Fountain of Youth champ Gunnevera favorite for Saturday’s Florida Derby

Gunnevera is proving to be one of the biggest bargains on the road to the 2017 Kentucky Derby.

Purchased for $16,000 by Peacock Racing Stables at the 2015 Keeneland September Sale, the 3-year-old colt has quickly amassed more than a million dollars in earnings in eight career starts.

Gunnevera will attempt to add to his bankroll Saturday when he takes on a field of 10 others in the $1 million Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park.

Gunnevera was installed Wednesday as the 9-5 morning-line favorite for the 1  1/8 -mile Kentucky Derby prep race, which is worth 100 points to the winner.

Gunnevera, who will run from outside post position No. 11, is already a Kentucky Derby shoo-in, having compiled 64 points. The Antonio Sano trainee won the Grade 3 Delta Downs Jackpot in November, finished second in the Grade 2 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream in February, then further solidified his standing with an impressive 5  3/4 -lengths victory in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream.

Testing Gunnevera on Saturday will be 3-1 second choice Battalion Runner, who will be making just his fourth career start and his first attempt at a stakes race. The Todd Pletcher trainee won races at Gulfstream on Dec. 31 and Feb. 3 in preparation for Saturday.

Always Dreaming, the 4-1 third choice also trained by Pletcher, is also lightly raced — four career starts — but coming off back-to-back non-stakes victories.

Checking in at 8-1 are Mark Casse’s State of Honor, who was runner-up in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby last time out, and Jose Pinchin-trained Three Rules, who was most recently third in the Fountain of Youth.

This story was originally published March 29, 2017 at 12:32 PM with the headline "Fountain of Youth champ Gunnevera favorite for Saturday’s Florida Derby."