Fountain of Youth Stakes

Within the past three months, the purses for all three Triple Crown races have been raised. Paradoxically, this increase in prize money has coincided with a 2024 prep race season that is uncharacteristically light on emphatic, leap-off-the-page contenders for the GI Kentucky Derby, GI Preakness S., and GI Belmont S. The first weekend in March has traditionally served as a launch pad for sophomores who figure to excel in the spring Classics and beyond. Of all the prep stakes currently carded at 1 1/16 miles, the two that have historically...

Dornoch (Good Magic) pleased Danny Gargan with his victory in Saturday's GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth S. and the trainer said a decision on the colt's next start would likely be made by the end of the week. "He's great. He looked good this morning. He cooled out nice. We're happy with him. He ate up well," Gargan said. "We're pleased with him." Following Dornoch's professional performance as the 1-5 favorite in the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth, Gargan said the 3-year-old full-brother to 2023 GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage...

Siena Farm and WinStar Farm's Speak Easy (Constitution), who had been cross-entered in an optional-claimer Friday, will take his place in the line-up for Saturday's GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream Park. The sophomore debuted with an impressive victory going seven furlongs at the Hallandale oval Jan. 27. He drew the rail and will be facing eight other 3-year-olds in the 1 1/16-miles Fountain of Youth. "We like the post and the way he's been training," trainer Todd Pletcher said Thursday. Irad Ortiz Jr., who was slated to...

Dornoch (Good Magic)'s determined victory in the GII Remsen S. Saturday at Aqueduct has Danny Gargan mapping out possible paths to next year's GI Kentucky Derby, but the trainer admitted his charge has plenty of growing up to do if he is to make it to Churchill Downs on the First Saturday of next May. Dornoch, who set swift fractions in the nine-furlong race Saturday, appeared defeated with a furlong to run when he bumped the rail and allowed Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) to surge past him. But Dornoch battled...

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will be the beneficiary of a special charity Pick 5 wager featured on CNBC during its next stop on the 1/ST Racing Tour Saturday. The upcoming day of coast-to-coast racing features 13 stakes races including the GI Santa Anita H., as well as the GII Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream Park and the GII San Felipe S. at Santa Anita Park. NBC Sports will produce and air a two-hour telecast from 4-6 p.m. (ET) on CNBC. Five of the six stakes broadcast on the show...

Gulfstream Park's upcoming Championship Meet will offer 60 stakes--35 graded--worth $13.6 million. The stakes line up is headlined by the $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational, which will be run Jan. 28, and the $1-million GI Curlin Florida Derby, to be run Apr. 1. Gulfstream's Jan. 28 card will also include the $1-million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational and the $500,000 GIII Pegasus World Cup F/M Turf Invitational, as well as four other graded events. The Florida Derby is the culmination of Gulfstream's series of Triple Crown preps. The series...

Jockey Paco Lopez has been suspended 14 race days after Gulfstream Park stewards found him guilty of careless riding in Saturday's GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S., the track announced Wednesday. The jockey will be on probation through the remainder of the Championship Meet. Lopez was aboard eventual runner-up In Due Time (Not This Time) when the field of 3-year-olds bunched up on the far turn of the Fountain of Youth. In Due Time shifted out, which looked to cause High Oak (Gormley), under Junior Alvarado, to clip heels and...

Tami Bobo's Simplification (Not This Time) came out of his victory in Saturday's GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. in fine shape and will now be aimed at the Apr. 2 GI Curlin Florida Derby. "Yesterday, good break, a little problem in traffic, and when the jockey took him outside, the horse ran well," trainer Antonio Sano said Sunday morning. "I am proud of my horse. I'm happy for all the support the people give to me. I'm happy for another chance to win the GI Kentucky Derby." Simplification earned...

   Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo), the 3-1 morning-line favorite in Saturday's GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream, will be scratched from the race, reports owner Jerry Crawford. His next start will most likely be in the GII Wood Memorial S. Apr. 9 at Aqueduct. Crawford said he and trainer Todd Pletcher were considering scratching after Mo Donegal drew the 12 post for the Fountain of Youth, but the decision became more clear cut after the colt developed a minor virus. "We are going to scratch," Crawford said. "In...

Birthdays with a zero on the end are supposed to be momentous occasions, and 20-year-old Tapit sure knows how to celebrate in style. On Saturday, the Gainesway stallion even supplied the party favors for a double-barreled bash in his honor on the GI Kentucky Derby trail. Exactly two decades after Tapit's Feb. 27, 2001, foaling date, two of his sons delivered sky's-the-limit performances as winning favorites in key 3-year-old prep stakes that firmly established both atop of the current crop of aspirants to wear a blanket of roses on the...

Courtlandt Farm homebred Greatest Honour (Tapit) looked all but hopeless rounding the final bend in Saturday's GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream, but he flew home in the stretch to complete a huge daily double for his sire. The Shug McGaughey trainee's victory came just minutes after returning champion Essential Quality (Tapit) cruised in Oaklawn's GIII Southwest S. Pacesetting Drain the Clock (Maclean's Music) held well for second, beaten 1 1/2 lengths, while longshot Papetu (Dialed In), who briefly looked like the winner, checked in third. It was...

Trainer Patrick Biancone has been down this road before. That is, the road to the Triple Crown. A Grade I winner at two and three, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith's Lion Heart finished second, 2 3/4 lengths behind victor Smarty Jones in the 2004 GI Kentucky Derby. Fast forward to 2020, Biancone has not one but two chances to go one better on the first Saturday in May. Few will argue that the current star of the barn is recent GIII Sam F. Davis S. scorer Sole Volante (Karakontie {Jpn}),...