Union Rags loses Castellano but gains Leparoux ahead of the Fountain of Youth Stakes
Owned and bred by Phyllis M. Wyeth, the 3-year-old brown colt, Union Rags, suffered a setback right before his 2012 seasonal debut when jockey, Javier Castellano, decided to saddle the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes winner, Algorithms, in the Grade 2 Fountain
of Youth Stakes.
Despite missing his rider, who rode Union Rags in his last three starts, the Michael Matz trained colt was out for a five furlong breeze at Palm Meadows Training Center on 13 February, 2012, to post the ninth fastest work out of 12 works at the same distance,
which he went on to cover in 1 minute and 3.08 seconds.
Jockey Julien Leparoux after hearing the news of Castellano abandoning Union Rags, showed immense interest to be the ride’s mount in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes, a mouth watering encounter between Breeders’ Cup top 2 finishers, Hansen and Union
Rags, while Algorithms has come into some serious contention after nabbing the Holy Bull Stakes from last season’s top juvenile male, Hansen.
Julien Leparoux was the exercise rider for Union Rags in his recent five furlong breeze ahead of the seasonal debut, and according to the Palm Meadows clocker, Brian Walls, it’s the fastest he has seen Union Rags all winter.
"He did it well in hand and closed his final eighth in :11 3/5," Walls said. "He galloped out six furlongs in 1:15 3/5 and pulled up seven furlongs in 1:29. This was the Union Rags I saw at Saratoga."
The Kentucky bred son of Dixie Union, out of mare Tempo by Gone West, Union Rags broke his maiden at first asking at Delaware Park on 12 July, 2011, and then went on to post a grade 2 win in the Saratoga Special Stakes on 15 August, 2011, at Saratoga.
The highlight of Union Rags’ 4 race career is a win in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park on 8 October, 2011, defeating rampant colt, Alpha in the stretch to go 3 for 3.
Union Rags will have enough time to turn in another work ahead of the Fountain of Youth Stakes, because the race is scheduled to go down on 26 February, 2012.
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