Byron King: Singanothersong too sharp for Gulfstream Park Sprint foes

There are horseplayers that can’t wait to bet the horse ridden by the hot jockey.

As for me, it is the cold jockey I’m waiting to play Saturday at Gulfstream. Specifically, that cold jock is Juan Leyva and his mount is 5-1 shot Singanothersong in the Grade 3 Gulfstream Park Sprint.

Although Leyva’s production this winter meet at Gulfstream has been disappointing to say the least – with 1 win from 87 mounts through Wednesday – bettors are likely to get a better price on Singanothersong because of his struggles.

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Stats aside, he has ridden this horse quite well. He won a race aboard him at Gulfstream in November, before the winter meet began, and then scored on him in the Mr. Prospector Stakes.

He fits the horse. And the horse, lest we forget, is the most important handicapping consideration.

From that standpoint, there is much to like about Singanothersong. A useful sprinter at this time last year, having finished second in the Grade 3 Swale, he has brought his performance level to new heights in recent starts.

Coming off two consecutive victories, both with Beyer Speed Figures in the upper 90s, he looks fastest in the Gulfstream Park Sprint based on current form. None of his 10 rivals posted a last-race figure better than 95, while Singanothersong got a 99 in winning the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector.

He also appears well drawn on the outside, perfectly positioned to get his desired tracking trip while turning up the pressure on the early leaders.

To make him even more appealing, there is the added benefit that two of his classiest rivals – Laugh Track and Bruno de Olleros – are returning from layoffs, potentially leaving them a start or two away from their best.

San Marcos

The deepest graded stakes race Saturday is the 14-horse Grade 2 San Marcos at Santa Anita, a turf race in which competition runs deep.

The play there is front-running Slim Shadey, who has a tactical advantage of having speed and being drawn inside his rivals. From this position he ought to be able to dictate a moderate tempo, while at least some of those racing behind him will have to negotiate heavy traffic.

Although caught by Jeranimo when second in the Grade 2 San Gabriel Jan. 4, Slim Shadey’s performance was still quite good, especially when one considers that jockey Corey Nakatani was forced to hustle him more than normal to make the lead.

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Hopefully Slim Shadey will be more keen Saturday, and Nakatani won’t have to use him to grab his preferred position on the lead. If that happens, he may have enough left to withstand Jeranimo and the other quality closers in the 1 1/4-mile San Marcos.

California Oaks

An upset might be brewing in the California Oaks at Golden Gate.

My suspicion is the public is going to go nuts on the Bob Baffert-trained Be Proud, with Earthflight, a British raider with established all-weather form, becoming the alternative choice for those not willing to back a short-priced Be Proud.

Should that prove the case, the value could prove to be in backing Kris Furillo, who won her first start with a powerful rally on turf at Golden Gate before she finished seventh in the Blue Norther at Santa Anita Jan. 1.

Although she disappointed in the Blue Norther at 5-1 odds, her subsequent works at Pleasanton on dirt have been encouraging – two bullets and another breeze that ranked as the second fastest of five at the distance.

Her ability to work quickly on dirt seems to suggest that she is not strictly a turf performer, and if she can run as well, if not better, on the synthetic Tapeta surface at Golden Gate as she did on the turf there, she has a fighting chance at a good price.

She is 6-1 on the morning line and could very well drift higher if Be Proud and Earthflight prove as popular with bettors as expected.