Gulfstream Park: Plenty of positives for Slew's Exchange in Wednesday turf sprint

Tom Keyser

Spun Cap takes the step up to the second-level allowance condition on Wednesday at Gulfstream Park.

The ability to run well fresh, her versatile running style, and previous success over this turf course may give Slew’s Exchange a slight edge in a competitive feature Wednesday at Gulfstream Park.

Slew’s Exchange meets six fillies and mares in a $57,500 second-level allowance race scheduled for five furlongs on turf. Slew’s Exchange and Revenue are both in for the optional claiming price of $62,500.

The feature goes as race 4 and is not part of the Rainbow 6 sequence that begins the day with a $2,195,692 carryover and starts with race 5.

Slew’s Exchange, trained by Eddie Plesa, has not been out since Nov. 28, when she finished second to Trippin’ Along in this same condition. Trippin’ Along came back to run second, beaten a nose, in the $75,000 Lightning City Stakes at Tampa on Jan. 26.

Slew’s Exchange was entered but scratched out of a spot similar as this on Jan. 18 because a virus had been going through Plesa’s barn at Calder and he was leery Slew’s Exchange might have been sick.

“I was being ultra conservative as far as she was concerned,” Plesa said. “I had a number of horses go over there and run and came back with mucus and back off their feed, so I wanted to be careful.”

Slew’s Exchange won a first-level allowance at Gulfstream in December 2011 before running seventh in the Sweetest Chant Stakes a month later. Off for more than seven months, Slew’s Exchange came back to run second, beaten a head, in this condition at Monmouth. Off again for two months, she was beaten less than a length before finishing second to Trippin’ Along.

“She’s knocking at the door to knock out that race,” Plesa said. “She’s coming into the race excellent.”

Slew’s Exchange picks up Joel Rosario, who interestingly enough rode Spun Cap to a victory in a first-level allowance race last out for Eduardo Caramori.

Spun Cap takes the step up to the second-level allowance condition here, and Caramori likes how his filly has run in both of her starts at this meet, including a three-length loss Dec. 14.

“The first time she ran, she was trapped all the time, couldn’t run, she just ran in hand,” Caramori said. “Second time out, the same thing almost happened, but space opened and she got there.”

Alan Garcia rides Spun Cap from post 6.

Caramori also sends out Standing By, who finished last in the Lightning City with a plausible excuse.

“She was chasing the pace and the saddle slipped, and she couldn’t finish the race,” Caramori said. “That’s why we put her right back in. She’ll be the front-runner.”

The Rahy Angel and Hurricane Girl also appear to have plenty of early speed, which should help Slew’s Exchange, Spun Cap, and Revenue.

My Due Process, whose lone win from four turf starts came at Saratoga in 2011, gets the services of John Velazquez.