Saturday March 2nd’s 14-race program at Gulfstream Park, highlighted by Code of Honor’s victory in the 73rd running of the Xpressbet.com Fountain of Youth (G2), produced a record total handle on Fountain of Youth Day of $31,230,535, a 9-percent increase over last year’s 14-race program.
Saturday’s 14-race program featured nine graded-stakes races. Along with Code of Honor’s victory in the Fountain of Youth, 50-1 longshot Jeltrin won the $200,000 Davona Dale (G2) and returned $105, A Thread of Blue won the Palm Beach (G3), Zulu Alpha won the Mac Diarmida (G2) and Precieuse won the Honey Fox (G3).
Fountain of Youth Day handle has grown each year since 2015, when total handle was $20.585 million.
“We want to thank all the fans who came out because there was such a great atmosphere here from early morning until late in the day,” said Gulfstream General Manager Bill Badgett. “The horsemen supported our stakes and our program once again, and we’re continuing to build a strong partnership with them all. We’re looking forward to an incredible final month here punctuated by the $1 million Florida Derby on Saturday, March 30.”