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: $415,000

Race Date: Saturday, March 1st

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Race Type

Fountain of Youth Stakes Morning Line Odds & Entries

Post
Horse
Trainer / Jockey
ML Odds
1
Gate to Wire
Todd A. Pletcher / Dylan Davis
6-1
2
Sovereignty
William I. Mott / Junior Alvarado
3-1
3
Burnham Square
Ian R. Wilkes / Edgard J. Zayas
5-2
4
McKellen
Jose D’Angelo / Tyler Gaffalione
30-1
5
Solid Left
Brian Lynch / Luis Saez
20-1
6
River Thames
Todd Pletcher / John Velazquez
2-1
7
Neoequos
Saffie Joseph Jr. / Irad Ortiz Jr.
10-1
8
Keep It Easy
Dale Romans / Corey Lanerie
8-1

2025 Fountain of Youth Stakes Results

POST
HORSE
JOCKEY / TRAINER
WIN / PLACE / SHOW
2
Sovereignty
Junior Alvarado / William I. Mott
$8.40 / $4.00 / $3.00
6
River Thames
John R. Velazquez / Todd A. Pletcher
$3.80 / $3.00
7
Neoequos
Irad Ortiz, Jr. / Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.
$4.60
3
Burnham Square
Edgard J. Zayas / Ian R. Wilkes
1
Gate to Wire
Dylan Davis / Todd A. Pletcher
8
Keep It Easy
Corey J. Lanerie / Dale L. Romans

Exotic Payoffs:

  • $1.00 Exacta (2-6) Paid: $15.30
  • $0.50 Trifecta (2-6-7) Paid: $68.45
  • $0.10 Superfecta (2-6-7-3) Paid: $26.99

Watch the 2025 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 $415,000 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).

Two Fountain of Youth winner have gone on to win the Kentucky Derby in the last 30 years. The first being Thunder Gulch, who won the Fountain of Youth, Kentucky Derby (25-1) and the Belmont Stakes in 1995, followed by Orb (2013). Both Union Rags (2012) and Dornoch (2024) have won the Belmont Stakes.

All-Time Results of Fountain of Youth Stakes

Year
Winner
Jockey / Trainer
Dist. (Miles) (Furlongs) / Time
2025
Sovereignty
Sample Data
1-1/16 M / 1:43.12
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

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