English Channel, Honey Ryder give 3-year-olds a turf opportunity

A $75,000 turf stakes for 3-year-olds and one for 3-year-old fillies share the spotlight Saturday at Gulfstream Park. Post time for the first of 12 races is 12:20 p.m. Eastern.

Both races are at one mile, and the boys are up first in the English Channel, race 6, where Tapthespeedofsound figures to be a short price over his six rivals.

A Florida-bred colt by Tapit, Tapthespeedofsound is coming off a runner-up finish in the $100,000 Sophomore Turf at Tampa Bay. Trained by Mark Casse, Tapthespeedofsound broke from the outside post in the seven-horse field and set an honest pace in the 1 1/16-mile race restricted to Florida-breds. After rejecting bids by Merlin and C My Meister, he was overtaken in the last few strides by Treasure King, who paid $4.40 as the favorite.

:: For the first time ever, our premium past performances are free! Get free Formulator now!

Tapthespeedofsound is out of the multiple stakes winner Onepointhreekarats, and both of his siblings, the full brother Tap It To Win and half-brother Souper Stonehenge, are graded winners. He could have a bright future.

Tapthespeedofsound drew the rail and will be the one they have to run down with Edwin Gonzalez up.

The Juan Alvarado-trained Merlin could be dangerous from a stalking position. Bob Marco, who rallied to win a $35,000 starter race with a $35,000 claiming option in his first try on turf, should be rolling late.

Diamond Wow looks like the one to beat in the Honey Ryder, which drew 11 fillies and goes as the 11th race.

Trained by Patrick Biancone, Diamond Wow showed a lot of potential when she won her debut going five furlongs on turf last year, and realized some of it when she won the washed-off $75,000 Our Dear Peggy in her second start. The seven-furlong race was contested over a fast main track.

A Kentucky-bred daughter of Lookin At Lucky, Diamond Wow closed her 2-year-old campaign with a impressive performance in the Grade 2 Jessamine at Keeneland. Despite breaking from the outside post and going wide most of the way in the 13-horse field, she held the lead late before losing by a head in the last jump in the 1 1/16-mile race on turf.

In her only start this year, Diamond Wow finished fourth in the Grade 3 Forward Gal where she chased the pace before backing up in the seven-furlong dash on the main track at Gulfstream.

“She was sick. She’s over it now,” said Biancone, who considers the Honey Ryder as a prep for something out of state.

Biancone had been looking at the Grade 2 Edgewood at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Oaks Day as her comeback race.

“She’s very, very talented, but we don’t want to go too fast,” he said.

Diamond Wow will break from post 9 with Romero Maragh up.

Fawning, who ran third trying turf for the first time in the five-furlong Melody of Colors, is the first foal out of the Grade 2 winner Sparkling Review. She could thrive in her first route attempt. She is trained by Saffie Joseph Jr.