by Ed DeRosa

Nick Zito enjoyed a whirlwind hour on Sunday at Gulfstream Park, where Robert LaPenta’s Cool Coal Man and War Pass won the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) and an allowance race, respectively. Amid congratulatory phone calls and routine training on Monday, the Racing Hall of Fame conditioner began to plan what would come next.

Last year’s champion two-year-old male, War Pass, remained undefeated in five starts after winning a one-turn, one-mile allowance race in his three-year-old debut. Sunday’s race was his first start since defeating eventual Risen Star Stakes (G3) winner Pyro in the Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) on October 27 at Monmouth Park.

“He looked good [Monday morning]; right now we’re planning for him to run in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3),” Zito said of the $300,000 race on March 15 at Tampa Bay Downs.

Zito is no stranger to Tampa Bay Downs. He shipped Four Roses Thoroughbreds’ Fierce Wind to the Oldsmar, Florida track, and the Dixie Union colt won the Sam F. Davis Stakes on February 16.

Fierce Wind is unlikely to face stablemate War Pass in the Tampa Bay Derby, but could resurface in the Florida Derby (G1) along with Cool Coal Man. In 2005, Zito won the Sam F. Davis with Andromeda’s Hero and the Tampa Bay Derby with Sun King.

“[Fierce Wind] liked [Tampa Bay], but he likes Gulfstream, too, so maybe the Florida Derby,” Zito said. “What we need to do right now is weigh options. I’ll only run each of them once before the [Kentucky] Derby [Presented by Yum! Brands (G1)], so I have to figure out which race is right and see how they shape up.”

Cool Coal Man has won four of his previous five starts, including both starts this year. He is from the first crop of Mineshaft, and like Fierce Wind, was co-bred by William S. Farish in Kentucky.

Ed DeRosa is news editor of Thoroughbred Times