The $400,000, Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes Saturday at Gulfstream Park is the penultimate points prep for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve at the Hallandale Beach, Fla., track and one of four points preps scheduled for an action-packed Saturday of racing in the U.S.  

Click image to purchase shirt.

The 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth offers a total of 100 qualifying points for Derby 149, distributed to the top five finishers on a 50-20-15-10-5 basis. It traditionally serves as a lead-in to Gulfstream’s marquee Kentucky Derby Prep, the Curlin Florida Derby, which will be held on April 1. But the Fountain of Youth is also a prestigious race in its own right, and since its inception in 1945 has been won by such notable horses as Tim Tam, Kauai King, Spectacular Bid, Proud Truth, Bet Twice, Forty Niner, Fly So Free, Dehere, Thunder Gulch, Pulpit, Scat Daddy, Quality Road, Union Rags, Orb, and Code of Honor. Read more about past winners in this feature.

This year’s renewal marks the much-anticipated 3-year-old debuts of two of the top juveniles from last year: champion Forte and Grade 1 winner Blazing Sevens. The race also features the 1-2 finishers in February’s Holy Bull Stakes, Bill Mott trainees Rocket Can and Shadow Dragon.

The Fountain of Youth Stakes will be broadcast live on CNBC and Peacock as part of NBC Sports’ “Road to the Kentucky Derby” series, hosted by Ahmad Fareed with analysts Randy Moss and Jerry Bailey and reporters Nick Luck and Britney Eurton. The race will also be shown on FanDuel TV. Post time is scheduled for 5:43 p.m. ET.

Read on for information about all of the Fountain of Youth Stakes contenders.

Bob Coglianese/Gulfstream Park

1. General Jim (6-1 morning-line odds)

Jockey: Luis Saez

Trainer: Shug McGaughey

Owner: Courtlandt Farms

Career record: 6 starts – 3 wins – 0 seconds – 2 thirds

Career earnings: $231,533

Earnings per start: $38,589

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 99

Kentucky Derby points: 0

Pedigree: Into Mischief – Inspired by Grace, by Curlin

Color: Bay

Running style: Stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: This talented colt from Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey’s barn is an appealing alternative for horseplayers to consider if they are going against Forte and Blazing Sevens in their first starts of the year and are also betting against the Holy Bull runners. He won twice on turf last fall in route races and finished third in a grass stakes to close out 2022 and then had a legitimate excuse in his return to dirt and first 2023 start when he was blocked late and settled for fourth in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes Jan. 1 at Gulfstream. General Jim returned for a second try on the main track in the seven-furlong Claiborne Farm Swale Stakes on the Feb. 4 Holy Bull undercard, and overcame a rough start to make a sustained move for the lead on the turn under Luis Saez and then power clear late to win by a length. He’s already won twice at 1 1/16 miles (albeit on turf) and is bred to go longer, and Shug McGaughey said after the Swale that General Jim deserved a shot in a Derby points race. He’s a legitimate win candidate in the Fountain of Youth and a must-use in exacta and trifecta tickets. McGaughey won this race in 2013 with Orb, who went on to capture the Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby, and he also won in 2019 with Code of Honor and 2021 with Greatest Honour, the latter owned by Donald Adam’s Courtlandt Farms. Luis Saez won back-to-back Fountain of Youths in 2014 and 2015 aboard Wildcat Red and Itsaknockout, respectively.

Lauren King/Coglianese Photo

2. Legacy Isle (20-1)

Jockey: Emisael Jaramillo

Trainer: Rohan Crichton

Owners: Daniel Walters, Dennis Smith, Anthony Smith, and Rohan Crichton

Career record: 4 starts – 2 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $90,725

Earnings per start: $22,681

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 82

Kentucky Derby points: 4

Pedigree: Shackleford – Queenameina, by Read the Footnotes

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Pacesetter/press the pace

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Legacy Isle should be a pace factor in Saturday’s Fountain of Youth as he’s contested the early lead in three of his four career starts. He won twice as a juvenile – once in gate-to-wire fashion – and also led at every point of call in his 3-year-old debut Jan. 1 in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes, finishing up a half-length in front. However, he was disqualified and placed second after drifting out in deep stretch and bumping Dreaming of Kona. Legacy Isle then came back to finish fourth by 7 ¼ lengths in his first two-turn start, the Holy Bull Stakes. He contested the pace and took a brief lead on the far turn of the Holy Bull but could not sustain it and tired badly in the stretch. This son of Preakness Stakes winner Shackleford appears best suited to one-turn races topping off at about a mile and it would be a surprise to see him in the winner’s circle Saturday evening. Look for jockey Emisael Jaramillo, who regains the mount on Legacy Isle after riding him in his first three starts, to send him to the lead immediately out of the starting gate and try to stay in front for as long as possible.

Adam Coglianese/NYRA

3. Shadow Dragon (12-1)

Jockey: Jose Ortiz

Trainer: Bill Mott

Owner: Peachtree Stable

Career record: 3 starts – 1 win – 1 second – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $92,050

Earnings per start: $30,683

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 88

Kentucky Derby points: 8

Pedigree: Army Mule – Fire Assay, by Medaglia d’Oro

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Shadow Dragon easily outran his 34.10-1 odds in his 3-year-old bow when he closed to finish three-quarters of a length behind stablemate Rocket Can in the Holy Bull Stakes. The colt from the first crop of Grade 1 winner Army Mule had won one of two starts as a juvenile, posting low speed figures, but he bumped his previous high of 70 by 18 points to an 88 in the Holy Bull coming back after a three-month break and certainly has more room to improve. Several other horses with better form share Shadow Dragon’s off-the-pace running style, but if he stays on this trajectory he can at least hit the board in the Fountain of Youth and once again spice up the exotic payoffs. Jose Ortiz stays aboard Shadow Dragon after riding him in the Holy Bull, and Ortiz has won the last two editions of the Fountain of Youth on Greatest Honour (2021) and Simplification (2022).

Eclipse Sportswire

4. Forte (7-5)

Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Owners: Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable

Career record: 5 starts – 4 wins – 0 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $1,595,150

Earnings per start: $319,030

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 105

Kentucky Derby points: 40

Pedigree: Violence – Queen Caroline, by Blame

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: It’s always exciting when a champion 2-year-old returns for his first start on next season’s Kentucky Derby trail, and suspense has been even higher than most years for Forte’s comeback Saturday. That’s a testament to how dominant this colt was in his final three starts of 2022 – all Grade 1 stakes – when he won the seven-furlong Hopeful Stakes by three lengths on a sloppy Saratoga track and then posted back-to-back wins at Keeneland in the 1 1/16-mile Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity and FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance to close out his campaign. Forte showed superb professionalism for such a young horse in all three of those wins, patiently racing off of the pace and sweeping to the lead at the top of the stretch en route to victory, and he topped the triple-digit Equibase Speed Figure mark in both of his Keeneland wins. In two of those starts, he bested Blazing Sevens, another talented juvenile who checked in third in the Hopeful and fourth in the Juvenile. Based on his workout pattern in Florida for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, Forte appears ready to fire a big one off of the bench; however, it’s important to note that he’s already accumulated enough Kentucky Derby points to be within reach of making the May 6 starting gate and does not necessarily need to win the Fountain of Youth, unlike several other contenders (and he’s probably going to make another start in a points prep before the Derby, too). He may not win on Saturday, but it would be very surprising to see Forte out of the top three. Pletcher has three career wins in this race: Scat Daddy (2007), Eskendereya (2010), and Itsaknockout (2015). Reigning Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. has been aboard Forte for all of his starts; he won the 2018 Fountain of Youth aboard Promises Fulfilled.

Lauren King/Coglianese Photo

5. Il Miracolo (30-1)

Jockey: Edgar Perez

Trainer: Antonio Sano

Owner: Alexandres

Career record: 7 starts – 1 win – 3 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $62,125

Earnings per start: $8,875

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 81

Kentucky Derby points: 0

Pedigree: Gun Runner – Tapit’s World, by Tapit

Color: Chestnut

Running style: Closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Locally-based Il Miracolo will try to give trainer Antonio Sano his third career victory in the Fountain of Youth, and if he does it’ll be as one of the biggest upset winners in the race’s history. He enters off of a fifth-place finish in the Holy Bull Stakes, a race in which he was never involved and ended up 10 lengths behind winner Rocket Can. Prior to that, he was defeated by a combined 37 lengths in two stakes races in December and January. Il Miracolo’s only win came in front-running fashion back on Nov. 12 at Gulfstream in a one-turn mile maiden race. In all of his other starts, he has tracked well off of the early lead. Jockey Edgar Perez gets aboard this son of Horse of the Year Gun Runner for the first time in the Fountain of Youth, and it will be interesting to see how he positions Il Miracolo in the early stages given the fact that all of the other stalker/closers in this race are far more accomplished than this colt. He appears outclassed against this field based on his career record to date and a return to the allowance ranks should be in his future unless something extraordinary happens Saturday. Sano’s two prior Fountain of Youth wins came with multimillionaire Gunnevera in 2017 and Simplification last year.

Joe Labozzetta/NYRA

6. Blazing Sevens (7-2)

Jockey: Joel Rosario

Trainer: Chad Brown

Owner: Rodeo Creek Racing

Career record: 4 starts – 2 wins – 0 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $468,750

Earnings per start: $117,188

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 98

Kentucky Derby points: 16

Pedigree: Good Magic – Trophy Girl, by Warrior’s Reward

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Like Forte, Blazing Sevens has remained prominent in Kentucky Derby future bet books while resting and then revving back up for a 3-year-old campaign that starts Saturday. He won 2 of 4 starts last year, including a 3 ½-length score in the Champagne Stakes going a one-turn mile at the Belmont at the Big A (Aqueduct) meet. That win on a sloppy track preceded his final 2-year-old race and two-turn debut in the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, where Blazing Sevens was bumped at the start but recovered to reach contention at the top of the stretch before settling for fourth behind Forte. Blazing Sevens’ dam (mother) is by sprinter-miler Warrior’s Reward, but there’s some stamina influences after the first generation, although most of them are on turf. It’s anyone’s guess as to how Blazing Sevens will run in his first start in exactly four months, and the same can be said for Forte, although that rival has a better résumé to bolster his win chances in the Fountain of Youth and he’s already defeated Blazing Sevens twice. Joel Rosario gets aboard for the first time and he should keep his mount off of the pace into the far turn before calling for his rally. Both Rosario and trainer Chad Brown – two of the best in their respective professions – are seeking their first wins in the Fountain of Youth.

Jeff Zamaiko/Coglianese Photo

7. Mage (8-1)

Jockey: Javier Castellano

Trainer: Gustavo Delgado

Owners: OGMA Investments, Ramiro Restrepo, Sterling Racing, and CMNWLTH

Career record: 1 start – 1 win – 0 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $42,000

Earnings per start: $42,000

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 88

Kentucky Derby points: 0

Pedigree: Good Magic – Puca, by Big Brown

Color: Chestnut

Running style: Pacesetter

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Another son of Good Magic, Mage profiles as the wild-card contender in the Fountain of Youth. He’s only raced once, but it’s obvious that his connections have gleaned some hope from his debut win and are ready for a big class challenge. Mage turned heads on Jan. 28 at Gulfstream with a front-running 3 ¾-length win in a seven-furlong maiden race at odds of 11.60-1, shooting clear of the field at the top of the stretch and finishing up well. He earned a solid Equibase Speed Figure of 88, which he’ll need to improve by around 15 points or more in order to take the Fountain of Youth. Mage should be able to handle the stretchout in distance and racing around two turns, as his dam (mother), Puca, by Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown, won a stakes race on turf at 1 1/16 miles and is a half-sister to long-distance turf millionaire Finnegans Wake. This year’s Fountain of Youth came up very tough and it would be a surprise to see this colt pull the upset in only his second start. At the very least, he’ll be a pace factor under Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano, who has been riding very well at Gulfstream and figures to get his mount out of the gate quickly in an attempt to outrun Shadow Dragon and Cyclone Mischief and then wire the field. Castellano won the 2017 Fountain of Youth aboard Gunnevera, and finished third in last year’s edition at 87.70-1 odds aboard O Captain for trainer Gustavo Delgado and co-owner OGMA Investments.

Lauren King/Coglianese Photo

8. Rocket Can (8-1)

Jockey: Junior Alvarado

Trainer: Bill Mott

Owner: Frank Fletcher Racing Operations

Career record: 5 starts – 2 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $249,738

Earnings per start: $49,948

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 97

Kentucky Derby points: 20

Pedigree: Into Mischief – Tension, by Tapit

Color: Gray or roan

Running style: Stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Rocket Can enters the Fountain of Youth somewhat overshadowed by returning stars Forte and Blazing Sevens despite his victory in Gulfstream’s prep for this race, the Feb. 4 Holy Bull Stakes. The son of top sire Into Mischief did what Forte and Blazing Sevens will attempt Saturday – win his first 3-year-old start off of a lengthy break – and he did so in game fashion, rallying from off the pace in the Holy Bull to take command in midstretch and then keep stablemate and longshot Shadow Dragon at bay to score by a half-length. He only earned an 89 Equibase Speed Figure for that victory but times were slow overall at Gulfstream Park that day and Rocket Can pulled a 97 figure in his final 2-year-old start Nov. 22 at Churchill Downs. In that race, he fought hard in the stretch but lost a 1 1/16-mile allowance-optional claiming race to Confidence Game – an effort that was flattered last Saturday when Confidence Game upset the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park on the Kentucky Derby trail. Bill Mott has been pleased with this colt’s training in the weeks since the Holy Bull and his pedigree is rock-solid for excelling in route races as his second dam (maternal grandmother) is two-time Grade 1 winner Tough Tiz’s Sis, by Tiznow. Add it all up, and Rocket Can stands a chance to steal back some of the headlines from Forte and Blazing Sevens in the Fountain of Youth at what should be enticing post-time odds. Jockey Junior Alvarado won the 2016 Fountain of Youth on Mohaymen.

Lauren King/Coglianese Photo

9. Cyclone Mischief (12-1)

Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione

Trainer: Dale Romans

Owners: Albaugh Family Stables and Castleton Lyons

Career record: 5 starts – 2 wins – 0 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $114,950

Earnings per start: $22,990

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 101

Kentucky Derby points: 0

Pedigree: Into Mischief – Areyoucominghere, by Bernardini

Color: Bay

Running style: Press the pace

Notable achievements and interesting facts: A big bounce-back effort in the Fountain of Youth will be required from Cyclone Mischief if his connections hope to remain on the Kentucky Derby trail. He was sent off as the 6-5 favorite in the Holy Bull Stakes based off of his previous start – a romping 5 ¾-length win Jan. 8 in a one-turn allowance at Gulfstream – but Cyclone Mischief had no response when jockey Tyler Gaffalione urged him at the quarter pole and he ended up finishing seventh of eight starters, 11 ¾ lengths behind Rocket Can. Notably, Cyclone Mischief raced on the anti-bleeding medication Lasix (furesemide) for the first time in his Jan. 8 Gulfstream win, which resulted in a 101 Equibase Speed Figure, and he then raced without Lasix in the Holy Bull as per the race’s requirements and earned a 71 figure. The Dale Romans trainee has posted a couple of nice workouts since the Holy Bull, and he has a good pedigree for route racing, but a 30-point drop in speed figures is hard to look past, especially when considering that Lasix is prohibited in the Fountain of Youth as well (as it is in all Kentucky Derby points races). Hitting the board and securing his first batch of Derby points should be considered a success for this runner. Romans won the 2018 Fountain of Youth with pacesetting longshot Promises Fulfilled.

Ryan Thompson/Coglianese Photo

10. Dangerous Ride (30-1)

Jockey: Miguel Vasquez

Trainer: Carlos David

Owner: Palm Beach Racing

Career record: 9 starts – 3 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $154,832

Earnings per start: $17,204

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 82

Kentucky Derby points: 0

Pedigree: Lord Nelson – Ride a Wave, by Medaglia d’Oro

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Press the pace/stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Dangerous Ride will vie with Il Miracolo for having the longest post-time odds in the Fountain of Youth. He’s been competing regularly since last summer, running on dirt, turf, and synthetic surfaces, and seven of his nine career starts have come in stakes races. His one stakes win came via disqualification on Gulfstream’s Tapeta Footings synthetic track, however, and overall this colt’s Equibase Speed Figures have topped out in the high-70s to low-80s range, which won’t cut it in the Fountain of Youth. He exits a gate-to-wire win in a seven-furlong allowance-optional claiming race at Gulfstream on Jan. 29, when he earned a career-best 82 speed figure; in his race prior to that, he finished fifth of six in a six-furlong sprint stakes at Gulfstream and was defeated by 13 ¾ lengths. One positive: jockey Miguel Vasquez and trainer Carlos David have won 30% of their races together over the past year. They have both enjoyed success at the current Gulfstream meet, with Vasquez picking up his first career graded stakes win on Feb. 11. Even so, it would be a major surprise to see Dangerous Ride prominent in the mutuel tote results when this race becomes official Saturday evening.