Fast Pass a late-running threat in Friday feature

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Peter Walder hadn’t planned on running Fast Pass in the Friday feature at Gulfstream Park, “but anytime you can run for that kind of money in a six-horse field, you need to think about it,” he said.

And so Fast Pass will be making his fourth start since returning to Florida from South Korea, where he finished well back in a Group 1 race last September. Now 7, the Kentucky-bred gelding clearly has gone unaffected by the trip, and Walder expects another sharp effort in the ninth of 10 Friday races.

“Horses usually take a long time to come back around after an overseas trip like that,” Walder said. “But not him. He’s an amazing horse, really. He ran two of the better races of his life after he got back, and he didn’t have much chance in his last race with not much pace to help him.”

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Fast Pass, with apprentice Cristian Torres to ride, will break from post 4 in the $53,000 third-level allowance at six furlongs. After getting beat a nose in his December return in the Claiming Crown Express, Fast Pass won a New Year’s Day starter allowance, then was fifth last month in the Grade 3 World of Trouble Sprint.

“He shows up every time,” Walder said. “He’s really good mentally and physically right now.”

A sufficient amount of opposing speed is signed on against the late-running Fast Pass, with Whyruawesome (post 5, Jose Ortiz) and a fresh The Tabulator (post 6, Irad Ortiz Jr.) likely to contest the early fractions.

Walder also has a contender in the only other allowance on the card in Liza Star for race 7. The 6-year-old mare is one of six fillies and mares in a $52,000 second-level race at six furlongs. Flat Awesome Jenny, seeking a fourth straight triumph, and Day by Day, who is cross-entered at Tampa on Friday, are among the notable opposition.

Purses for both allowances include $7,000 in bonuses restricted to registered Florida-breds.

First post Friday is 1 p.m. Eastern. Both allowances are part of a 20-cent Rainbow 6 wager that spans races 5-10. A pool guarantee of $1.5 million was projected for Friday, assuming the jackpot wasn’t swept by a solo winning ticket Wednesday or Thursday.

The local forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and a high of 80. As has been track policy since March 13, spectators are not permitted on-site because of the ongoing coronavirus crisis.