Napoleon Solo Headlines 23 Fountain of Youth Nominations; Trainers Consider Florida Derby

Gold Square’s undefeated Champagne Stakes winner Napoleon Solo headlines a 23‑horse nomination list for the Coolmore Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 28, a nomination set reported Feb. 17–18 that carries immediate stakes for owners, breeders and the South Florida meet. Gulfstream Park’s NEWS2/18/2026 item lists Napoleon Solo with multiple stakes winners Solitude Dude and Jackson Hole in an “undefeated trio,” and singles out Further Ado as a Grade 2 winner among the nominees.

The official Gulfstream Park release lists the race as the $425,000 Coolmore Fountain of Youth (G2), but industry outlets and HorseRacingNation have described the prep as a $400,000 event, a discrepancy Gulfstream officials should confirm with the racing office because the difference affects owners’ purse calculations and nomination decisions. Gulfstream Park also emphasized that the Feb. 28 program resumes the Championship Meet with a 10‑race card and first post at 12:20 PM EST.

Napoleon Solo’s training has accelerated at Palm Meadows in Palm Beach County, where HorseRacingNation reported his fourth South Florida workout since mid‑January was his first in company. The drill covered four furlongs in 48.0 seconds over the main track, the fastest of 19 recorded works at the distance that day, and HorseRacingNation noted Napoleon Solo was one of 15 graded‑stakes winners with published works that Thursday. An Instagram excerpt described the Champagne Stakes winner as “primed for a possible Fountain of Youth showdown at Gulfstream,” underscoring the buzz around his South Florida preparations.

Gold Square’s role in the early Triple Crown conversation is emphasized in a multi‑sentence quote printed in HorseRacingNation praising the program’s progress and recalling Cyberknife’s pathway: “To see our name on the list among the elite of the elite is a lot of fun. For Gold Square to have three horses nominated to the (Triple Crown) and a horse they bred is a big salute to the program that Al Gold and Gold Square have established. Running in the Derby a few years ago with Cyberknife wasn't maybe the outcome they wanted. To win the Arkansas Derby and the Haskell after that and be second in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile is nothing to sneeze at. Going to the Kentucky Derby, it's got to be on everybody's list. We'd definitely love the opportunity to get back there again, hopefully this year.”

Napoleon Solo’s nomination arrives on a loaded Feb. 28 card that also features the Davona Dale (G2) for 3‑year‑old fillies, with On Time Girl and Sneaky Good headlining that nomination list. Gulfstream Park says the day will host nine stakes, eight graded, worth a combined $2.025 million and offering 105 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points, making the card consequential for both the Road to the Kentucky Derby and the Road to the Kentucky Oaks.

Connections have not confirmed Napoleon Solo’s official 3‑year‑old debut, and the Fountain of Youth nomination does not obligate an entry; trainers and owners will weigh whether to run Feb. 28 or target alternate Derby preps. With 23 nominees on file, a divided purse figure and Gulfstream’s heavy Oaks and Derby point implications, this is a pivotal week for Gold Square, for owners of Solitude Dude, Jackson Hole and Further Ado, and for Gulfstream’s local racing economy. Share this story and comment if you think Napoleon Solo will start in the Fountain of Youth or skip to another Derby prep.