Hear No Evil’s sophomore colt Jackson Bend continued on his road to the Kentucky Derby with a strong second place finish in Gulfstream Park's Fountain of Youth (G2) on Feb. 20. This race comes on the heels of a very good race in the Holy Bull (G3), where he was also second.

The Fountain of Youth figured to be a much tougher race on paper than the Holy Bull. But Jackson Bend was already proven around two turns, winning the Florida Stallion Series In Reality Stakes last October at Calder. In the Fountain of Youth, Jackson Bend broke alertly under Jeremy Rose, who kept him outside of traffic problems that occurred in the first turn. He moved to the front with the eventual winner Eskendereya on the turn, and though he didn't threaten for the top spot, he held second well, earning a solid Beyer Speed Figure of 92.

Trained by two-time Kentucky Derby winner Nick Zito, Jackson Bend swept the three FSS series of stakes at Calder last year as a 2-year-old. His overall record now stands at 5-3-0 in eight starts, with earnings of $557,820 for owners Jacks or Better Farm and Robert LaPenta. He figures to move on to the Florida Derby(G1), Gulfstream's premier Kentucky Derby prep, on Mar. 20.