The path to Royal Ascot officially begins at Gulfstream Park on May 10, 2025, where the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile and $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies—both five-furlong turf sprints—offer automatic qualification to one of six Royal Ascot 2025 stakes. With 101 promising 2-year-olds nominated across both races, including standout names like Tough Critic and Mythical, Gulfstream’s juvenile turf stakes are set to shape the early-season landscape and launch fresh contenders onto the global stage.
This 2025 edition features 51 nominations for the Royal Palm Juvenile and 50 for the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies, with many of North America’s top trainers aiming their juveniles at a coveted spot on one of racing’s most prestigious platforms.
Among the most watched names is Tough Critic, trained by George Weaver and owned by Dew Sweepers. The 2-year-old colt made an impressive debut with a powerful, late-closing victory over 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf at Keeneland on April 24, 2025. His explosive turn of foot and turf aptitude immediately stamped him as a top contender for the Royal Palm Juvenile.
Weaver brings added credibility, having swept both Gulfstream juvenile turf features in 2023 with No Nay Mets and Crimson Advocate. The latter went on to international success by winning the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot, making Weaver one of the few American trainers with a proven blueprint for success at both Gulfstream and Ascot.
Trainer Jose D’Angelo, a rising force on the Florida circuit, returns with six nominees in the Royal Palm Juvenile. In 2024, D’Angelo sent out Gabaldon to win his debut in the same race before finishing second in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot. His 2025 squad reflects a serious bid to return to the international spotlight.
Hall of Famer Mark Casse, who won the 2023 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies with Bullet, has entered a powerful lineup in 2025, with 24 nominations across both divisions—11 in the Juvenile and 13 in the Fillies, all unraced. Casse’s depth and proven track record with young turf runners make his stable one to watch.
Among the most exciting fillies is Mythical, trained by Jorge Delgado for Arindel. The daughter of Brethren turned heads with a dominant 9 1/2-length debut win at Gulfstream on April 17, 2025, and is part of Arindel’s group of eight homebreds nominated to the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies.
Trainer Wesley Ward, synonymous with success at Royal Ascot, has nominated three fillies for the Fillies division: Satisfied Mind, Ohoopee, and another promising runner. Both Satisfied Mind and Ohoopee were recent debut winners at Keeneland and are cross-nominated to both the Royal Palm Juvenile and the Fillies division, giving Ward maximum flexibility.
Amy Dunne’s Lennilu, trained by Patrick Biancone, is another filly generating buzz after breaking her maiden with a strong off-the-pace run at Keeneland on April 6. Biancone also nominated Squire, a colt by Leinster who debuted with a win at Gulfstream on April 18, to the Royal Palm Juvenile.
Repole Stable and Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher are also in the mix with two Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies nominees: I Think I Can, an unraced daughter of Lope de Vega, and Nonna’s Love, who finished a game third on debut at Keeneland.
With a mix of proven debut winners, untapped potential, and conditioners who’ve already succeeded on the Royal Ascot stage, the 2025 Royal Palm Juvenile and Juvenile Fillies promise to deliver top-class competition—and possibly the next American star to shine on the international turf.
