Grand David back in his comfort zone for Showing Up Stakes

Grand David will appreciate being back on the all-weather surface at Gulfstream Park on Saturday when he runs in the $70,000 Showing Up. The mile and 70-yard race for 3-year-olds drew seven horses and headlines a 12-race card that begins at 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

Trained by Victor Barboza Jr., Grand David will also appreciate the class relief he is receiving after running eighth in the Grade 3 Virginia Derby, which was contested at 1 1/8-miles over firm turf at Colonial Downs on Sept. 6.

Prior to the Virginia Derby, Grand David reeled off three straight wins on Tapeta at Gulfstream, culminating with a 2 1/4-length victory over California Frolic in the $75,000 Bear’s Den on July 30.

In all three wins the Kentucky-bred son of Tapiture held the lead at the six-furlong call before taking control.

In the Bear’s Den, Grand David broke alertly under Edwin Gonzalez from post 7, sat just off longshot Reddington for a half-mile, then took the lead at the six-furlong mark. He was headed by Venezuelan Triumph on the stretch turn, fought back, and easily held off California Frolic to win decisively.

He will break from post 6 with Gonzalez up.

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Strike Hard is returning to Gulfstream after a seventh-place finish in the $250,000 St. Louis Derby at FanDuel Sportsbook and Racing on Aug. 20.

Trained by Matthew Williams, Strike Hard went into the race off a runner-up finish behind Steal Sunshine going seven furlongs over the main track at Gulfstream in the $75,000 Carry Back on July 9. Steal Sunshine repeated in the $200,000 Ellis Park Derby on Aug. 14

A deep closer, Strike Hard, who will be racing on a synthetic surface for the first time, will have speed to run at and could get up in time if things go his way.

He will break from the outside post with Leonel Reyes up.

The Barboza-trained Cashier Check looks dangerous off his runner-up finish going 1 1/16 miles on Tapeta in a first-level allowance race with a $75,000 claiming option Sept. 30. The Florida-bred son of Midnight Storm is trending in the right direction and could get a nice trip from a forward position with Emisael Jaramillo picking up the mount from Paco Lopez.

The Irish-bred colt Bullet Force will be running on a synthetic surface for the first time after racing exclusively on turf in Great Britain, where he compiled a 2-3-3-record from 11 starts. In his last start he won a one-mile Class 4 Handicap at Pontefract Racecourse.

His new trainer, Jorge Delgado, is winning races at a 30 percent clip at the meet.

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