By Jarrod Horak
The Fountain of Youth, Gotham, John Battaglia Memorial, and San Felipe were the latest road to Kentucky Derby 2024 points races. In this Derby report, I will look back at those March 2 events and update my “Exceptional 11” Kentucky Derby contenders. The next points race on the docket is the Grade Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday, March 9.
Kentucky Derby 2024 Points Race Recaps
Fountain of Youth – March 2 (Gulfstream Park)
Fractions: 24.39, 48.14, 1:11.43, 1:36.95, 1:43.64
Top 5 Finishers: Dornoch, Le Dom Bro, Frankie’s Empire, Real Macho, Dancing Groom
This race started with nine entrants. Merit scratched to run in an allowance race. Gustavo Delgado scratched maiden Victory Avenue, and Todd Pletcher was not pleased with the training of morning line favorite Locked, and he defected as well. Speak Easy, a second Pletcher runner, ran off in the post parade, hit the rail and scratched. He had some cuts and will be out of training for at least a week. All of those developments left Dornoch as the heavy favorite, but he had to work for this one. The chalk made the lead under Luis Saez and the opening quarter was soft for this caliber of runner. He fended off a challenge from 27-1 longshot Le Dom Bro and won by 1 3/4 lengths. Le Dom Bro held off Frankie’s Empire to secure the place by a neck. Dornoch will have to run faster if he expects to win his final Derby prep.
