Brad Free's cross-country plays for Friday, May 8, 2020
It is “longshot Friday” at Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs, where three late-afternoon price plays warrant consideration.
Gulfstream Park race 6 (3:45 p.m. ET) – May Day Info (3) lost her debut by 18 lengths, but she might have more ability than evident. She was hard-held early while climbing from the kickback and did not get comfortable until moving to the outside. She adds blinkers, picks up a top rider, and should improve a bunch second time out. May Day Info is listed at 6-1.
Gulfstream Park race 8 (4:48 p.m. ET) – A deep field entered this starter allowance turf route, but only one entrant ran faster in each successive quarter-mile of his last start. That was debut winner Arithmetic (11), whose turf-mile fractions were sharp: 24.48 seconds, 24.30, 23.29, and 22.99. Debut winners trained by Christophe Clemente tend to hold form second time out in turf routes – 5 for 12 the past 2 1/2 years. Arithmetic is a rock-solid gamble at 10-1.
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Tampa Bay Downs race 9 (5:04 p.m. ET) – This nine-furlong trip is the right distance for Reliability (9). His debut was a promising fifth; he was compromised by slow fractions and a speed-friendly race shape next out while finishing ninth. Both were a mile on turf; Reliability is bred for this longer distance. Sired by Tapit and produced by a Group 1-winning dam that won five times at 1 1/4 miles or more, Reliability is listed at 8-1. Graduation day at a price?

