Amalfi Princess should be fine with surface change in Thursday allowance sprint

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The most important race this week for trainer Mike Maker and Kirk Wycoff of Three Diamonds Farm, one of his top clients, involves Fire At Will going turf to dirt in the Fountain of Youth Stakes on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

Some 48 hours beforehand, however, Maker and Wycoff will be represented by a filly named Amalfi Princess going dirt to turf in a competitive Thursday feature at Gulfstream. A sharp maiden winner on closing day of the Churchill Downs fall meet in late November, Amalfi Princess will be making her seasonal debut as one of 10 3-year-old fillies in the ninth race, a $47,000 first-level allowance at five furlongs on the turf.

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Amalfi Princess came from just off the pace going six furlongs at Churchill, winning by 2 1/4 lengths and earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 71. She has run twice on turf, finishing third at Kentucky Downs in her debut followed by a fourth, beaten 2 1/2 lengths, in the Grade 3 Matron at Belmont.

“I really liked her last race,” Maker said. “But I do think she’s going to end up being better on the turf. This looks like a good spot to get started back with her.”

Amalfi Princess will have Tyler Gaffalione aboard when she breaks from post 2 in the feature. Maker has a second starter in Can’t Buy Love (post 7, Jose Ortiz), the only one in the field entered for an optional $75,000 claiming tag. Can’t Buy Love, a Ken and Sarah Ramsey homebred, was second for this same condition here in her last start Jan. 29.

“I thought she ran a great race but was just second-best,” Maker said. “We’ve pretty much tried everything with her already, and it looks like five-eighths on the grass is going to be her game.”

Other possibilities include La Libertee (post 3, Luis Saez), third behind Can’t Buy Love in the Jan. 29 race; Reinagol (post 6, Edgard Zayas), a last-out maiden winner over the local course; and Lambeau Lady (post 8, Javier Castellano), making her grass debut following two solid efforts over the Laurel Park main track.

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First post Thursday is 1:10 p.m. Eastern, with the feature going at 5:16. It’s part of the 20-cent Rainbow 6, which spans races 5-10 and is expected to offer a guaranteed pool of about $300,000, assuming the jackpot is not emptied Wednesday by a solo winning ticket. The Rainbow 6 began building anew Sunday after being swept Saturday for $712,824.

Following possible showers in this area Tuesday and Wednesday, the Thursday forecast calls for sunny skies and a high of 81. Five of the 10 Thursday races are scheduled for the turf.