Gulfstream Park handicapping roundup: Week of Jan. 18

LOOKING BACK AT SATURDAY

With six Sunshine Millions stakes races Saturday, highlighted by the return of Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Mucho Macho Man in the Classic, the racing at Gulfstream promises to be outstanding.

That’s hardly a new thing this winter. Saturdays at Gulfstream have been can’t-miss racing days.

Last Saturday, for example, the track ran two graded stakes during its 11-race program, supported by five allowances and two straight maiden races. So, if by some unfortunate chance you didn’t see the races, here’s an analysis of them, along with some opinions on the horses exiting those races as we look ahead.

Fort Lauderdale Stakes
Summer Front, making his first start since losing a head-bobbing photo to Silentio in the Nov. 29 Citation at Hollywood, was pounded down to 6-5 favoritism in the Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale. And those who backed him likely were nervous for most of the race, with him boxed in behind horses and still 2 1/2 lengths behind Tetradrachm leaving the far turn.

Summer Front then found a seam, and the race was over as he quickened past rivals and defeated the pacesetting Tetradrachm by three-quarters of a length.

Although the probable next race on his schedule – the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap on Feb. 9 at 1 1/8 miles – is half a furlong longer than he has ever won at, he is so sharp right now that there is no reason to think it is too far.

This is a top-class turf horse, one who has now posted two consecutive 99 Beyer Speed Figures.

Hal’s Hope Stakes
In contrast to the Fort Lauderdale, there was no clear-cut public choice in the Grade 3 Hal’s Hope, with Csaba going off as a tepid 3-1 favorite in the nine-horse field and five others at less than 7-1 odds.

However, the outcome was anything but close, with Lea, shifted into the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, running away to a 3 1/4-length victory in the one-mile race on the main track.

A Grade 3 winner on turf and second to 2012 Horse of the Year Wise Dan in the Firecracker last June, Lea had already shown his class prior to the Hal’s Hope, but on grass. He had run on dirt just twice, on sloppy tracks no less, with his one win coming in an off-the-turf allowance race at Churchill.

The Hal’s Hope proved that he is just as good on a fast dirt track, if not better, and having already won at 1 1/8 miles on grass, he could very well be a factor in the Grade 1 Donn on Feb. 9.

Undercard action
Revolutionary, last year’s Louisiana Derby winner, successfully returned to the races in his first start since a fifth in the Belmont Stakes, narrowly winning a third-level allowance.

Some who watched the race came away impressed, but not this observer. As usual, Revolutionary broke poorly, and he was put into a hard early drive by Javier Castellano to catch fatigued leader Falling Sky, though Castellano never went to the whip.

If Revolutionary returns in a spot like the Donn Handicap, this horseplayer would rather play against him than support him.

More impressive was the debut performance Saturday by Constitution. Off poorly, he grew eager behind horses and dragged Castellano into a challenging position for the lead while along the inside. Then, in tight in early stretch, he gradually pulled clear to win by a length.

His time for seven furlongs was above average – 1:23.36, good for an 84 Beyer. And in light of how it was accomplished, there clearly is much upside to this son of Tapit.

Though he ran like a colt with graded stakes potential, don’t run off and bet him in the Derby future book. He is far behind schedule for a race like the Derby, and more than likely this colt won’t return until mid-February in an allowance. That leaves him with very little room for error between that race and the first Saturday in May.

He also was much too headstrong down the backstretch, which contributed to him getting tired in the stretch. His final furlong was timed in 13.65 seconds.