Fountain of Youth Stakes


The Fountain of Youth Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida in late February. A Grade II event open to three-year-olds willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt, it currently offers a purse of $400,000. It is the final stakes prep to the Florida Derby and is an official prep race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

History

The race was named for the mythical Florida spring that granted eternal youth. It was sought by Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon who searched throughout the south eastern United States for it without success.
The race has long been a major prep for the Kentucky Derby, with multiple horses being victorious in both races. Four colts, Tim Tam, Kauai King, Spectacular Bid and Thunder Gulch, won this race then went on to become "Dual Classic Winners," the first three winning the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, while the last won the Derby and the Belmont Stakes. The 1985 winner, Proud Truth, won that year's Breeders' Cup Classic. More recently, the race has been used as a prep for Derby winner Orb in 2013 and Belmont Stakes winner Union Rags in 2012.
The Fountain of Youth Stakes was inaugurated in 1945 and run at various distances until 1953 when it was modified to miles. In 2005, it was changed to a distance of miles. In 2009, it was run at one mile. In 2012, Gulfstream added a second finish line so the Fountain of Youth and other dirt races could be contested at miles.
The race was run twice in 1947. The race was run in two divisions in 1953, 1983, 1986 and 1993.

Records

Speed record:
Most wins by an owner:
Most wins by a jockey:
Most wins by a trainer:
A # designates that the race was run in two divisions in 1993, 1986 and 1983.