Burn the Mortgage just looking for a fair shot

The switch in racing venues during South Florida summers has been quite dramatic, but if anyone needs reminding of the circuit’s transformation, there’s always the Saturday feature at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach.

The $75,000 Eight Miles East Stakes serves as a clever moniker reminding that Gulfstream, located eight miles east of rival Calder, has assumed the summer dates in its quest for nearly year-round racing. The contractual agreement signed earlier this month that ended a protracted dates battle has resulted in Gulfstream creating a number of new stakes and accompanying new names, although the Eight Miles East actually was run for the first time last year when the two tracks first began their dates rivalry.

The first few weeks of the armistice has resulted in a real positive for the vast majority of racing fans who prefer large fields.

Since July 1, Gulfstream is averaging 9.25 horses per race, up substantially from the 7.91 average during its 2013 meet, while turf fields are averaging 9.76, up from 9.01.

The lineup for the Eight Miles East reflects this burgeoning trend, as 10 older horses (plus one main-track-only) are entered in the 1 1/16-mile turf race. Burn the Mortgage, good enough to be third earlier this year in a Grade 2 turf stakes, is among the deserving favorites in a well-matched race.

“He had a tough trip last out,” said owner-trainer Mike Maker, referring to Burn the Mortgage lacking room to run when he was the beaten favorite in the July 2 Independence Day on the Mountaineer grass. “We’re trying to make amends. Hopefully he’ll have a cleaner journey this time.”

The Eight Miles East is the ninth of 11 Saturday races. First post is 1:15 p.m. Eastern, with the feature set for 5:30.

KEY CONTENDERS

Burn the Mortgage (Last 3 Beyers: 90-87-75)

◗ Just how bad was his trip at Mountaineer? Here’s the entire chart footnote: “Burn the Mortgage raced in good tracking position while never far off the pace, bid between foes at the quarter pole, had to steady and checked when in tight top of the stretch, lacked room in midstretch, losing all chance.”

◗ The 5-year-old gets leading jockey Edgard Zayas, whose fast start to a meet that began July 1 has him comfortably atop the jockey standings despite having missed two-plus programs last week due to soreness resulting from a July 13 spill.

◗ Owner situation is something of a curiosity, as the horse was bred and originally raced by Maker’s top clients Ken and Sarah Ramsey before being claimed back by Maker himself last fall at Churchill Downs.
Daring David (Last 3 Beyers: 89-96-83)

◗ He’s the second-lowest earner ($65,827) in the field, behind only 3-year-old Dustymour, but his sharp recent form clearly makes him a threat, especially if he can run like he did in winning a first-level turf allowance on April 26 at Gulfstream.

◗ He ran creditably behind the top-class turfer Little Mike when fourth in an ungraded Gulfstream stakes on May 17 and shows three nice local works after catching a bit of a breather.

◗ His trainer, Saffie Joseph Jr., 27, is a Barbados native who has won 49 races since moving to the United States in 2011. He told the track’s publicity department this week: “I love it. This is my hobby. This is my business. This is the best game in the world.”

Grand Tito (Last 3 Beyers: 91-87-94)

◗ He wheels back off just six days’ rest after finishing second to Csaba last Saturday in the Skip Trial Stakes on dirt. It’s generally a positive sign that a horse has exited his previous start just asking for more. Clearly his chances would be helped if weather forces the race onto the main track.

◗ With plenty of speed drawn to the inside of him, he’ll be among those looking to catch a decent draft from in behind, and veteran jockey Manny Cruz has the wherewithal to pull off that job.