'Attack' spotted to end skid

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - A horse who has won two stakes races figures to be the proverbial 800-pound gorilla in a four-other-than allowance race. Trouble is, Political Attack, while a multiple stakes winner, has not won a race in more than a year, and even though he figures as one of the top contenders in the Friday feature at Gulfstream Park, he will have to prove he still knows what it's like to win.

Political Attack, owned by Eugene Dixon and trained by Michael Matz, is one of 10 horses in the ninth race, a $40,000 allowance that also drew an also-eligibles list of four older horses. After winning the Mecke Stakes late in his 2-year-old season, then the Tropical Park Derby on New Year's Day in 2002, Political Attack has lost seven straight races. The streak includes a bitter nose defeat in the Princeton Stakes at The Meadowlands in October.

The good news regarding the winless streak is that Political Attack has remained eligible for the conditions of Friday's feature. Horses who have won four or more races other than but can be claimed for $100,000 also are eligible to the race, yielding a nice mix of horses that makes this about one-mile turf race one of the best betting events on the card.

Political Attack tends to do his best running while on or near the pace, but so does TV Sports Director. TV Sports Director will race for a $100,000 claiming tag, but enters in excellent form, having led all the way to win his most recent start at Calder on Dec. 19.

Two other 4-year-old colts promise to give the Friday feature plenty of pace: Russian Momma, owned by Francis "Skip" McDonnell, and Onthedeanslist, who has won 4 of 5 career starts, all of them on dirt.

If the pace is too hot, a late runner like Boastful may benefit most. In his last start, a similar optional-allowance race run here on Jan. 8, Boastful closed stoutly under jockey Jerry Bailey, only to finish second behind Request for Parole.

Two other allowance races (eight and 10) are carded for Friday, when first post is 1:05 p.m.

* Fans are reminded that first post on Sunday will be noon, in order to accommodate the 6:20 p.m. kickoff for the Super Bowl. The last of 10 races is scheduled for about 4:10 p.m.

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