination revealed that Rhythm did not bleed during the Fountain of Youth, Shug McGaughey said Sunday morning. The colt experienced difficulty in breathing near the three-eighths pole, a condition that may explain his dull effort in the Hutcheson two weeks earlier. McGaughey said that the colt’s breathing was obstructed by his palate and said a veterinarian would be summoned from Ohio this week.