Kentucky Derby Contenders: War Pass Profile

Early Kentucky Derby favorite War Pass Sunday picked up his fifth straight win at the $60,000 allowance race at Gulfstream Park. Owner Robert LaPenta and trainer Nick Zito both agreed the 2007 Eclipse Award winner never looked better or happier.

"He's a very happy horse," Jockey Cornelio Velasquez said. "He's the best horse in the country right now. He's better than last year, he galloped out really strong. He wanted to win today."

Zito showed obvious signs of relief following the race.

"You still have anxiety no matter how you look at it," the Hall of Famer said. "When horses haven't run for a long time, there are injuries every day, so I know how grateful I am.

"He's unbelievable. That's what we wanted for him. Three weeks from now (Tampa Bay Derby [G3] on March 15), it will be a little tougher. I was happy for the fans. I'm a fan myself. I'm grateful to Gulfstream Park for putting the race on. He broke like a rocket. It would have been nice if he had sat back, but as long as he keeps winning, I'm happy. He's a special horse, he really is."

With the win War Pass added $36,000 to his earnings, which now stands at $1,433,400.

A winner in maiden and allowances/optional claiming races at Saratoga to start his career, the colt dominated both the Champagne S. (G1) and Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) en route to earning champion honors. He has won his five lifetime tries by a combined 22 lengths and has yet to be headed at any call.

An allowance race is a non-claiming event (horses are not for sale) intended either for younger horses not yet ready for stakes competition.

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