Sat-27-Feb: GULFSTREAM PARK, SANTA ANITA, AQUEDUCT, OAKLAWN PARK. Fountain of Youth Stakes Day

#KentuckyDerbyLeadUpRace2021 #KYDerby #HorseRacingLive

Fountain of Youth Stakes 2021 odds, contenders, lineup: Insider who nailed last year's winner makes picks

A spot in the Kentucky Derby will be on the line when 10 three-year-old horses leave the starting gate in the 2021 Fountain of Youth Stakes on Saturday. The winner will receive 50 qualifying points towards the Kentucky Derby, guaranteeing himself a spot in the Run for the Roses. The connections of the horses who run well on Saturday could also point their runners to the signature race on Gulfstream Park's calendar, the 2021 Florida Derby on March 27. The Shug McGaughey-trained Greatest Honour is the 9-5 morning-line favorite in the latest 2021 Fountain of Youth Stakes odds.

Reigning Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf champion Fire At Will is next on the odds board at 7-2 in the 2021 Fountain of Youth Stakes field. Post time for the 1 1/16-mile race is 6:10 p.m. ET. With the $300,000 race featuring a talented lineup, you'll want to see what handicapping champion Jonathon Kinchen has to say before making any 2021 Fountain of Youth picks.

Kinchen is one of the nation's most successful and recognizable horseplayers. An analyst for Fox Sports' "America's Day at the Races" and co-host of the "In the Money Players' Podcast," Kinchen won the National Horseplayers Championship Tour in 2015, a demanding, yearlong series of handicapping events across the country. That same year, he became the only player in history to have both of his entries qualify for the final table of the National Horseplayers Championship.

In addition, Kinchen has scored huge on some of racing's biggest days. In November, he finished second (out of 418 contestants) in the prestigious Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge, which earned him $215,000 in prize money. After factoring in his profit on the races during the 14 Breeders' Cup races ($151,025.20), he took home more than $366,000.

It's no fluke, either. At the 2015 Kentucky Derby, he cashed for $150,000 after nailing a Pick 6 and a Pick 3 that paid $50,000. Last year, his first for SportsLine, he nailed an $80 bet on Ete Indien to win the Fountain of Youth, winning $344. That was only one of many eye-popping scores by Kinchen for SportsLine last year. Anyone who has followed him is up big.

Now, Kinchen has handicapped the Fountain of Youth 2021, made his picks and formulated his bets.

Top 2021 Fountain of Youth Stakes predictions
Kinchen is fading Fire At Will, even though he's one of the top favorites at 7-2. Trained by Mike Maker, Fire At Will has lost only once in four career starts, which came in his career debut in August. He has since reeled off three straight wins, including a victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

However, Fire At Will enters the Fountain of Youth 2021 as a major question mark on the dirt. His connections have never previously entered him in a dirt race, and his pedigree suggests he is bred more for turf than dirt.

Kinchen also is completely fading Tarantino, even though he is at 8-1 on the morning line. This son of Pioneerof the Nile has two wins and two seconds in four career starts. He is coming off a second-place finish to Greatest Honour in the Holy Bull on Jan. 3.

However, he has never run particularly fast, as his career-best Beyer Speed figure is 80. That ranks sixth in the field and is 10 points shy of the field's best Beyer of 90, which is owned by Fire At Will. Kinchen will not use Tarantino in his wagering, and neither should you.


FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH STAKES 2021 FINAL FIELD + POSTS

PROGRAM # HORSE ODDS
1 Drain the Clock 5-1
2 Prime Factor 5-1
3 Sososubtle 20-1
4 Fire At Will 7-2
5 Jirafales 20-1
6 King's Ovation 15-1
7 Tarantino 8-1
8 Greatest Honour 9-5
9 Tiz Tact Toe 30-1
10 Papetu 15-1