HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – If the rest of the run-up to the 2026 Kentucky Derby is as exciting as Saturday’s $425,000 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park, it’s going to be a very fun spring.  Commandment and Chief Wallabee enhanced their status in the 3-year-old division and put on a pretty good show in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth. The pair battled eyeball to eyeball for nearly the length of the stretch before Commandment, benefiting from an experience edge and a ground-saving trip under Irad Ortiz Jr., came out a neck the best . Solitude Dude finished a game third, just another two lengths behind the leaders. Commandment was sent postward as the 2-1 favorite in the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth on the strength of his 6 3/4-length victory in the one-mile Mucho Macho Man here on Jan. 3, earning a strong 91 Beyer Speed Figure. That performance was punctuated by an eye-catching gallop-out. Chief Wallabee, on the other hand, came into the important Derby prep with just one previous start on his résumé, a visually impressive 1 1/2-length maiden victory going seven furlongs seven weeks ago. He received an 89 Beyer for that race. :: Play Gulfstream Park with confidence! DRF Past Performances, Picks, and Clocker Reports are available now.  Trainer Bill Mott voiced his reluctance to bring Chief Wallabee back off just a single start in the Fountain of Youth, even going as far as entering him in a seven-furlong allowance race here Sunday. But when that race did not fill, Mott felt he had little choice but to keep Chief Wallabee in the Fountain of Youth lineup. As expected, both Commandment and Chief Wallabee were allowed to settle in midpack during the early stages of the race, running some four lengths off the pace set by Rockies Balboa and attended early on by Solitude Dude and Napoleon Solo. Commandment and Chief Wallabee commenced their rallies in tandem approaching the far turn. Commandment came inside the leaders, while Chief Wallabee stayed out closer to the middle of the track exiting the final turn.  Chief Wallabee appeared to briefly stick his nose in front after overtaking Solitude Dude nearing the eighth pole, but Commandment was resolute down on the rail, ultimately gaining and maintaining a short advantage from midstretch to the wire. Like Chief Wallabee, Solitude Dude was undefeated coming into the race and making his first start beyond seven furlongs. Solitude Dude took command and forged clear briefly on the final turn. He finally succumbed grudgingly to the top pair through the final furlong while not switching off his left lead in the run down the lane.  Bravaro, runner-up to Nearly in the Grade 3 Holy Bull four weeks ago, finished another eight lengths further back in fourth while never a serious factor. He was followed by the tiring Napoleon Solo, who prompted the pace three wide after breaking last before faltering down the stretch making his first start since winning the Grade 1 Champagne on October 4.  Jackson Hole, Bull by the Horns, Lost Money, and Rockies Balboa rounded out the complete order of finish.   Commandment is a son of Into Mischief trained by Brad Cox for Wathnan Racing. He completed the distance over a fast track in 1:43.33 seconds and paid $6.80.       :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2026: Top contenders, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more “I thought he was getting a good trip, and turning for home, Irad obviously put him in a great spot,” said Cox. “He had the inside path, finished up well, had to fight to win, and galloped out well again. Irad said he had plenty of horse after the wire. He passed the two-turn test. A mile and a sixteenth to a mile and an eighth will be next.”   Cox admitted that turning for home, although his horse was getting the ideal ground-saving trip, he was concerned because the inside part of the track has been on the deeper side for much of the past two months. “It crossed my mind as they came down the stretch that the inside had not been the best place to be here lately. We’ve found that out the hard way,” Cox explained. “But I thought he was moving well enough and we had Saffie’s colt [Solitude Dude] measured. Then I also saw Bill’s horse [Chief Wallabee] on the outside, which as a rule has been the better part of the track. But it looked like we were getting to him, he [Commandment] had run and he responded.”  Cox said both the Florida Derby and Blue Grass would be under consideration for Commandment’s final Derby prep.  “The Florida Derby is the logical spot since he’s already won twice over the track,” Cox said. “I just want to see how he comes out of the race and to make sure we don’t feel like we need another week.”  Although naturally disappointed in the result, Mott was upbeat about Chief Wallabee’s effort immediately after the race. “You can’t be ashamed of that by any means,” said Mott. “The winner had the inside trip. We wound up a little wide, we lost a little ground, and the other horse was more experienced. But he [Chief Wallabee] came on. It was his first time going two turns. He ran a great race.”  Trainer Chad Summers was also positive in light of Napoleon Solo’s fifth-place finish, beaten nearly a dozen lengths, in his 3-year-old bow.  “I thought he was okay. First start since October, first time around two turns, and he was about 80 percent fit. We’ll get the extra 20 percent in about a month,” said Summers. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.