Gulfstream Park: Heavenly Landing, Julie's Love clash in Wednesday optional claimer

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The Florida Derby has come and gone, and the 2012-13 Gulfstream meeting is in the home stretch, but that doesn’t mean the good racing is over by any stretch of the imagination.

Wednesday’s card, one of just three left in the meet, features a $70,000 optional claimer that brings together Grade 3 winner Heavenly Landing and the multiple graded stakes-placed Julie’s Love going a mile on the turf.

Heavenly Landing returns to allowance company after finishing sixth in the Grade 3 Marshua’s River and seventh in the Grade 2 Honey Fox here this winter. Now 6, Heavenly Landing registered the most important victory of her career when rallying from near the rear of the field entering the stretch for a thrilling nose decision in the 2012 Marshua’s River.

Trained by Eddie Kenneally for the Lally Stable, Heavenly Landing has visited the winner’s circle after each of her last three allowance starts. Two of those victories came over the Keeneland turf, including a 1 1/4-length tally at a mile in her 2012 finale Oct. 5.

Joe Bravo will replace regular rider Corey Lanerie aboard Heavenly Landing on Wednesday.

Trainer Graham Motion will return from his triumph Saturday with Animal Kingdom in the Dubai World Cup to send out Julie’s Love for her 2013 debut. Julie’s Love has not started since extending Daisy Devine through a stirring stretch battle before finishing second in the Grade 3 Cardinal Handicap at Churchill Downs on Nov. 10.

The winner of the restricted De La Rose Stakes last summer at Saratoga, Julie’s Love has been training steadily for her return over the turf at Palm Meadows, where she recorded a bullet five-furlong breeze around the dogs March 19.

In the Rough makes just her second start of the meet and her first since finishing fourth under similar optional-claiming conditions going 1 1/16 miles Feb. 28. In the Rough was a stakes winner last summer at Delaware Park for trainer Kelly Breen and owners George and Lori Hall.

Suroof returned to trainer Marty Wolfson’s barn from a nine-month vacation to finish second behind Baffle Me on March 22 and should improve with a race under her belt. She is entered along with her Grade 3-placed stablemate Canadian Mistress, who will compete only if the race comes off the grass.

Team, who has won three of her last four starts but has been idle since winning a mid-level optional claimer at Parx Racing on Sept. 16, and the multiple stakes winner Frolic’s Revenge complete the field.

◗ Souper Speedy, who has started just twice since finishing second in the 2011 Remsen, is one of 10 horses entered in Wednesday’s $58,850 co-feature, carded at a mile over the main track. He’s part of a lineup that includes top contenders Suns Out Guns Out, Won Kool Kid, Wickersheim, and Ender Kneivel.