Soldat, the 7/5 betting favorite as the gates opened, set a sensible pace on the front end to win the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park. Delta Downs Jackpot winnner Gourmet Dinner, ran second. To Honor and Serve, the impressive winner of the Grade 2 Remsen last fall, faded to third in deep stretch.
Official Chart (via DRF.com)
Fractions:
1/4: 24.34
1/2: 47.99
3/4: 1:12.43
Mile: 1:37.19
Final: 1:50.23
Internal Splits:
1/4: 24.34
1/2: 23.65
3/4: 24.44
Mile: 24.76
Final: 13.04
Soldat's final 1/8th of a mile was certainly nothing special, but it was enough to outlast a field that came home, on average, very slow. Gourmet Dinner ran the fastest final 1/8th - 12.87 seconds, according to the Formulator Interactive Charts. Here are the final 1/8th of a mile for the entire Fountain of Youth field:
Soldat: 13.04
Gourmet Dinner: 12.87
To Honor and Serve: 13.42
Bowman's Causeway: 13.34
Shackleford: 15.08
Racing Aptitude: 15.76
Casper's Touch: 15.93
El Grayling: 26.04
Yikes...Soldat came home decent for a horse that did all the dirty work up front, and Gourment Dinner ran his usual solid race. The rest? Not too good.