A field of 10 will head to the gate in the $400,000 Fountain of Youth (G2) on Saturday. (Photo credit: Gulfstream Park).
The Chad Brown trained Good Magic makes his much anticipated three-year-old debut on Saturday afternoon in the $400,000 Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park.
The race is a Road to the Kentucky Derby points race with 50-20-10-5 points up for grabs to the top four finishers.
Good Magic has picked up 24 points already, placing him in a tie for second in the Road to the Kentucky Derby Point Standings. He picked up four points for his runner up finish in the Champagne (G1) at Belmont Park last October and 20 points for his Juvenile victory.
Good Magic is currently the second choice in early Kentucky Derby wagering at BetOnline at +750. The current favorite is Bolt d’Oro at +650.
The Fountain of Youth will be one of two preps for Good Magic leading up to the Run for the Roses. According to Brown his final prep will come in either the Toyota Blue Grass (G2) at Keeneland or the Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct.
The 14-race card at Gulfstream Park on Saturday features eight supporting stakes including the $200,000 Mac Diarmida (G3), $200,000 Davona Dale (G2) and the $150,000 Canadian Turf (G3).
For the latest Kentucky Derby future betting odds click here.
I will have my full card reports for both Aqueduct and Gulfstream Park along with my Best Plays for Saturday.
Let’s head out to Gulfstream Park for Saturday’s featured race of the day:
Gulfstream Park Race 14 The Fountain of Youth G2 Post time 6:09 ET
6 Good Magic
2 Free Drop Billy
8 Marconi
4 Strike Power
Good Magic is the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) champ and makes his first start off nearly a four-month break. All reports are the Chad Brown trainee has matured and is working sharply in the mornings for his return. He broke his maiden in his Juvenile win, drawing off to win by 4 ¼ lengths. Out of the seven that raced back, only Firenze Fire won their next start, taking the Jerome and then running second in the Withers (G3).
Our top pick was a $1 million Keeneland purchase who ran second in his debut and then second in the Champagne (G1). Nine of the last 10 winners of this race made their final prep over the surface, the lone exception being Union Rags, who exited the Juvenile. The colt is by two-time Horse of the Year Curlin out of the stakes winner Glinda the Good ($226,758). Brown hits at a 28% clip with runners coming back off a 61-180-day layoff. The price is going to be on the light side, but this guy looks ready to fire.
Free Drop Billy has only run one poor race and that was his ninth in the Juvenile. He packed it in after six furlongs racing down along a deep inside that day at Del Mar. His three-year-old debut was a solid second in the Holy Bull (G2) here behind Audible and he was 7 ¾ lengths clear of the rest of the field.
The last two winners of this race came out of the Holy Bull, Mohaymen in 2016 and Gunnevera last year. The Romans trainee landed in the exacta in four of his five starts last year and won the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) at Keeneland which was his first start around two turns. His sire Union Rags won this race in 2012 and won the Belmont Stakes (G1).
Marconi was a smart looking maiden winner in his second career start last December at nine furlongs. The colt stalked the early pace and made a mild late run to finish third in the Withers (G3) last out in his stakes debut. This guy was a $2 million purchase, by Tapit out of the stakes winner Ponche de Leona ($260,870) who has dropped four other winners and two are stakes winners, top earner Mucho Macho Man ($5.6 million).
The colt has not run fast enough yet but appears to have as much or more upside than anyone in this field and he is sent out by Pletcher, who has won this race in three of the last nine editions. He reunites with Castellano who was aboard for his maiden score.
Wagering
WIN: Good Magic to win at 8-5 or better.
EXACTA: 2,6 / 2,4,6,8
TRIFECTA: 2,6 / 2,4,6,8 / 2,4,6,8,10
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