Golden Rifle in for a tag in turf-sprint feature
Golden Rifle cleared his first two allowance conditions last spring on the Belmont Park turf, so it stands to reason he’ll be tough to deny when the 4-year-old colt returns to action Thursday at Gulfstream Park.
Even with one obvious red flag – all of a sudden, he’s entered for a $25,000 claiming tag following an 11-week layoff – Golden Rifle figures to be favored when the $37,000 feature is run at five furlongs on the turf at the south Florida track.
Owned by Paul Pompa Jr. and trained by Chad Brown, Golden Rifle will break from the rail when part of an oversubscribed field of 3-year-olds and up in the ninth of 10 Thursday races, a first-level allowance with a $25,000 claiming option. Javier Castellano, the leading jockey in North America this year with more than $24.5 million in mount earnings, has the call from Brown.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 1 Golden Rifle. Trainer Chad Brown is 31-3-8-6 with a $0.63 ROI over the past five years in turf sprints following a layoff of between 61 and 180 days. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern, with the feature set for 4:27. An interesting 2-year-old starter allowance (race 8) is among the undercard events.
KEY CONTENDERS
Golden Rifle (Last 3 Beyers: 93-84-95)
◗ He was among the early shippers to south Florida for Brown and shows four breezes in recent weeks at Palm Meadows, the last two coming over the grass. In all, he has seven recorded works since his last start Sept. 24.
◗ The rail draw might be a bit tricky, especially with tons of speed to his outside, but being fresh from a layoff should help him be quick enough to secure a decent position before they straighten for home.
Catalactic (Last 3 Beyers: 80-84-72)
◗ He was no threat in a rugged renewal of the Kentucky Downs Turf Dash in September, but his two prior efforts might be enough to do this. His off-the-pace running style figures to be given a boost by all the opposing speed.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 7 Catalactic. Trainer Mike Maker is 48-13-4-6 with a $2.53 ROI over the past two years in turf sprints following a layoff of 45 days or more. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
◗ Trainer Mike Maker, with another large contingent in south Florida this year, shows terrific numbers in all categories that apply here, including with layoffs of 61 to 180 days (21 percent in 2013-14).
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Golden Story (Last 3 Beyers: 78-67-52)
◗ Claimed for $25,000 by David Jacobson at the end of the Saratoga meet, this colt finally broke loose at Laurel Park last out with an easy score for that same price. He might be overlooked here if trained by someone else, but hey, it’s Jacobson.
Trev (Last 3 Beyers: 76-89-62)
◗ The outer post can afford him the right kind of trip, especially if he’s the speed of the speed, as seems possible. He probably needed his last outing at Gulfstream Park West, and his trainer, Kirk Ziadie, continues to put up gaudy numbers in virtually every category.