Co-owner Ramiro Restrepo said JR Ranch, Marquee Bloodstock, High Step Racing, and OGMA Investments' two-time grade 1-placed Ferocious bounced out of the Feb. 1 Holy Bull Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park in good order. Unraced since a fifth in the 2024 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Del Mar three months prior and wearing blinkers for the first time, he found himself within a head of the lead after six furlongs before tiring.
"He was tired seven furlongs in. From the quarter (pole) home he kind of flattened out, and that's fine. It happens. He came out of it well. It was nice to have gotten a start in to get the year going," Restrepo said. "The positive is that he did so many things that nobody even notices.
"He would get really nervous in the paddock. He would get really nervous in the post parade. He would get nervous in the gate and he would run in pieces in his races. He wouldn't run a complete race. Those were huge questions for us. With the blinkers and the time (off), all those boxes were checked. He behaved like a total gentleman in the paddock, he behaved like a total gentleman in the post parade and starting gate. That was huge for us."
The next start remains undecided for Ferocious, with both the $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) March 1 and the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) March 29 both in play. Similar connections in 2023 saw Mage go from Gulfstream maiden winner to Kentucky Derby (G1) winner in four starts. Ferocious has 12 qualifying points for the May 3 Derby, ranking 16th on the list. Like Mage, Ferocious is trained by Gustavo Delgado.
"He's got more points than Mage did at the same point, so in that capacity, we're comfortable in the position that we're in," Restrepo said. "I don't know what Gustavo's next move is going to be. The plan was to go Holy Bull-Florida Derby. I believe that seems to be the same plan. I haven't heard him say we have to go Fountain of Youth or reroute to another place or anything like that. I'm assuming Florida Derby will be the next start, and we have ample time to keep building on his training for the Florida Derby."
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
