Abounding Legacy sharp enough to overcome inside post

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – There are things a horse trainer just cannot control, including events such as post position draws and Eclipse Award balloting.

Ralph Nicks seems to be more concerned about the latter than the former.

Whereas a decent trip from the one-hole for Abounding Legacy might be enough for victory in the Friday feature at Gulfstream Park, Nicks isn’t so sure whether his stable star Caledonia Road will be awarded an Eclipse for top 2-year-old filly of 2017 when voting is revealed here Jan. 25. Nicks is hoping Caledonia Road will get the nod over Rushing Fall, who went undefeated in three turf tries.

“Usually, the Eclipse goes to the horse that has run on dirt,” Nicks said. “We’re all pretty anxious to see whether that’s the case this year.”

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Between hand-wrings, Nicks will saddle Abounding Legacy as a top contender in the lone Friday allowance, a $52,000 second-level race at six furlongs. Delta Bluesman (post 6, Irad Ortiz Jr.), a graded stakes winner of more than $600,000, surely will be favored in a field of eight older horses – even though the 8-year-old gelding has gone seven starts and nearly 16 months since his last win – and Nicks believes Abounding Legacy (post 1, Edgard Zayas) is capable of a mild upset.

“I don’t like getting the rail, but the horse is training absolutely fabulous and comes off a big race,” Nicks said. “Unless Delta Bluesman has flashbacks to his old form, I think we might be really tough in there.”

Abounding Legacy, a 6-year-old gelding, has earned nearly $270,000 and finished first or second in 13 of 23 starts. Both he and Delta Bluesman are entered for an optional $50,000 claiming tag that is part of the race conditions for the ninth of 10 Friday races.

Delta Bluesman, trained by Jorge Navarro, peaked in 2016 when he won four times, including two stakes. The speedy gray gelding will be making his first start since finishing fourth in the July 1 Smile Sprint at Gulfstream.

Other possibilities in the feature include Sunshine Shadow (post 2, Emisael Jaramillo), Tiger Blood (post 4, Miguel Vasquez), and Unbridled Outlaw (post 5, Luis Saez).

Two starter allowances (races 3 and 8) serve as co-features on a Friday card that starts at 12:35 p.m. Eastern. The 20-cent Rainbow 6, which runs from races 5-10, had more than $1.4 million in its rollover jackpot when the six-day race week began Wednesday.