Fountain of Youth Stakes

The Fountain of Youth Stakes is a Grade 2 horse race for three-year-olds held annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Inaugurated in 1945, the race covers 1 1/16 miles on a left-handed dirt track and serves as a pivotal prep race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, offering qualifying points to the top finishers. Notable past winners include Tim Tam, Spectacular Bid, and Thunder Gulch, who each went on to achieve significant success in Triple Crown races

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Location: Gulfstream Park, Hallandale Beach, FL

Inaugural Race: 1945

TV Coverage: Stream live on TwinSpires.com!

Current Distance: 1 1/16 Miles (8 1/2 furlongs)

Track Type: Left-Handed, Dirt

Age Qualification: 3YO

Purse: $400,000

Race Date: Saturday, March 1st

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Fountain of Youth Stakes Morning Line Odds & Entries

Official race entries and morning line odds will be posted here as soon as available.

2024 Fountain of Youth Stakes Results

POST
HORSE
JOCKEY / TRAINER
WIN / PLACE / SHOW
5
Dornoch
Luis Saez / Danny Gargan
$2.40 / $2.10 / $2.10
2
Le Dom Bro
Edwin Gonzalez / Eniel Cordero
$7.40 / $3.40
7
Frankie's Empire
Miguel Angel Vasquez / Michael Yates
$2.60
4
Real Macho
Tyler Gaffalione / Rohan Crichton
9
Dancing Groom
Javier Castellano / Antonio Sano

Exotic Payoffs:

  • $1 Exacta (5-2) Paid: $8.40
  • $0.50 Trifecta (5-2-7) Paid: $11.40
  • $0.10 Superfecta (5-2-7-4) Paid: $3.62

Watch the 2024 Fountain of Youth Stakes

History of the Fountain of Youth Stakes

The first real major test for 3-year-olds on the Road to the Kentucky Derby is the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2). The race is run annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, FL just North of Miami Beach. The race is open to 3-year-olds going a distance of 1 1/16 miles (8.5 furlongs). It currently offers a purse of $400,000 and is the final stakes prep to the Florida Derby. The Fountain of Youth serves as an official prep race for the Kentucky Derby, and the top-5 finishers are awarded Derby qualifying points (50-20-15-10-5). The winner earns a spot in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby.

What makes the Fountain of Youth such an important race is not only does the winner get to run in the Kentucky Derby, but historically speaking it is a proven foundation for race horses that go on to be stallions. A typical stallion impregnates 100-125 mares a year, and a proven stallion can collect stud fees upwards of 10-plus years.

The race was named for the mythical Florida spring that granted eternal youth. The race was inaugurated in 1945, and the 1 1/16 mile race record holder is 1978 winner Sensitive Prince (1:41.00). In 2005 the race was changed to a distance of 1 1/8 miles, and Eskenderaya (2010) set the record with a time of 1:48.87. In 2012, it was changed back to the 1 1/16 mile distance.

Jockey John Velazquez has won the race a record five times (2007, 2009, 2010, 2013, and 2019), and trainer Todd Plecher has won the race a record four times (2007, 2010, 2015, 2023).

In the past 25 years, just one Fountain of Youth winner has gone on to win the Kentucky Derby, Orb (2013). One other was victorious in a Triple Crown race when Union Rags (2012) won the Belmont Stakes. Thunder Gulch (1995) won the Fountain of Youth, Kentucky Derby (25-1) and Belmont Stakes.

All-Time Results of Fountain of Youth Stakes

Year
Winner
Jockey / Trainer
Dist. (Miles) (Furlongs) / Time
2024
Dornoch
Luis Saez / Danny Gargan
1-1/16 M / 1:43.64
2023
Forte
Irad Ortiz, Jr. / Todd A. Pletcher
1-1/16 M / 1:43.12
2022
Simplification
Jose L. Ortiz / Antonio Sano
1-1/16 M / 1:44.04
2021
Greatest Honour
Jose L. Ortiz / Claude R. McGaughey III
1-1/16 M / 1:44.02
2020
Ete Indien
Florent Geroux / Patrick Biancone
1-1/16 M / 1:43.02
2019
Code of Honor
John Velazquez / C. R. McGaughey III
1-1/16 M / 1:43.85
2018
Promises Fulfilled
Irad Ortiz Jr. / Dale Romans
1-1/16 M / 1:44.17
2017
Gunnevera
Javier Castellano / Antonio Sano
1-1/16 M / 1:44.25
2016
Mohaymen
Junior Alvarado / Kiaran McLaughlin
1-1/16 M / 1:42.84
2015
Itsaknockout †
Luis Saez / Todd A. Pletcher
1-1/16 M / 1:46.28

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