Commandment Favored for Saturday’s G2 Coolmore Fountain of Youth
At 0h03, on February 28, 2026 • By Gulfstream Park
Wathnan Racing’s Commandment, who caught the attention of the racing world with his commanding 3-year-old debut in the Jan. 3 Mucho Macho Man, will make his anxiously awaited return to Gulfstream Park Saturday in the $425,000 Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2).
The son of Into Mischief, who bypassed the Jan. 31 Holy Bull (G3), has been installed as the 2-1 morning-line favorite in a talent-deep field of 11 assembled for the 80th running of Saturday’s 1 1/16-mile dress rehearsal for the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) March 28 at Gulfstream.
“I didn’t want to run him back in four weeks in the Holy Bull, and I thought this race made good sense hopefully as steppingstone to try to get to the Derby,” trainer Brad Cox said.
Commandment came through in style as the hot 1-2 favorite in the Mucho Macho Man, rating in mid-pack before splitting rivals and drawing off to win the one-turn mile stakes going away by 6 ? lengths. The $500,000 Keeneland September Sale purchase had disappointed on debut Oct. 4 at Keeneland, closing from 11th to fourth going six furlongs, but he bounced back to conclude his juvenile season with a rallying 5 ?-length victory in a seven-furlong maiden special weight Nov. 1 at Churchill Downs.
Commandment has produced a solid series of five workouts at Cox’s winter base at Payson Park in preparation for his first start around two turns in the Coolmore Fountain of Youth.
“He performed well in the Mucho Macho Man, and I love the way he’s been training,” Cox said. “The gallop outs in his works give us confidence he will handle the two turns.”
Irad Ortiz Jr., who was aboard for Commandment’s Mucho Macho Man triumph, has the return call in Saturday’s headliner on a 14-race card with nine stakes, eight graded.
