(Edited Gulfstream Park report)

Robert LaPenta’s 4-year-old Cool Coal Man, winner of last year’s renewal of the Fountain of Youth Stakes (Grade 2) for trainer Nick Zito, breezed a half-mile in 49 flat Saturday morning as he prepares for his second start this season following a sharp allowance victory here going 6½ furlongs on Jan. 28.

The son of Mineshaft went on to finish 15th behind Big Brown in the Kentucky Derby (rade 1) and third behind that rival in the Haskell Invitational (Grade 1) at Monmouth Park. Cool Coal Man is targeted for the one-mile, $300,000 Gulfstream Park Handicap (Grade 2) to be run Saturday, March 14.

Also notable on the busy Saturday morning tab at Palm Meadows and pointing for an upcoming graded-stakes here was Livin the Dream Stable’s 3-year-old filly Dream Empress, timed five furlongs in 1:00:85 for trainer Ken McPeek . Her seasonal debut is expected to come in the $150,000 Herecomesthebride Stakes (Grade 3) on Sunday, March 15.

A daughter of Bernstein, Dream Empress won the Alcibiades Stakes (Grade 1) at Keeneland in her third career start last year before a strong runner-up finish behind Eclipse champion Stardom Bound in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (Grade 1) at Santa Anita on Oct. 24. Dream Empress ran once more as a 2-year-old finishing a disappointing fourth as the favorite in the Golden Rod Stakes (Grade 2) at Churchill Downs on Nov. 29.

PATENA CLEARING ‘ISSUES’ ON WAY TO LOUISIANA DERBY

IEAH Stables’ 3-year-old colt Patena passed an important test Saturday morning with an easy six-furlong workout at Gulfstream Park that will keep him on the path to starting in the $600,000 Louisiana Derby (Grade 2) on Saturday, March 14 at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans.

The son of Seeking the Gold has been in training with trainer Rick Dutrow at Gulfstream Park since January following a private purchase by the same connections who brought you last year’s Florida Derby (Grade 1), Kentucky Derby (Grade 1) and Preakness Stakes (Grade 1) winner Big Brown.

Dutrow says he has been working Patena through different ailments since receiving the winner of Woodbine’s Display Stakes last December and the runner-up in the Fair Grounds’ Lecomte Stakes (Grade 3) in his last start on Jan. 10 into his barn.

“When we got him here we wanted to go to work on some hind-end issues and try to help him put some weight on,” said Dutrow Saturday morning. “He had been coughing for about 10 days. Today was the first day he scoped completely clean. We’ve been clearing different issues, and it seems to all be coming together.”

Exercise rider/jockey Mario Madrid was aboard for the breeze which Gulfstream clockers caught in 1:15 3/5.

“Mario told me that he pulled him to every pole this morning,” said Dutrow. “He was very happy with him. We’ve got one more breeze to go here and then we will fly to New Orleans on the 12th. I’m under the impression we are right on target.”

Dutrow started his Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) morning before the sun was up in order to send Paul Pompa Jr. and partners’ This Ones for Phil for a blowout through the stretch ahead of his highly-anticipated run in Saturday’s one-mile 3-year-old test.

“I got him out there before anybody could see him,” said Dutrow. “He’s great.”

Dutrow expects jockey Edgar Prado and This Ones for Phil to get a great trip just off the expected fast pace of the Fountain of Youth.

When asked if the gelded son of Untuttable could be keyed up early by stretching out from his victory in the six-furlong Sunshine Millions Dash last time out, Dutrow points to the rapport between horse and rider and smiles.

“Edgar gets on him and it looks like they are best friends,” he said. “I can’t see them getting in any arguments now.”