Impressive maiden Victory Avenue works toward Florida return

Well-regarded maiden Victory Avenue, a 3-year-old colt ownedin part by connections who campaigned 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage, returnedto the work tab Friday at Gulfstream Park for the first time since he wasbeaten as the favorite in his debut last month.

Owned by OGMA Investments, JR Ranch, Upland Flats Racing,Morplay Racing and High Step Racing and trained by Gustavo Delgado, VictoryAvenue went four furlongs in 48.76 seconds over a fast main track, ranking 14thof 30 horses at the distance, before offering a strong gallop-out.

It was Victory Avenue’s first timed breeze since he finishedsecond at odds of 3-2 in a seven-furlong maiden special weight Jan. 27 on theundercard of the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream.

Assistant trainer Gustavo Delgado Jr. was pleased withFriday’s work and said the Arrogate colt could come back in a 1 1/8-mile maidenspecial weight for 3-year-olds Feb. 24 at Gulfstream.

“He went good this morning. It was everything you want tosee in a horse,” he said. “We’re stretching him out a little bit. Wherever he’srunning, whether it’s going to be the maiden race or whatever, he’s going to golong. That’s what we’re looking for. I think he’s a nice horse. He’s a littlebit green still, but he came out of his race that good. He ran so good. Howmany times you run a 97 Beyer and you get beat? It happens.”

Luis Sáez, who was aboard in the colt’s debut, will beriding in Saudi Arabia in two weeks. The younger Delgado said a replacement hasnot been named.

“I’m excited. He’s a nice horse. I think he’s stilldeveloping, and we don’t know where he’s going to end,” he said, adding that anotherpossibility for Victory Avenue is the $400,000 Fountain of Youth (G2) going 11/16 miles March 2.

“We’re going to keep an eye on (the Fountain of Youth),” GustavoDelgado Jr. said. “Last week we were expecting the horse to win. Look at thetime, and look what happened. If you want to make it to the Derby, you can’tdepend on one single race to get the points. Last year we learned that withMage. He ran fourth, and he got 10 points and then ran second in the FloridaDerby. If he had only been in the Florida Derby, maybe at the end because ofthe scratches, he would have made it but not in the original 20.

Last year the same connections saw Mage win his debut onPegasus day at Gulfstream, run fourth in the Fountain of Youth (G2) and secondin the Florida Derby (G1) before going on to win the Kentucky Derby.

“(Victory Avenue) will tell us whether he’s ready to run,”the younger Delgado said, “but the way he did it today, he is.”

Making his debut in the same race Mage won last January, VictoryAvenue broke inwardly but set the pace for a half-mile through splits of 22.64and 44.61 seconds. He was overtaken by eventual winner Speak Easy entering thestretch and wound up second, 3 3/4 lengths ahead of Big City in third. ToddPletcher-trained Speak Easy ran the seven furlongs in 1:21.96.