Clement comebacker finds good spot
What is this, Claiming Crown Part 2?
Five of the 10 Friday races at Gulfstream Park are starter-allowance events, a toned-down reprisal of the ever-popular Claiming Crown series that opened the championship meet Dec. 6.
One allowance is to be found amid all those starter races. Carded as the eighth race, it’s a $38,000 first-level sprint for older Florida-breds in which a Christophe Clement returnee, Oration, could be favored in a field of nine.
The starter races employ a variety of surfaces and distances, and all carry an optional-claiming condition as races 1, 3, 5, 6, and 10. First post is 12:40 p.m. Eastern.
KEY CONTENDERS
Determinate (Last 3 Beyers: 79-71-72)
◗ Gelding won his latest, a turf sprint run under “beaten” claiming conditions, and seems to match up well with this brand.
◗ His jockey, Luca Panici, has mostly struggled against the “name” jockeys in for the winter, but this would be a good spot for him to put his talent on display from the tricky No. 1 hole.
Oration (Last 3 Beyers: 39-64-75)
◗ Four-year-old won a maiden turf sprint at Gulfstream last March in his third start and moved to New York later in the spring for his final three starts, which resulted in a third, a seventh, and an 11th.
◗ Clement runners invariably draw more than their share of wagering action.
◗ He hasn’t raced since July, but a steady work pattern at Payson likely means he’ll be sitting on go.
Delta Bluesman (Last 3 Beyers: 51-84-73)
◗ Gray gelding will be turning back in distance and switching surfaces after being overmatched on turf in the Claiming Crown Emerald, but some of his main-track attempts last year suggest he can be a factor here.
◗ Trainer Jorge Navarro enjoyed another huge year in 2014, winning 114 races, one more than the prior year.
Gentrify (Last 3 Beyers: 76-60-69)
◗ He makes his debut in statebred company off a number of Ocala, Fla., workouts after having acquitted himself fairly well when competing exclusively in New York last year.
◗ Gelding gets a call from top jockey Javier Castellano while favorably drawn in post 8.