Bernier: How I'd play Gulfstream for Sunday, Dec. 7

Day 2 of the Gulfstream Park Championship Meet is Sunday, and will put in a small Rainbow Pick Six ticket as well as target the featured event on the card, the $50,000 Aventura Handicap.

RACE 5

Not only does YES BLUE (4) own the highest last-out Beyer Speed Figure in the field, but she’s also the main speed. This horse figures to move forward in her second start off the layoff for Gustavo Delgado, and she will be a single for me in the first leg of the Rainbow Six sequence.

RACE 6

FAN BASE (3) is very logical in here, and the best thing about this 5-year-old son of Hat Trick is the fact that he doesn’t absolutely need the lead to be at his best. That being said, I think he winds up on the lead and has a big shot to take the field gate-to-wire. LONESOME STREET (7) will be making his second start off a long layoff, and while I would normally be skeptical of a horse being claimed out of the Mike Maker barn and assume a regression was likely, I don’t think that will happen as this horse moves into Jorge Navarro’s barn. He’s going to be at the mercy of the pace scenario, but if for some reason things get hot up front this horse will be rolling late under Jose Lezcano.

RACE 7

Todd Pletcher’s runners are going to take their fair share of money (and I will be using both ITSAKNOCKOUT (7) and OLD MOUNTAIN LANE (9)), but I prefer to side with THE SON WIND (3) on top. I liked the debut effort from this son of Roman Ruler, mainly because he was involved in a reasonably swift pace duel going seven furlongs at Gulfstream West – which is a notoriously deep and tiring surface. He wound up finishing a good second and was five lengths clear of the third-place runner. He co-owns the highest last- out Beyer in the field (67) and any sort of move forward will make him very tough to beat. I will also be using SHAMAN GHOST (13) in case the pace gets hot up front.

RACE 8

There appears to be a fair amount of speed signed on in this spot, and I believe SHIVA RYAN (9) will reap the benefits. The major class relief this horse gets is very important, as well as the fact that he won his maiden over the Gulfstream turf here in September. I think he fits nicely here and should be hitting his best stride late. I will also include PERSONAL DELIVERY (7) and I GOT ID (11).

RACE 9

-ATREIDES (5) is the headliner in the Sunday feature, and I’m using him on my Rainbow Six ticket – but strictly in a defensive manner. I really didn’t like the way he ran in the Indiana Derby, and although he’s back home I find it alarming that Mike Welsch and Mike Vesce commented in their Clocker Reports that he didn’t finish as well as he normally does in his Nov. 27 workout. I will look to beat him in multis and in individual race plays with the other Marty Wolfson runner, MONTANA COWBOY (8). This son of Grand Slam stretches out from six furlongs to a one-turn mile, and I believe he’s lone speed. If he can navigate the additional distance I think he could be very dangerous on the front end. If there’s a “bridgejumper” scenario that presents itself on Atreides, I will be all over it.

RACE 10

I don’t have a strong opinion in the finale, but if I’m alive I will have SCUBA SUE (1), LYING EYES (2), and ZARLEEZA (4) covered on my ticket. The final ticket looks like this: 4 / 3,7 / 3,7,9,13 / 7,9,11 / 5,8 / 1,2,4 = $28.80