HALLANDALE, Fla. -- With smashing victories in his first two races, 3-year-old phenom Pulpit has taken the racing world by storm this winter, going from a virtual unknown to an early favorite for May's Kentucky Derby.
Almost as quickly, however, a backlash of equal proportions has gripped South Florida's Gulfstream Park, dividing the betting public into Pulpit-boasters and Pulpit-bashers. There is virtually no in-between.
Thus, the stage is set for Saturday's Grade II Fountain of Youth Stakes, a prep for next month's Florida Derby. Pulpit is a 5-2 favorite, though the front-running colt has never raced against anything remotely close to the field he will battle for 1 1/16 miles Saturday.
"All this media attention doesn't bother me, but it's not entirely fair to the horse," said meet-leading jockey Shane Sellers, who only added to Pulpit's mystique by leaving another Kentucky Derby favorite, Acceptable, to ride Pulpit in the Fountain of Youth. "They're making him a favorite, saying this and that, calling him 'The next Cigar.' People need to understand this horse only broke his maiden and won a conditional allowance. He does have talent, but we just have to give him a chance to show it."
COMPARING PULPIT TO CIGAR, arguably the greatest horse this half-century, is indeed a stretch. And it's that type of hype that has caused many to leap off the Pulpit bandwagon.
One local newspaper asked the following question in a preview for the Fountain of Youth -- "Pulpit: Freak or fraud?"
Frank Brothers, who trains Pulpit for Claiborne Farm, described the furor surrounding Pulpit as "incredible."
Sellers is equally astonished.
"I've never seen anything like this," said the 30-year-old Sellers. "I've been riding for 15 years, and I've never seen it."
Pulpit's first two victories have been impressive -- each charted as the fastest time for that distance at the meet. The bay colt has incredible starting speed and has used it to put away his competition early. At Gulfstream, it's extremely difficult to come from off the pace.
But there will be at least two other colts challenging Pulpit for the lead Saturday: 5-to-1 Arthur L., and 6-1 Confide. Also near the pace will be 3-1 Acceptable, the colt owned by George Steinbrenner, which Sellers jilted after riding to two earlier victories. Acceptable will be ridden Saturday by Jerry Bailey.
THOUGH SELLERS WOULD LOVE to set the pace, he has no intentions of getting tangled in a speed duel. Arthur L., ridden by John Velazquez, will leave from the rail, Pulpit has the No. 2 position, and Confide, ridden by Mike Smith, is running from the No. 9 spot.
"I've got speed on the inside of me, speed on the outside, and my horse has speed," Sellers said. "Arthur L's going (for the top), I know that. Confide's gonna be going too. But if they want to get in front of me, they'll have to get on their bicycles. If I want to, I can put them away early. But I have to be smart. I want to give my horse the best chance to win.
"If I let them get the top, can I get him back and win? I don't know that yet. We'll find out (Saturday)."
Win or lose in the Fountain of Youth, Pulpit's first stakes race likely won't be the final chapter in this colt's story. A victory will only drive Pulpit-mania further out of control. A loss may dampen the bettors' enthusiasm, but it would take a disastrous effort to quash Sellers' confidence.
"Some of these other horses are at their peak, but this horse hasn't reached his peak yet," Sellers said. "He doesn't have to win this race. If he runs second or third and does it the right way, I'll know we have something very special on our hands. Acceptable might win this race, but it doesn't mean he's the better horse. We'll find that out five, six or seven races down the line."
Ira Schoffel is a sportswriter on SportsLine USA's staff.
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