Fountain of Youth, Rebel and Gotham Lead Weekend Action

Feb 28th, 2026

So Far In 2026 Our Exotic Predictions Have Paid $985,421

Three Blockbuster Derby Preps Ready to Ignite the Weekend

Forget the winter doldrums. This weekend, North American horse racing wakes from its late-February slumber with a thunderous roar as three Kentucky Derby qualifying races go to post across three different tracks - all offering 105 points on a 50-25-15-10-5 scale that can all but guarantee a ticket to Churchill Downs on May 2. Whether you're soaking up the Florida sunshine at Gulfstream Park, watching the Oaklawn warriors do battle in Hot Springs, or rooting for the cold-weather survivors at Aqueduct, this is the kind of weekend that separates the contenders from the pretenders.

The name on everyone's lips heading into Saturday is Napoleon Solo. The son of Liam's Map was purchased for a bargain $40,000 as a yearling and has since proven himself one of the most exciting juveniles of the 2025 crop. He dominated his debut at Saratoga by 5¼ lengths, then traveled to Aqueduct and blew away his rivals in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes - one of the most visually impressive performances of any two-year-old last fall. He enters the 80th running of the $425,000 Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park unbeaten in two starts by a combined 11¾ lengths, and his much-anticipated 2026 debut in the 1 1/16-mile classic prep is the moment horse racing fans have been circling on the calendar for months. The race goes to post at 6:11 p.m. ET on Saturday.

But the Fountain of Youth is no one-horse parade. Commandment, trained by Brad Cox and ridden by perennial Gulfstream meet leader Irad Ortiz Jr., has been quietly sensational. A son of the great Into Mischief purchased for $500,000, he was fourth on debut before reeling off back-to-back dominant wins, capping with a stunning 6¾-length blowout in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes right here at Gulfstream. He is a genuine threat, and his pedigree screams two-turn stayer. Then there's the irresistible energy surrounding Solitude Dude, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.'s unbeaten Florida flash who has won all three of his starts by a combined margin north of 21 lengths, including the Swale Stakes at seven furlongs. Joseph says the horse has "Grade 1 ability," and Saturday is his first two-turn test - if his stamina matches his brilliance, he could be a nightmare for the favorites. Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher sends the unbeaten Jackson Hole from the rail under John Velazquez, and Bill Mott's Chief Wallabee - so impressive in his debut that he's drawn genuine buzz despite heading into only his second career start - rounds out a field that is, simply put, one of the deepest assembled so far this prep season.

While the Florida sunshine draws most of the attention, Aqueduct in New York serves up its own compelling Derby subplot with the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes - also on Saturday at 5:18 p.m. ET. The one-turn mile offers 50 points to the winner and boasts a hall-of-fame roll call that includes Secretariat, Easy Goer, and Red Bullet. This year, the horse drawing the most intrigue is Iron Honor, trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Manny Franco. His single career start - a 1½-length maiden win on December 13 - produced an impressive 55 WinningPonies speed figure, the best number in the Gotham field. Brown purchased this Nyquist son for $475,000 and believes the Kentucky Derby is well within reach. Standing in his way is the battle-tested Balboa, trained by Brittany Russell, who ran third behind top Derby prospect Paladin in the Grade 2 Remsen before a runner-up finish over this exact Aqueduct mile last time out. Kenny McPeek's Right to Party projects as the top closing threat and could make life miserable for anything on the front end if the pace gets honest early.

If Saturday is a feast, Sunday hits just as hard. The $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas - a race that sent American Pharoah, Smarty Jones, Curlin, and Lookin At Lucky galloping down the Derby trail - goes to post at 6:23 p.m. with 105 points and genuine drama on the line. The storyline centers on trainer Mark Casse, who is chasing his fourth consecutive victory in a Kentucky Derby qualifier at Oaklawn. He saddles two live contenders: Silent Tactic, who put on a dazzling display in the Southwest Stakes by surging from 11th place in the final three-sixteenths of a mile to win going away, and Strategic Risk, who dominated the Smarty Jones Stakes before a puzzling tenth-place Southwest effort that Casse blamed on a brutal winter storm that cost the horse nine consecutive training days. Casse's team reports Strategic Risk's most recent work was the best they've seen from him - and the Smarty Jones form says he belongs right in the thick of this. Morning-line favorite Blackout Time, also conditioned by McPeek, romped by 9¾ lengths in a maiden before a sharp runner-up effort put him squarely on the Derby radar. He enters off a 4½-month freshening, which has sharp bettors calling him an underlay - but raw talent has a way of silencing the skeptics.

Also on Sunday's magnificent Oaklawn card is the $750,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) for three-year-old fillies at 5:15 p.m. ET, offering a record purse and 105 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points. Taken by the Wind enters unbeaten in three lifetime starts, including a stakes victory at Fair Grounds, while Hall of Famer Bob Baffert's Explora - runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar last fall and a 5¼-length winner of the Santa Ynez Stakes in January - gives the race a dose of prestige that makes it well worth your attention.

Step back and the scope of this weekend is genuinely breathtaking. Three tracks, three massive races, and by Sunday night we'll have a far clearer picture of who the real Kentucky Derby contenders are heading toward May 2. Will Napoleon Solo live up to the enormous expectations? Can Silent Tactic confirm his Southwest dominance against a stiffened Rebel field? Will Iron Honor's debut fireworks translate to graded-stakes glory at the Big A? The road to the roses has never looked more exciting - and it all starts this weekend.

It's the Little Things You Remember
by Ed Meyer

Long from the days of betting on your computer / device from home, you had to make the trek to the track to bet the ponies. – Ah, the smells, sights, sounds, are worth their weight in gold. When playing a slot or video poker machine you may get a name from the same person who can be found at “Hot Link Slots” day in and day out, but seldom do you get that friendly getting to know someone like you did playing the ponies.

Recent Big 'Uns

Laurel

Feb 27 (R 1-5)

50¢ Pick 5

$32,931.50

Tampa Bay Downs

Feb 27 (R 1)

$1 S5 (KEY)

$7,725.30

Turfway

Feb 19 (R 10)

$1 Super High 5

$6,292.99

Laurel

Feb 21 (R 6)

50¢ S5 (KEY)

$4,309.60

Gulfstream

Feb 27 (R 5-10)

20¢ Pick 6

$2,800.12

Turfway

Feb 27 (R 6-10)

50¢ Pick 5

$2,344.58

Laurel

Feb 27 (R 2-5)

50¢ Pick 4

$1,835.00

Turfway

Feb 27 (R 7-10)

50¢ Pick 4

$1,368.28

Tampa Bay Downs

Feb 20 (R 4)

$1 Super High 5

$1,334.60

Upcoming Weekend Stakes Races

Saturday, Feb 28th

Aqueduct
$300,000 Gotham S. (G3)
$200,000 Busher S.
$175,000 Tom Fool S. (G3)
$150,000 Stymie S
Fair Grounds
$100,000 Black Gold S.
$100,000 Edward J. Johnston Memorial S.
$100,000 LA Stallion of the year "Star Guitar" S.
$100,000 LA Broodmare of the year "Charged Cotton" S.
$100,000 Red Carmelia S.
Gulfstream
$400,000 Fountain of Youth S. (G2)
$200,000 Davona Dale S. (G2)
$200,000 Mac Diarmida S. (G2)
$200,000 Gulfstream Park Mile S. (G2)
$175,000 The Very One S. (G2)
$175,000 Honey Fox S. (G3)
$175,000 Herecomesthebride S. (G3)
$175,000 Canadian Turf S. (G3)
$175,000 Colonel Liam S.
Oaklawn
$500,000 Razorback H. (G3)
$150,000 Carousel
Santa Anita
$200,000 Buena Vista S. (G2)
Turfway Park
$125,000 Wintergreen S.

Sunday, Mar 1st

Aqueduct
$135,000 Correction S.
Oaklawn
$1,000,000 Rebel S. (G2)
$750,000 Honeybee S. (G3)
$135,000 Pig Trail Overnight S.
$135,000 Byerley Turk Overnight S.

Testimonials

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Another bone crushing win has been delivered by your service ($25 Super paid over $87,000!).

I took your Top Horse - Maximum Security for the Florida Derby and put it on top of the next four horses and connected for a big win.

Made a mistake by not betting the exacta or the trifecta, which paid out very nice, but this will have to suffice for now :-)

I'm pretty sure we killed the payout and were paid half of the pool for all superfectas."

- Mark A., Fort Lauderdale, FL

Picks/Results For 2019 Florida Derby

"Love the winning ponies in the mud angle this time of year just hit early pic 4 as well as 20 exb in the 3rd and in the second 5 came second woulda had 20 on the 98 dad but can't win em all and I woulda took out the pic 4 pool X 2$$$$$$$ Thanks WP"

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Picks/Results For Early Pick 4 at Finger Lakes

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