HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. -   Add another horse, El Padrino, to trainer Todd Pletcher’s steadily growing list of Kentucky Derby prospects.

El Padrino may have actually moved to the top of that list following his extremely impressive two-length victory over Take Charge Indy on a good and sealed racetrack Sunday at Gulfstream Park. The entry-level allowance race was the first start for El Padrino since his third- place finish in the Grade 2 Remsen two months earlier.

El Padrino, who was ridden to victory by Javier Castellano, completed 1 1/16  miles  in 1:42.68. His final time was the fastest at the distance during the meet and more than two seconds faster than Revron’s final clocking winning the Gulfstream Park Derby on New Year’s Day. 

“He’s a nice colt,” Pletcher said in the winner’s circle after the race. “We thought a lot of him right from the start. I told Javier to make sure he had his attention into the first turn and that it may take him some time for him to put in his run.”

El Padrino raced within easy striking of the early leaders while saving ground through the opening six furlongs, waited to launch his bid, as Pletcher predicted, on the final bend before wearing down Take Charge Indy in late stretch to win going away. Take Charge Indy, making his first start since finishing fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, drew out to a commanding lead entering the stretch but proved no match for the winner while finishing more than 13 lengths clear of the others in what amounted to a two-horse race.

“He broke his maiden over a sloppy track during a snowstorm at Aqueduct so we figured he’d handle it fine although I’d have preferred to have had a dry track today,” said Pletcher. “We could keep him here for the Fountain of Youth or take him to Tampa. It depends on how we decide to keep our 3-year-olds separated this winter. We have a lot of options.”

Barbara D. Livingston

El Padrino joins trainer Todd Pletcher's list of Triple Crown candidates by winning a two-turn allowance Sunday at Gulfstream Park.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Eclipse Award winner Hansen may have been the center of attention, but it was Algorithms who stole the show in Sunday’s $400,000 Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park, cruising to an easy five-length victory over the reigning 2-year-old champion in the first major local prep on the Kentucky Derby trail.               

Barbara D. Livingston

Algorithms, ridden by Javier Castellano, cruises to a five-length win over Juvenile champion Hansen in Sunday's Holy Bull.

Algorithms completed yet another memorable afternoon at Gulfstream for trainer Todd Pletcher, who earlier had sent out Broadway’s Alibi to a sensational 16 3/4-length triumph in the Grade 2 Forward Gal, and El Padrino, another of his top 3-year-old prospects, to an impressive entry-level allowance win around two turns.

Algorithms, a son of Bernardini, entered the one-mile Holy Bull undefeated in two starts and with an allowance win over the track.  With regular rider Javier Castellano aboard, Algorithms broke alertly from his outside post, then rated nicely off the pace of Hansen, who stumbled briefly leaving the gate before assuming his customary position on the lead.

Algorithms chased the favorite into the stretch and overtook the leader nearing the eighth pole before drawing away with complete authority. Hansen proved no match for the winner but managed to hold off the late-running My Adonis by a length to finish second.

Fort Loudon, Silver Max, and Consortium rounded out the complete order of finish.

Algorithms ($7) ran a mile over the sloppy track in 1:36.17.

“We knew we were going to find out where we stood with this horse running against the 2-year-old champ,” said Pletcher, who trains Algorithms for Starlight Racing. “We had the benefit of a good post and a race over the track, and overall I was very, very pleased with his effort. We didn’t know for sure how he’d handle the racetrack but his pedigree suggested he would. He was on his toes leaving the paddock but relaxed well for us. He’s by Bernardini and so far he hasn’t shown any distance limitations.” 

Pletcher, who has more than a handful of potential Kentucky Derby candidates in his barn at the moment, said he remains undecided where or when Algorithms would return.

“You can never have enough good 2-year-olds in this business,” said Pletcher. “Now we have Discreet Dancer and Algorithms who are 2 for 2 over this track but you hate to run them against each other.”

Trainer Mike Maker said he was pleased with Hansen’s performance even in defeat.

“He stumbled, popped up, and jumped right into the bit,” said Maker. “He was a little head-strong and fresh but other than that it was a good effort.”

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The way Broadway’s Alibi worked one week prior to Sunday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Forward Gal Stakes, trainer Todd Pletcher was expecting a good performance from his 3-year-old filly in the sprint stakes.

He wasn’t expecting she would win by almost 17 lengths.

Taking the lead soon after the start under John Velazquez, Broadway’s Alibi splashed her way to a 16 3/4-length victory over Say a Novena in the Forward Gal run in the slop at Gulfstream Park.

It was the third straight victory for Broadway’s Alibi and part of a three-win day for Pletcher, who one race later took the Grade 3, $400,000 Holy Bull for 3-year-old males with Algorithms. Pletcher also won an allowance race with the 3-year-old El Padrino.

Broadway’s Alibi, a daughter of Vindication, is owned by Joyce Robsham who is now 8 for 14 at the meet with three stakes wins. On Saturday, Robsham won the Florida Sunshine Millions Sprint with Soaring Stocks.

 “I thought her final breeze before this was the best she ever moved,” Pletcher said of Broadway’s Alibi. “I felt like she was coming up to it really well, but I didn’t expect her to blow the field away like that. She obviously didn’t mind the slop either; kind of ran them off their feet from the gate.”

 Broadway’s Alibi drilled a quarter in 22.35 seconds, a half-mile 44.94, six furlongs in 1:09.18,  and completed seven furlongs in 1:21.94. She returned $4.40 as the 6-5 favorite.

 Broadway’s Alibi won despite drifting out again in the stretch, something she did in an allowance win here earlier in the meet.

 “She started looking into the infield, I guess it’s just a habit, I don’t know why she does it,” Velazquez said. “I didn’t get into her mouth, but she still drifted out. I gave her a little tap just to make sure she kept running. She’s so fast I didn’t want to fight her.”

 Say a Novena, who stalked Broadway’s Alibi from the outset, finished second by two lengths over Old Hat Stakes winner Sacristy. Yara, Quick Flip, and Good Deed completed the order of finish.

 Pletcher said he would look to keep Broadway’s Alibi in races run around one turn. Without anymore one-turn sprint stakes at Gulfstream, one possibility for a potential next start could be the Grade 3, $150,000 Cicada at Aqueduct on March 10.

Barbara D. Livingston

Broadway's Alibi, under John Velazquez, cruises to a 16 3/4-length victory over a sloppy track in the Forward Gal.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. -  It isn’t normal operating procedure for Todd Pletcher to run a horse back on just 16 days’ rest. But the multiple Eclipse Award-winning trainer pressed his good luck at this meeting with Soaring Stocks and the move paid off with a half-length victory in the $150,000 Florida Sunshine Millions sprint at Gulfstream Park.

Despite getting off a step slowly - something Pletcher felt actually benefited the colt - Soaring Stocks rallied past pacesetting Royal Currier inside the sixteenth pole and held off longshot Cajun Breeze to win. Cajun Breeze rallied from seventh to get second by a neck over Royal Currier.

They were followed in the order of finish by Zero Rate Policy, It’s Never to Late, Madman Diaries, 9-5 favorite Apriority, and Ribo Bobo.

Soaring Stocks was running back just 16 days after winning a first-level allowance race here on Jan. 12. Pletcher said the fact he had two other sprinters for the same owner - Joyce Robsham - eligible for the second-level allowance condition, and how well the horse came out of his last race factored into why he ran in this spot.

Under John Velazquez, Soaring Stocks broke slowly and was last two jumps into the race. He quickly recovered and Velazquez put Soaring Stocks into third and three wide down the backside.

Royal Currier set the pace under Ramon Dominguez, going a quarter in 22.02 seconds and a half-mile in 44.19, while being chased by Madman Diaries.

Soaring Stocks moved into second approaching the quarter pole and persevered past Royal Currier inside the sixteenth pole. Soaring Stocks, a 4-year-old son of Trippi, covered the six furlongs in 1:09.49 - .54 of a second slower than Its Me Mom ran six furlongs in the Filly and Mare Sprint - and returned $11.

 “He broke just slowly enough that it put him in just the right spot,’’ Pletcher said. “One of the things we were concerned about is he’s still a lightly-raced horse. He hasn’t had a lot of dirt in his face and we know he’s got tactical speed. We didn’t  know if he was as fast as some of these other horses. We were a little concerned about getting in a position where he gets a lot of dirt in his face. We were able to hustle him just into that spot behind the main speed, which is where we wanted to be.”

Apriority, who had been 3 for 3 at Gulfstream, including a victory in the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector last out, never fired under Luis Saez and finished seventh, beaten 10 lengths.

“He said he had nothing,’’ trainer David Fawkes said. “He said at the three-eighths pole he had no horse. We’ll scope him and see.”

Bob Coglianese

Soaring Stocks, returning 16 days after winning a first-level allowance, takes the Sunshine Millions Sprint under John Velazquez.

Inheriting both the rail post and the role of favorite after the scratch of stablemate Katy Now, Love and Pride ($3.90) set a slow pace on a merry-go-round racetrack to wire the Affectionately Stakes easily over four pursuers at Aqueduct on Saturday.

Adam Coglianese/NYRA

Love and Pride, with Cornelio Velasquez riding, wins the Affectionately.

Once morning-line choice Katy Now was scratched, Todd Pletcher's barn was represented by only Love and Pride. Her connections, and her many backers, never had an anxious moment.

Love and Pride out-sprinted Indian Burn in the run to the first turn - while Bahama Bound, Orbiston Parva, and Bahia Beach all broke tardily - and proceeded to lay down measured opening fractions of 24.92 and 49.41 seconds beneath Cornelio Velasquez.

After that, it seemed just a matter of what the final margin would be, and Love and Pride ran up the score through the stretch to report home by seven lengths, running 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.90 seconds as the sixth wire-to-wire winner from the day's first eight races.

"We had the idea of going to the lead, and obviously with the scratch of Katy Now she was the controlling speed," said assistant trainer Michael McCarthy. "It looks like she could be promising. It kind of depends on what mood she's in when she comes over here. She's not difficult, but soft fractions make a big difference for her."

Bahia Beach, the Charles Town invader who leapt at the break to come out slowest of all, outfinished Bahama Bound for the runner-up spot by 2 1/4 lengths.

Indian Burn was fourth. Orbiston Parva, the 2-1 second choice, finished last after attempting to rally wide from off the pace.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Todd Pletcher said he thought Silver Medallion would be close to or even on the lead in Saturday’s $100,000 Ft. Lauderdale. Instead, he watched as his steadily improving 4-year-old rallied from next to last to a neck victory over Yummy with Butter in the Grade 3 turf fixture at Gulfstream Park.

Silver Medallion was allowed to settle near the rear of the 12-horse field under jockey Javier Castellano as Yummy With Butter cut out a somewhat leisurely pace in the 1 1/16-mile turf race. Yummy With Butter posted splits of 24.40 seconds, 49.24 and 1:13.64 for six furlongs, with the 9-5 favorite Mutual Trust in close pursuit. Silver Medallion unleashed his rally exiting the backstretch, steadily picked off rivals one by one while five wide around the final turn, then continued strongly despite being bumped near midstretch to wear down the leader and win going away.

Yummy With Butter held gamely to finish second but was disqualified and placed sixth for ducking out under left-handed pressure to bump Mutual Trust and force him into Silver Medallion at midstretch. Hollinger outfinished the others and was placed second, with Kindergarten Kid elevated to third as a result of the disqualification.

Silver Medallion, who won the Grade 3 Tropical Park Derby at Calder in his previous start, is owned by the Black Rock Stables. He returned $9.80 after covering 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.04 over a firm course.

“I anticipated he’d be closer to the pace or maybe even on the lead since there wasn’t much speed in the field,” said Pletcher. “But he didn’t get away well and Javier had a decision to make, and he decided to take him back. He put in a big run, a three-eighths of a mile run. It was a big effort.”

Pletcher said Silver Medallion’s next start would come in the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap on Feb. 11.

Adam Coglianese/Gulfstream Park

Silver Medallion, Javier Castellano aboard, outgames Yummy With Butter to win the Grade 3 Fort Lauderdale on Saturday.

Barbara D. Livingston

Drosselmeyer led all North American horses with 2011 earnings of $2,927,000.

There were familiar names at the top of the national leader board in 2011.

Trainer Todd Pletcher’s stable led the nation in earnings with $17,186,956, his sixth title and second consecutive title in that category. Pletcher, 44, won his first career earnings title in 2004. His 2011 earnings were far below the $23.1 million his stable earned in 2010, but high enough to surpass Steve Asmussen ($16,287,685), Bob Baffert ($14,504,834), Bill Mott ($10,731,249), and Graham Motion ($8,818,283) who rounded out the top five.

Asmussen’s massive stable led the nation’s trainers in wins, with 348, the eighth time he has led that category. Asmussen has been the nation’s winningest trainer for the last five years. His first title came in 2002.

Asmussen, 46, won 506 races in 2010 and an astonishing 650 races in 2009. His 2011 total beat Jamie Ness (330), Pletcher (254), Jerry Hollendorfer (251), and Karl Broberg (243).

Jockeys Ramon Dominguez and Deshawn Parker defended their titles in the money earned and races won categories, enjoying seasons with higher figures than 2010.

Dominguez, 35, had mounts that earned $20,564,822. He won his first money-winning title in 2010 with $16,911,880.

For 2011, Dominguez was the only rider to surpass $20 million. He was followed by John Velazquez ($18,622,964), Javier Castellano ($15,675,977), Joel Rosario ($15,633,292), and Rafael Bejarano ($14,922,701).

West Virginia-based Parker won 400 races, finishing well clear of Dominguez, who was second with 348 victories. Parker, 40, won the most races for the second consecutive year, surpassing the 377 he won in 2010.

In 2011, Leandro Goncalves was third with 298 wins, followed by Russell Baze (295) and Castellano (275).

Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Drosselmeyer led all horses with 2011 earnings of $2,927,000. Distorted Humor was the leading stallion by progeny earnings with $9,684,369.

Midwest Thoroughbreds, operated by Richard and Karen Papiese, led all owners with 418 wins and earnings of $6,307,278. Midwest Thoroughbreds was followed on the earnings list by Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey ($44,890,581), WinStar Farm ($4,577,434), George and Lori Hall ($4,117,162) and Zayat Stables ($3,896,839).