2026 Fountain of Youth Stakes picks, odds: Horse racing writer has best bets for Saturday's Kentucky Derby prep race

The deepest Kentucky Derby prep race so far this year is set for Saturday when the starting gate opens in the 2026 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park in South Florida. Six of the 10 horses in the Fountain of Youth Stakes field are among the top 33 choices in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager odds. That includes the Brad Cox-trained Commandment, is the 2-1 morning-line favorite in the Fountain of Youth Stakes odds. Napoleon Solo (7-2), Chief Wallabee (9-2), Solitude Dude (5-1) round out the top four choices in the odds among the Fountain of Youth Stakes horses. Post time for the Fountain of Youth Stakes is 6:11 p.m. ET, with temperatures forecasted to be in the high 70s around post time. 

With several talented horses set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you NEED to see what SportsLine horse racing expert Gene Menez has to say before making any 2026 Fountain of Youth Stakes picks or horse racing predictions.

A former reporter and editor at Sports Illustrated, Menez covered an array of sports, including horse racing, for the magazine and its website for almost 14 years. Between 2010 and 2012, he served as SI's handicapper for the Triple Crown races and correctly predicted Super Saver to win the Kentucky Derby in 2010.

In 2015, while writing for Sports on Earth, Menez accurately gave out the Kentucky Derby superfecta (American Pharoah, Firing Line, Dortmund and Frosted), which paid $1,268.20 for $2. Then in 2017, he tweeted out his Kentucky Derby picks, including Always Dreaming to win, and hit the Pick 4, which paid almost $6,900 on a $1 bet. In 2024, Menez gave out 18-1 Mystik Dan as a live longshot in the Kentucky Derby. 

Menez excels on horse racing's biggest days. In 2024 he crushed the late Pick 4 on Breeders' Cup Saturday for a $5,303 windfall. Last year he nailed the winner, trifecta and superfecta in the Florida Derby for a $529.60 score and the winner and trifecta in the Blue Grass Stakes for a $761.96 jackpot. Hit the late Pick 4 on Kentucky Oaks day for $915.48. In the Kentucky Derby, he hammered the exacta and trifecta for a $1,045 payout.

And in November, Menez finished 115th out of 643 entries in the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge, the biggest live-money handicapping tournament in the country.

Now, Menez has handicapped the 2026 Fountain of Youth Stakes field and revealed his picks. We can tell you that Menez is high on Chief Wallabee, even though he is third in the odds at 9-2. "Trained by Bill Mott, who won this race last year with eventual Horse of the Year Sovereignty, Chief Wallabee has run only once in his career, but that one race was super impressive," he says. Menez is using Chief Wallabee in his Fountain of Youth Stakes wagers.

However, Menez's top pick is a horse who "should have no problem stretching out in distance." Menez also is high on a longshot who "should run even better on Saturday." Menez is including these horses in his 2026 Fountain of Youth Stakes bets, and so should you. You ABSOLUTELY NEED to see which horses they are before making any 2026 Fountain of Youth Stakes picks of your own.

So which horse wins the 2026 Fountain of Youth Stakes? What longshot is a must-back? And how has Menez constructed his wagers? ... Join SportsLine NOW to get the top 2026 Fountain of Youth Stakes picks and bets, all from the expert who nailed last year's Kentucky Derby trifecta and exacta.