Gierkink preview: Friday's Race 8 is contentious $25,000 claimer
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLEFriday, May 2, preview
No allowance race on this nine-race card, which has two Ontario-sired maiden special weight sprints at six furlongs.
Tapit’s Brew figures to be prominent in the eighth, a contentious $25,000 claimer that has several shippers. Straight Town is moving up off a $10,000 claim at Keeneland, a track that yielded a host of live shippers here in the first month of the 2013 meet. Drago’s Best was a flat sixth last time out in a $25,000 turf event going about 7 1/2 furlongs at Fair Grounds. Thundering Waters has been freshened since a useful three-race stint on turf at Gulfstream and Tampa.
Il Duomo should take some catching in the sixth, a $20,000 claimer for non-winners of two going seven furlongs. His trainer, Nick Gonzalez, sent out several razor-sharp runners from Gulfstream here in April, and this one is eligible to improve first time off the $20,000 claim.
The Jackpot Hi 5 carryover for the ninth race is $45,458. Diamonds Are B F F should crack the top three in this event off a series of encouraging works as she makes her first start in seven months.