The $400,000, Grade 2 Fountain Of Youth Stakes is Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
Some of the top 3-year-olds in the country will do battle in this 1 1/16-mile contest.
The Fountain of Youth is named after the mythical spring that attracted explorers to Florida in the 16th Century.
The race was first held in 1945, and has been run every year since 1953.
In 1973, it became a Grade 3 race, and was given Grade 2 status in 1982. From 1999 to 2003, the race was a Grade 1.
It has been held at a variety of distances, but has been run at 1 1/16 miles since 2012.
Here, we’ll look back at some of the best horses of the 21st century to Win this race.
QUALITY ROAD (2009) He made his Stakes debut in the Fountain of Youth, which was contested at one mile for the only time to date. He broke his Maiden at Aqueduct impressively the prior November, then finished 2nd in a first-level Allowance to begin his 3-year-old season. This Jimmy Jerkins trained colt went off at 5-1, the fourth choice in the field of 10.
Jockey John Velazquez kept QUALITY ROAD in 2nd place in the early going, then in the final turn, he moved powerfully to the lead and outkicked his opponents for a 4 ¼-length Win.
Although he Won two more Stakes races as a 3-year-old, QUALITY ROAD truly shined as a 4-year-old. He Won three Grade 1 races, including a dominant 12 ¾-length Win in the Donn Handicap. He also Won the Met Mile and the Woodward Stakes.
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UNION RAGS (2012) Off two Stakes Wins as a 2-year-old along with a close 2nd-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, UNION RAGS was highly regarded entering his 3-year-old debut. He was the 6-5 2nd choice in a field of seven for the Fountain of Youth, while the undefeated DISCREET DANCER was the 4-5 favorite.
Class prevailed that day. DISCREET DANCER set the pace in the early stages but encountered steady pressure and faded. Meanwhile, UNION RAGS, and jockey Julien Leparoux, sat off the flank of the front-end duelers and pulled by them for an impressive four-length Win.
In both the Florida Derby and the Kentucky Derby, he fell too far off the early pace, and left himself too much ground to make up in the end.
He did bounce back in the Belmont Stakes, prevailing by a neck after a stretch duel with PAYNTER.
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ORB (2013) Heading into the 2013 Derby trail, Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey was still searching for his first Kentucky Derby Win.
Off of two consecutive Wins at Aqueduct and Gulfstream, ORB made his Graded Stakes debut in the Fountain of Youth. VIOLENCE, with two Graded Stakes Wins was the 3-5 favorite in the field of 10. While ORB went off as the second choice at 5-1.
ORB dropped well off the early pace, while VIOLENCE rated off a fast tempo on the rail. As they rounded the final turn, VIOLENCE pounced on the leader while ORB remained about five lengths off the top, although he was rallying powerfully. In the stretch, VIOLENCE opened up a clear lead but ORB chased him down in the last sixteenth for a half-length Win.
After another Win in the Florida Derby, ORB was the favorite for the Kentucky Derby.
On a wet track on the first Saturday in May he came from behind for a splashy 2 ½-length Win, finally getting Shug off the Derby schneid.
