Fountain of Youth of Preview: Dennis’ Moment Looks to Rebound from Breeders’ Cup Disaster

Gulfstream Park has a 14-race extravaganza this Saturday, including 10 stakes, with first post kicking things off at 11:30 AM ET. The highlight will be the $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2), the feature event on Fox Sports Saturday at the Races that broadcasts live on Fox Sports 2. The field for this year’s race has come up strong, comprising of several intriguing Kentucky Derby (G1) prospects. A field of 12 will contest this year’s running of the Fountain of Youth, which will go off as the 14th and final race of the day.

Headlining the field will be Dennis’ Moment, who will attempt to rebound from a disastrous showing last time out as a 2-year-old in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Santa Anita Park. After breaking horribly, the colt never found his footing before finishing last as the heavy favorite. Prior to that effort, the Dale Romans trainee looked to be at the top of his class, especially after winning the Iroquois Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs. He will break from post 5 with California-based jockey Flavien Prat aboard for the first time. 

The Holy Bull Stakes (G3) runner-up Ete Indien will be ready to build off of that strong effort in this spot and will be one of Dennis’ Moment’s main challengers. After a sharp wire-to-wire victory against allowance company two starts back, the colt nearly did it again in the Holy Bull but was passed in the stretch by the highly-regarded Tiz the Law. Ete Indien will have Florent Geroux aboard as he breaks from post 11. 

The top two finishers of the Mucho Macho Man Stakes are also back for this event. Winner Chance It will look to build on his impressive resume in South Florida, while As Seen On Tv will hope to continue showing solid improvement with each start. Tyler Gaffalione will be aboard Chance It from post 12, while As Seen On Tv has drawn post 6 and gets Paco Lopez up for the ride. 

The full field from the rail out: Candy Tycoon, Makabim, Masterday, The Falcon, Dennis’ Moment, As Seen On Tv, Country Grammer, Gear Jockey, Liam’s Lucky Charm, Shotski, Ete Indien, and Chance It.

Top Choice 

#11 Ete Indien – This colt proved a lot last time out, finishing second in the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) to the highly-regarded Tiz the Law. He was beaten 3 lengths in that spot, but it is important to note that he was well clear of the rest of the field. If you take Tiz the Law out of that race, then Ete Indien would have won by double digits. His two turf starts were fantastic, indicating that he has plenty of talent, and his pedigree suggests that distance won’t be a problem. Look for him to use his early speed to his advantage. If he can get out to the lead, then he might be able to run the rest of the competition off their feet. That leaves him as the one to catch down the lane on a track that generally favors speed, especially on bigger days.

Horses to Use in Multi-Race Wagers 

#5 Dennis’ Moment – We’ll see if the big favorite can earn some redemption after a horrendous performance in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) to end his 2-year-old campaign. That race was a disaster right from the start; he went to his knees out of the gate and found himself in last after regaining his footing. From there, his race was over. Many will understandably draw a line through that effort, but it’s important to note that the Juvenile has become a very negative race as far as producing future winners. Dennis’ Moment will have to break that trend while trying to get back on track for a run at the Kentucky Derby. 

#7 Country Grammer – This is trainer Chad Brown’s backup entry after Structor had a small setback and was forced to miss this race. Country Grammer has flown under the radar since breaking his maiden last time out by over 9 lengths at Aqueduct. The second-place finisher of that race, Portos, won next time out, and his workout pattern looks strong heading into this spot. He also catches a field that isn’t overly strong. He could jump up and make an impact in his 2020 debut.

Exotic Plays 

#12 Chance It – This horse continues to quietly show up and win solid races, but this contest will be his toughest challenge yet. He’s won two in a row coming into this one, including a hard-fought win last time out in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes. This distance might be as far as he wants to run, as his pedigree suggests that he might excel best at one-turn events, but he’s still in with a solid shot here, especially if he can run a close stalking trip. 

#10 Shotski – The Remsen Stakes (G2) winner moves south to Gulfstream Park after finishing a well-beaten second as the favorite last time out in the Withers Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct. That effort left a lot to be desired, so he has something to prove here. The pace will likely work against him in this spot, which makes playing him on top difficult. Hitting the board might be his ceiling. 

Get exclusive analysis on how to bet this race in our Inside Track to the Fountain of Youth Wagering Guide!

Party Crashers 

#6 As Seen On Tv – HE seems like a logical upset candidate after narrowly missing last time out in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes to Chance It. Prior to that effort, he had won two of three while sprinting, including in a small state-bred stakes at Gulfstream Park West. This will be his first time stretching out in distance, which is a question mark. If he handles two turns well, then we could see him pull off the upset. 

#9 Liam’s Lucky Charm – We’ll see if this horse can rebound from a poor performance last time out in the Risen Star Stakes (G2). That effort was a disaster, but his effort two back when winning the Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs was very impressive. If he can get back to that form while also cutting back slightly in distance, then he’ll have a shot. The track will play to his front-running style, as well, so if his price is high enough, then you could definitely do worse as far as longshots go. 

Throw Outs 

#1 Candy Tycoon – It took him five starts to pick up his first win, but he did it against a nice field here on Pegasus Day. Trainer Todd Pletcher was not planning on running him here until the defections came public, so that may not be a great sign for this horse’s chances.

#3 Masterday – After breaking his maiden on debut, he was well-beaten in his next two starts. Last time out, he was second in a tough allowance event, though he was beaten by over 6 lengths. This seems like a tough spot.

#8 Gear Jockey – This maiden was well-beaten in both of his dirt starts, including finishing fifth last time out in a local maiden special weight. He does have turf class, though, including a third-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1). That just won’t help him enough in this spot. 

#4 The Falcon – He’s winless in two career starts, though he was close both times. His latest effort came while going a mile over the synthetic surface at Turfway Park, where he finished second by a narrow margin. Still, he’ll have to step his game up in a major way to have a shot against this group. 

#2 Makabim – From a class standpoint, this one looks overmatched. Two starts back, he won a local claiming event, but he was a well-beaten fifth last time out here in the American Fabius Stakes. We’ll need to see significant improvement from him in this spot to have a shot.