Allowance dash attracts fat field
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HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – A pair of allowance races with claiming options highlight Thursday’s Gulfstream card, topped by a five-furlong dash on the turf.
Race 10 drew a field of 11 3-year-old fillies, led by trainer Wesley Ward’s Pulstar, the only multiple winner in the field, and the well-graded maiden winner Epic Lady Luck from the barn of the red-hot Brian Lynch.
Pulstar closed out her juvenile campaign by winning her local debut in impressive fashion over the turf on Dec. 4. She led at every call before drawing off to a 3 1/4-length decision in a race carded under similar conditions as race 10, where she has been entered for a $75,000 claiming tag.
The well-traveled Epic Lady Luck, who ran at four different racetracks in her four starts at 2, improved with every outing from a Beyer Speed Figure standpoint last season. She returns to the grass after earning her diploma with a popular half-length triumph, also in gate-to-wire fashion, making her local bow over the Tapeta course on Nov. 29.
The pace should be a lively one with Ifyousaidso and Golden Beach, who finished second and third, respectively, behind Pulstar in their previous meeting. They rank among the key contenders along with the stakes-tested Catalonia.