Back-to-back allowances give bettors plenty of options
A couple of $48,000 allowance races with sizable fields will make for some interesting multirace wagering options when a 10-race card winds down Thursday at Gulfstream Park in south Florida.
Both allowances are first-level races around one turn, with race 8 going at seven furlongs on the main track and race 9 scheduled for five furlongs on the turf.
Race 8 drew 10 fillies and mares with no obvious favorite. Crowning Affair and Annathela figure to take their share of tote action in a lineup that also includes Julerette, Morea, Sea Cloud, and Whistle as serious players.
Race 9 has Canadian Flyer as a lukewarm morning-line favorite at 5-2, but there are a handful of other challengers in a field of nine older horses, including Forced Motion, Beantown Saint, Tizcano, and Our Independence.
First post Thursday is 12:35 p.m. Eastern, with the co-features set for 4:02 and 4:32. Both are links in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (races 5-10), which had an empty rollover jackpot when racing resumed at Gulfstream on Wednesday following a two-day break. The Rainbow 6 was solved with a solo ticket Sunday for $208,361.
KEY CONTENDERS (race 8)
Crowning Affair, by Giant’s Causeway
Last 3 Beyers: 77-68-55
◗ Whisper Hill homebred returns to the scene of a 3 1/2-length maiden victory when turning back in distance and returning from an eight-week layoff.
◗ His trainer, Ralph Nicks, and jockey, Tyler Gaffalione, have teamed to win 83 races in a little more than two years.
Annathela, by Elusive Quality
Last 3 Beyers: 69-77-71
◗ Her Dec. 21 return to Gulfstream suggested she was in need of a race following a six-month layoff. She bid sharply for the lead after a half-mile of the six-furlong allowance race, only to tire late to third.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 9 Annathela. Trainer Rusty Arnold is 33-9-6-5 with a $2.80 ROI over the past five years in dirt sprints in the second start following a layoff. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 1 Julerette. Trainer David Fawkes is 44-3-12-1 with a $0.56 ROI over the past five years on dirt in the first start following a trainer switch. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
KEY CONTENDERS (race 9)
Canadian Flyer, by Canadian Frontier
Last 3 Beyers: 83-90-78
◗ He was the beaten favorite in one of those rugged Saratoga turf sprints in late July and now returns with six workouts at Payson Park since late November for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, who shows solid numbers in all the categories that apply here.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 4 Canadian Flyer. Trainer Bill Mott is 21-1-0-2 with a $0.42 ROI over the past five years in five-furlong turf sprints at Gulfstream Park. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Our Independence, by Put It Back
Last 3 Beyers: 78-83-67
◗ The outside post is liable to afford jockey Luca Panici a nice stalking trip aboard the gelding, who won at this level at Gulfstream West in November and remains eligible for the condition as one of four entered for an optional $25,000 tag here.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 6 Tizcano. Trainer Jorge Navarro is 42-12-10-5 with a $2.66 ROI over the past five years going dirt to turf in five-furlong sprints. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan