Fountain of Youth Stakes

The Fountain of Youth Stakes is run annually at Gulfstream Park at the beginning of March. A Grade II event open to three-year-olds willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt, it offers a purse of $350,000. It is the final stakes prep to the Florida Derby (GI) and is an official prep race for the Kentucky Derby. Tim Tam (1958), Kauai King (1966), Spectacular Bid (1979), and Thunder Gulch (1995) won this race then went on to win the Derby and the 1987 winner, Bet Twice, won the Belmont Stakes (GI). The 1985 winner, Proud Truth, won that year's Breeder's Cup Classic (GI).

The Fountain of Youth Stakes was inaugurated in 1945 and run at various distances until 1953 when it was modified to 1 1/16 miles. In 2005, it was changed to its present distance of 1⅛ miles.

The race was run in two divisions in 1947, 1953, 1983, 1986 and 1993.