Biancone has chance to sweep Armed Forces and Our Dear Peggy

Juveniles take center stage in a couple of one-mile $75,000 turf stakes at Gulfstream Park on Saturday. Considering that the past five years trainer Patrick Biancone has a 43 percent strike rate and $4.35 ROI with 2-year-olds running in non-graded stakes, it might be worth taking a shot with No Nay Franklin in the Armed Forces and Diamond Wow in the Our Dear Peggy for fillies.

First up in race 5 is the Armed Forces, which drew eight horses for turf. Gilligan and Golden Juan will start if the race is moved to the main track.

No Nay Franklin is a maiden but he owns the best Beyer Speed Figure in the Armed Forces field and he got off to a slow start when he lost his debut by a neck to Nerve in a maiden special weight race Aug. 29. No Nay Franklin made up a lot of ground in the stretch of the five-furlong dash and galloped out like a horse that wants more distance.

The Irish-bred son of No Nay Never will break from the inside post with Romero Maragh retaining the mount.

The likely favorite is the Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Eldon’s Prince, who was a maiden going into the $75,000 Proud Man and emerged a stakes winner following his six-length romp over Winging It in the one-mile turf race on Aug. 21.

The Ontario-bred son of Cairo Prince went into the Proud Man off a runner-up finish going about 7 1/2 furlongs in a maiden special weight race Aug. 1.

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“He obviously had a good debut and we were hoping he would move forward off that race,” Joseph said. “He’s a horse who’s going to get better as he goes longer. He doesn’t have the quickest turn of foot but he has a lot of stamina. As he gets more distance, I think he’ll get better going forward.”

Eldon’s Prince will break from post 2 with leading rider Edgard Zayas up.

Diamond Wow is clearly the one to beat in the Our Dear Peggy, which drew eight horses for turf and goes as the ninth race. Queen Camilla is entered for the main track only.

Diamond Wow easily owns the best Beyer Speed Figure, which she received for her three-length front-running victory in her debut on Aug. 27. With Maragh aboard, the daughter of Lookin at Lucky broke alertly in the five-furlong dash on turf and was never threatened by the runner-up, Opalina, who was sent off as the 3-2 favorite.

Diamond Wow has the pedigree to be a serious horse. She is out of the sprint-stakes winner Patriotic Diamond, who finished second going a mile on turf in the $200,000 California Cup Oaks at Santa Anita. Patriotic Diamond is a half-sister to the Biancone-trained Diamond Oops, a multiple graded winner with $1,360,340 in earnings.

The main threat to Diamond Wow is Saturday Nite Girl, who took a big step forward when she won a maiden special weight race in her second start, which came going about 7 1/2 furlongs on turf for trainer Thomas Proctor.