Irish War Cry 5-2 favorite among 13 for Fountain of Youth
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – A field of 11 3-year-olds passed the Gulfstream Park entry box Wednesday afternoon for the 71st running of the Grade 2, $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes, which will be run here Saturday as a key stepping-stone toward the 143rd Kentucky Derby.
Irish War Cry, the undefeated winner of the Feb. 4 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream, has been installed by track oddsmaker Jay Stone as the 5-2 favorite in the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth. Irish War Cry will be ridden again by Joel Rosario when breaking from post 8.
The Fountain of Youth winner will earn 50 points toward eligibility toward the Kentucky Derby. The next major Gulfstream race toward the May 6 Kentucky Derby is the April 1 Florida Derby, worth 100 points to the winner.
The Fountain of Youth is carded as the last of 13 races to be run here Saturday. First post is noon Eastern, with the Fountain of Youth set for about 6:05 p.m. Eight other stakes, all but one of them graded, also are part of a sensational Saturday program.
Here’s the Fountain of Youth lineup:
(PP, Horse, Jockey, GP M/L)
1. Huracan Americo, E.Prado, 50-1
2. Gunnevera, J.Castellano, 7-2
3. Quinientos, M.Meneses, 50-1
4. Talk Logistics, J.Bravo, 20-1
5. Beasley, I.Ortiz Jr., 6-1
6. Practical Joke, J.Ortiz, 3-1
7. Three Rules, L.Saez, 12-1
8. Irish War Cry, J.Rosario, 5-2
9. Made You Look, J.Velazquez, 10-1
10. Takaful, P.Lopez, 12-1
11. Lookin for Eight, J.Leparoux, 20-1