Gulfstream Park: Action Andy returns against tough lineup in allowance

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Action Andy shipped down from his winter home at Tampa Bay Downs to dominate a good field of high-priced optional-claiming competition here three weeks ago. He’ll make the four-hour trip back to Gulfstream Park to face a similarly conditioned but seemingly tougher lineup that includes the Grade 3-placed Valid and multiple stakes winner Managed Account in Friday’s $54,500 allowance headliner at seven furlongs.

Action Andy set a contested pace before drawing away to a 4 1/2-length decision over Apriority while going 6 1/2 furlongs March 14. The win was the 12th in 39 starts for the 7-year-old son of Gators N Bears, who is trained by Carlos Garcia for owner Robert Gerczak.

“It’s the same condition as last time. He bounced out of the race really well, and he certainly likes that fast track down there,” Garcia said. “I could have run him in the [Sir Shackleton] Stakes here last weekend, but that would have meant bringing him back a little too soon. The extra week makes a big difference.”

Action Andy has already been stakes-placed twice at Gulfstream. Prior to his victory last month, he finished third behind Indiano in the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector Stakes in December 2012 and second to defending champion Travelin Man after setting the pace into the stretch in the 2013 Sir Shackleton. His most important victory came in the fall of 2012, when he captured Laurel Park’s rich Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash. He’ll be ridden again Friday by Paco Lopez.

“He’s won from six furlongs to a mile, so the extra distance here Friday shouldn’t make a difference,” Garcia said. “He’s already won going seven-eighths and was second behind Good Lord when he set the track record at Tampa at that distance last year. Paco knows him even better now after having ridden him once, and the rail doesn’t bother me because he can either go to the lead or take back and come outside if someone else wants to be in front. I’ve got him right back in for the $100,000. Nobody is going to put up that kind of money for a 7-year-old gelding – at least I hope not.”

Valid has not started since rallying to a 3 1/2-length allowance victory going 1 1/16 miles Jan. 11 at Calder. Purchased by trainer Marcus Vitali for Crossed Sabres Farm at the fall mixed sale last October at Saratoga, Valid returned quick dividends after winning an allowance here by 23 lengths Nov. 23. He then became graded stakes-placed just two weeks later when second-best behind Csaba in the Fred W. Hooper Handicap.

Managed Account, one of three horses in the field who’ll race for the $100,000 claiming tag, along with Action Andy and Regulus, also comes down from Tampa off a third-place finish in the 1 1/16-mile Challenger Stakes on March 22. Managed Account finished second, beaten by a nose, after making the pace one month earlier in Laurel’s John B. Campbell Handicap.

Regulus, who has had the bulk of his success on artificial surfaces, Silver Menace, and Small Token complete the field.

◗ Ring Weekend, whose victory in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby virtually assured him a spot in the Kentucky Derby lineup May 3, will have his final Derby prep Saturday in the $250,000 Calder Derby.

[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]

The 1 1/8-mile Calder Derby, which carries no Kentucky Derby qualifying points, drew a field of 10. The lineup, from the rail out, consists of Russian Humor (Orlando Bocachica), Ring Weekend (Alan Garcia), Racetrack Romance (Oscar Delgado), Our Caravan (Manny Cruz), General Sham’mah (Luca Panici), Charlie the Boss (Gilberto Saez), Copa Del Rey (Alex Gonzalez), Cleburne (Abdiel Jaen), Tapicero (Diego Gomez), and Gaining Ground (Antioco Murgia).

◗ The Rainbow 6 jackpot will stand at $4,559,101 when racing resumes here Friday. The Rainbow 6 has not been hit in its entirety since Jan. 10. The record payout was $3,591,245 in February 2013. The entire jackpot must be dispersed June 29.