The 80th running of the$425,000, Grade 2 Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes Saturday at Gulfstream Park has attracted a strong field seeking valuable qualifying points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve. A total of 105 points will be distributed to the top five finishers on a 50-25-15-10-5 scale, further solidifying the Fountain of Youth as one of the more established Derby preps on the calendar. Since 1991, five Kentucky Derby winners have emerged from this race. Go for Gin (1994) and Mage (2023) competed in the Fountain of Youth prior to their Derby triumphs, while Thunder Gulch (1995), Orb (2013), and Sovereignty (2025) completed the Fountain of Youth and Derby double. This year’s edition brings together a particularly promising group of 3-year-olds, including four undefeated entrants and a field in which more than half the runners have recorded a victory by five lengths or more. The race shapes up as a deep and competitive wagering opportunity as we approach the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby.
Here’s a look at the field from the inside post position out:
Jackson Hole, a son of Nyquist who was purchased for $1.3 million as a yearling, is undefeated from two starts for trainer Todd Pletcher and is fresh off a 5 ½ length dominating win at the allowance optional claiming level at Fair Grounds on Jan. 17. John Velazquez will be reunited for the first time since their debut maiden special weight win together at Gulfstream. Rockies Balboa has won his last two starts, both at Gulfstream, by a combined winning margin of 10 ¾ lengths for trainer Dale Romans and will have a jockey switch to Luis Saez. Talkin will be withdrawn from the Fountain of Youth and point to the ESMARK Tampa Bay Derby March 7, according to a report in the Daily Racing Form. Commandment romped by 6 ¾ lengths in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes for the Brad Cox stable last time out. Irad Ortiz Jr. retains the mount. Bravaro, the first of three Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained entrants, finished runner-up to Nearly last time out in the Holy Bull Stakes in his two-turn debut. Tyler Gaffalione is back aboard. Chief Wallabee, the most lightly raced colt in the field with just one start, won his career debut at Gulfstream on Jan. 10 by 1 ½ lengths going seven furlongs on the main track. The Bill Mott trainee by Constitution will have Junior Alvarado back aboard. Napoleon Solo will be making his first start since his 6 ½-length victory in the Champagne Stakes back on Oct. 4 at Belmont at the Big A for trainer Chad Summers. Kendrick Carmouche will travel from New York to ride for the first time since their maiden win together at Saratoga in August. Bull by the Horns, Joseph Jr.’s second entrant, won over the Gulfstream dirt by 6 ½ lengths in his second career start and is coming off a third-place finish last time out at the allowance optional claiming level at Tampa Bay Downs. Micah Husbands, who was aboard his first two starts, will be reunited with the Essential Quality colt. Global Aviator was scratched from the Fountain of Youth Feb. 26 due to a bone bruise. Solitude Dude, the third Joseph Jr. entrant, is undefeated from three career starts by a combined winning margin of 21 ¼ lengths including back-to-back stakes wins. The Yaupon colt will be making his fourth career start with different jockey as Flavien Prat is named to ride for the first time. The lone maiden in the group, Lost Money, rounds out the field for trainer Juan Arias with Javier Castellano first-time riding. The Street Sense colt has made all three career starts at Gulfstream.
Analysis and Main Contenders:
Solitude Dude has displayed significant talent through his first three starts. He debuted at Gulfstream on Nov. 1 in a 6 ½-furlong maiden special weight race, drawing off by 9 ½ lengths while earning a 94 Equibase Speed Figure. He followed that effort with consecutive stakes victories, beginning with the Inaugural Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, where he was ridden out to an eight-length score timed at 1:09.07 for six furlongs, just 0.40 seconds shy of the track record, and posted a career-best and best-in-this-field 101 Equibase figure. In his most recent outing, Solitude Dude returned to Gulfstream and stretched out to seven furlongs in the Swale Stakes, once again finishing strongly to win by 3 ¾ lengths with a 96 Equibase figure. Although Solitude Dude does not have a strong route pedigree, there were encouraging signs in the Swale. Runner-up Class President was already a proven route winner, yet Solitude Dude completed the final furlong nearly a half-second faster and recorded the highest average miles per hour in the final eighth of the race (34.62), accompanied by a strong gallop-out. Stretching out to a two-turn test at the Fountain of Youth’s 1 1/16 miles presents the primary question for this colt, but Solitude Dude owns the highest Late Pace rating in the field at 112.0, more than 10 points higher than any other entrant, indicating he possesses the finishing strength to carry his speed over the added distance. While Irad Ortiz Jr. opts to ride Commandment, Solitude Dude secures a more than capable replacement with Flavien Prat. Over the past year, Prat has won at a 35% clip with horses making their first route attempt on dirt and has a 76% top-three strike rate from 46 mounts. Though unproven at the distance, Solitude Dude’s powerful closing metrics, superior late pace and highest average class and speed in this race suggest he has the tools to handle 1 1/16 miles in graded company.
Although he was second best in the Holy Bull Stakes last time out, Bravaro has the profile of a colt capable of taking a significant step forward in the Fountain of Youth, particularly given his running style in a field loaded with early speed. In the Holy Bull, Bravaro finished 5 ¾ lengths behind Nearly but was 2 ¾ lengths clear of third-place finisher Project Ace despite enduring a wide trip around both turns. He covered 5,687 feet in the race (5,610 feet for 1 1/16 miles), the most ground of any runner in the race and was still able to run second best. That effort, combined with the valuable two-turn experience he gained, could prove pivotal in this spot. The Holy Bull has historically been a key prep for this race, producing 10 Fountain of Youth winners since 1999, including three in the last six years. Bravaro has trained sharply since that runner-up finish, posting a bullet four-furlong drill in 47.35 seconds in his first work back and most recently a five-furlong breeze in 1:00.70 on Feb. 20 at Palm Meadows. The New York-bred son of Upstart began his career at Belmont at the Big A running at the state level in his first two starts, winning a six-furlong dirt sprint by a length before stretching out to win the Sleepy Hollow Stakes by 2 ½ lengths at a one-turn mile distance. Tyler Gaffalione retains the mount, and his partnership with trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. has been quite successful in all races at Gulfstream over the past three years, as they’ve combined to win at a 27% clip from 127 starts and post a 64% top-three rate, with those numbers improving in dirt routes. With proven two-turn experience, the ability to step up in open graded company, and strong recent works, Bravaro appears well positioned to improve upon his Holy Bull performance and offers appeal as a contender to win or finish in the top three at an attractive price.
While Commandment finished fourth by 5 ¼ lengths on career debut in a six-furlong maiden special weight race at Keeneland in early October, the Into Mischief colt bounced right back less than a month later to score his first win by 5 ¼ lengths, stretching out to seven furlongs at Churchill Downs and improving from a 76 to an 80 Equibase figure. After a two-month layoff, Commandment took another step forward in the one-turn mile Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream on Jan. 3. Under Irad Ortiz Jr., he split horses at the top of the stretch before drawing off by 6 ¾ lengths, earning a career-best 93 Equibase figure. He now stretches out an additional half-furlong for his first two-turn test. Encouragingly, progeny of Into Mischief win at a 23% and finish 49% in the money in their second dirt route over the past three years (43 wins from 191 starts). Combined with Commandment’s ability to draw clear by more than five lengths in each of his last two starts, his pedigree and progression suggest the added distance should be within reach. Ortiz Jr.’s decision to remain aboard is another positive. He leads all riders at the current Gulfstream meet by wins and has scored at 33% over the past year with horses making their second start at a route distance on dirt. Trainer Brad Cox and Ortiz Jr. have also teamed up effectively at Gulfstream over the past three years as well, winning at a 28% clip while finishing in the money 72% of the time. Overall, Commandment enters his graded stakes debut with upward form, strong connections, and a pedigree that indicates he can handle the two-turn challenge, making him a major contender in this spot.
The rest of the field, with their best Equibase Speed figures in similar races, is Jackson Hole (81), Rockies Balboa (85), Talkin (88), Chief Wallabee (91), Napoleon Solo (99), Bull by the Horns (79), Global Aviator (80) and Lost Money (81).
Win Contenders in Preference Order:
Solitude Dude
Bravaro
Commandment
