Gulfstream card finishes with two filly allowances

Back-to-back allowances for fillies and mares will be run amid the fading Florida sun at the conclusion of a solid nine-race twilight card Friday at Gulfstream Park.

Peak form is a common factor among the top contenders in race 8, which goes at seven furlongs on the main track, while handicappers will have to uncover more subtle nuances when doping out the race-9 finale going two turns on the Tapeta. Both are first-level allowances with hybrid conditions, and both offer a purse of $51,000, including $7,000 in bonuses for Florida-bred or -sired horses.

In race 8, three of the eight starters – Shes All Woman, Let’s Be Honest, and Bion Magic – all enter on two-race win streaks, while a fourth starter, Dem a Wonder, should challenge Shes All Woman for favoritism after coming to hand in the last few months for Rohan Crichton. A Beyer Speed Figure of 80 or so figures to be required to win this.

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Race 9 is a little less straightforward. The three outside horses in a field of eight stand the best chance, with maybe Midnight Bella or Journeytothemoon – both in for an optional $25,000 claiming tag – capable of running the 75 or so Beyer that could be needed.

First post Friday is 2:55 p.m. Eastern, with the co-features going at 6:50 and 7:22, respectively. Mostly sunny skies and a high of 90 are in the South Florida forecast.

Gulfstream currently is racing only on dirt and synthetic. Turf racing was last held June 11 on a course currently undergoing another extensive renovation.

Forceout, take two

After canceling a scheduled forceout of the Rainbow 6 last Sunday because of an unforeseen procedural issue, Gulfstream will try again Saturday to disburse the entire pool.

The Sunday snafu occurred because of a mix-up in communications with the new Gaming Control Commission that began overseeing all gambling operations in Florida on July 1. Gulfstream officials on Wednesday finalized plans for the Saturday forceout.

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The Rainbow 6 on Friday spans races 4-9, with the actual carryover from last weekend being $294,283. Assuming the jackpot isn’t swept Friday by a solo winning ticket, several million dollars in new handle can be expected with the forceout. The jackpot was last emptied July 8.

Early no, late yes

A different standard applies to whether or not a pick five wager at Gulfstream will result in a carryover, as evidenced by what occurred Sunday.

The early pick five, on first five races daily, always is paid out in full, even in the case of no perfect tickets. A slew of long-priced winners Sunday in races 1-5 resulted in a 4-of-5 payoff of $2,643 on a 50-cent bet – but no carryover – from a pool of $115,683.

However, in the case of the late pick five, on the last five races daily, the bulk of the pool carries over to the late pick five the following race day in case no perfect tickets are sold; takeout is extracted and 4-of-5 consolations are paid. This happens on an infrequent basis but always results in sizable handle the following race day with bettors chasing a carryover.

◗ The lone stakes of the weekend at Gulfstream is the Benny the Bull, restricted to Florida-breds, to be run Saturday at seven furlongs. Absolute Grit and Pudding were among those expected when entries were drawn Wednesday, while 3-year-olds Dean Delivers and King Cab are among the possibilities to step in against those older rivals.

The base purse for the Benny the Bull is $65,000, although there’s a $35,000 “win-only” bonus, plus another $25,000 for the top finishers, both for runners eligible to the Florida Sire Stakes fund.

◗ Fausto Gutierrez has spent much of the spring and summer with Letruska and some of his other top horses elsewhere, but the stable the Mexican-born trainer left behind at the Palm Meadows training center has been among the hottest on the Florida circuit in recent weeks. Gutierrez has won with six of his last 11 starters dating to July 16, including a current 3-for-3 run through last weekend.