Gulfstream Park handicapping roundup: Week of March 29

Closer look at undercard

Florida Derby Day is here, with 14 races on deck Saturday at Gulfstream Park, including eight stakes, with the Grade 1 Florida Derby going as the nightcap.

The Florida Derby will be analyzed at length in the pages of Daily Racing Form – so for this space, we will leave that race alone and take a glance at the remaining stakes on the card. There is still plenty to ponder.

Race 4: Up first on the stakes docket is the Grade 3 Rampart, a 1 1/8-mile race for older females in which Devil’s Cave appears superior. A free-running speedster, she is like the Florida version of Teen Pauline, who utilized her blazing speed to dominate on the Aqueduct inner track this winter.

Devil’s Cave’s speed and ability to sustain it over a distance make her a challenging foe because to run with her likely ruins the chances of any horse who tries such tactics, and yet to leave her alone means that catching her is improbable.

The key to betting the race seemingly is determining what to do with Unlimited Budget, one of the top 3-year-old fillies in the spring of 2013 but a poor fourth in her lone start this year. Her past success and high-profile connections likely mean she will be an underlaid second choice in the wagering.

I will play against Unlimited Budget and use another horse beneath likely favorite Devil’s Cave in the exacta, with Triple Arch being the primary candidate and Call Pat another alternative.

Race 6: The Gulfstream Park Oaks, south Florida’s final prep for the Kentucky Oaks, was supposed to feature Onlyforyou, but sadly, she broke down in a workout for trainer Todd Pletcher a couple of weeks ago and was euthanized.

Pletcher’s bench is so deep that he still has the likely favorite in In Tune, who is perfect in two starts, having also defeated a couple of these rivals in earlier matchups. She is the most likely winner but seems unlikely to offer any betting value.

The value of the race is Camille Claudel, the runner-up to In Tune in an allowance recently.

Race 8: Ribo Bobo will be heavily favored in this race, the Sir Shackleton, but facing some sharp sprinters, a win is not assured.

Happy My Way, 2 for 3 on the main track this meet, is the upset choice. Although second to Ribo Bobo in the Sunshine Millions sprint, Happy My Way broke poorly that day – uncharacteristic for a horse who usually fires out of the gate.

Race 10: Aigue Marine, beaten by Inimitable Romanee in her last two starts, might be ready to finally get the better of that rival in the Grade 3 Orchid at 1 1/2 miles on turf.

Her runner-up finish in The Very One, in which Inimitable Romanee defeated her by a length, was a comeback race she needed, both in terms of fitness and in cycling back into top form.

Race 11: Mr. Online, who raced for a $25,000 claiming tag just last summer, has enjoyed a productive winter at Gulfstream, winning three races and finishing a close second in the Canadian Turf. He’s a skilled turf miler, capable of winning on the lead or from just off the pace. But being a former claimer, Mr. Online has been somewhat underbet in his two stakes starts this meet, one of which resulted in a win and another a second.

He’s the choice to win the Grade 3 Appleton.

Race 12: Following the Appleton is the Skip Away, one of the few stakes on the card that came up with a subpar field.

The 11-time winner Csaba gets the nod essentially by default, but not having fired in his last two starts, the confidence level in this horse isn’t high.
Those looking to play a multirace gimmick wager involving this race are advised to go deep, hope to land a price, and maybe double up on Csaba, who will garner his share of support.

Race 13: Slumber, a troubled third last out in the Mac Diarmida Stakes, benefits from the Pan American not attracting the two horses who were in front of him in the Mac Diarmida.

Slumber also seems to be cycling into peak form and now makes the third start of his current form cycle. Throw in a favorable inside draw and plenty of pace for a turf marathon, and the race sets up nicely for him, too.