Beautiful Day at Gulfstream Park for the 2025 Coolmore Fountain of Youth S. (GII)

I've always wanted to see Gulfstream Park, but not until recently did I decide to take the trip. With a move to Lexington planned for the summer and the ongoing decoupling efforts in the Florida Legislature (read more here courtesy of the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association), it seemed unlikely I'd ever visit Gulfstream Park if I didn't go this year. So, I packed up the car and drove four hours to the track this past Saturday to see the highly anticipated 2025 Fountain of Youth stakes. Now or never.

It was a stakes-loaded card. 14 races in total and 6 stakes races. I arrived at the track just in time to catch the Herecomesthebride Grade III stakes - the first of our six stakes races on the day. On my way into the track to watch the race, I was immediately stunned by the beauty of the paddock area. Similar to the newly-renovated paddock at Churchill Downs, it's a multi-level viewing area with stadium-style seats on the first level and standing areas on both levels. The palm trees surrounding the paddock give it that quintessential Florida feel.

I fumbled my way under the awning and out onto the track apron to watch Vixen, the Vekoma filly who ran sixth in the Breeder's Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, duel with Mrs. Worldwide down the stretch and prevail in the end. It was great to see another Vekoma-sired 3 year old find success at the track.

From there, I spent the rest of my day between the paddock area, the track apron by the winner's circle, and in the Carousel Club - an area with bars and some food truck style dining options. The main bar was set on a carousel (go figure), and there was another one closer to the track. I gave into temptation and tried a frozen mint julep. It was the perfect drink on a hot day in the Florida sun. It does not compare to the real deal (or even the ones I make at home with the Old Forester mix we got at the distillery tour in Louisville), but it certainly hit the spot.

The vibe at the track was solid. It was a super busy day all said and done, but the crowd didn't really ramp up until about Race 9, the GIII Canadian Turf Stakes, which was such a fantastic race to watch. I'll be the first to point out very clearly that I'm not a very skilled handicapper. I enjoy reading the form and trying to work out the best value horse to bet on, but I'm not a savant. I had no plan to bet this race, as I saw it a pretty dead heat between a number of horses, but when Fort Washington approached the gate at over 5-1, I made my way to the window and got a bet slip with his name on it. He won in the end, but it was a photo finish for the ages. If you have time, I'd recommend checking out the race replay. I'll link to an abbreviated version here.

As the afternoon rolled on, I was excited to see the four year old debut for Mindframe, the Repole Stables owned horse that missed the majority of his three year old campaign due to injury. He went off heavily favored in the GII Gulfstream Park Mile. He made a nice move at the top of the stretch and held clear from his rival Steal Sunshine to get the victory. His connections were ready to meet him in the winner's circle - Owner Mike Repole, Trainer Todd Pletcher, and none other than 7x Super Bowl Champ Tom Brady. It was cool to see him there supporting racing in South Florida!

The namesake of the day was Race 13 - and it came with great implications for the Kentucky Derby starting gate. I had done my handicapping of the race and thought Burnham Square had the best chance on the figures, followed by River Thames. I also had some confidence in Saffie Joseph Jr.'s runner Neoequous, who was stretching out to two turns for the first time in his career, but received high praise from his trainer (who has had an excellent Championship meet so far at the track) and had the look in the paddock of a strong two-turn horse. Irad had the mount, which only made me feel better. I ended up playing and exacta with Burnham Square over the two aforementioned runners.

I had a great viewing spot of the race - right at the 16th pole (which is the finish line for the mile and a sixteenth dirt races at Gulfstream). I was able to capture a quick picture as they loaded into the gate.

In the end, it was the Godolphin bred Sovereignty who ran best. He saved ground around the turn for home, angled four wide, and when jockey Junior Alvarado asked him to go, he responded willingly, and was up in time to take it from River Thames by a neck. Long shot Neoequos broke well and set the pace around both turns, but ultimately faded as he headed home. He was game enough to hang onto third. It was a great race with a surprising no-show from Burnham Square. You have to wonder where his connections will point him next on the road to the Kentucky Derby. At the time of the race, I thought he got a bad trip. Upon watching the race replay, I think he was just outclassed by the top two runners on the day. He never factored into the race.

The Final Verdict: Gulfstream park is such a unique racetrack. It is quintessentially Floridian at its core, and the free to enter general admission was a nice touch. It is tiny in comparsion to most other major racecourses, and were it not for the massive screen planted in the infield, 90% of people at the track would have no view of the backstretch. You probably get a better viewing experience of the races at home, unless you're in the suites on level 3 of the Grandstand (if you can call it that). That said, the atmosphere was lively and spirited, and when the horses turned for home, the place had a noise level that would rival most tracks. I did not get a chance to try any of the food offerings, but I did enjoy my beverage. I would give it 4/5 stars, and certainly would say it is worth the trip for anyone interested in the races, local or not.

Thanks for reading and I'll be back with more Horse Racing content over the coming weeks. I will be at the Tampa Bay Derby this weekend and look forward to putting together a similar style recap for that day as well.

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Remember to take chances and do hard things - but most importantly - have fun.

B