Illman: How I'd play Gulfstream for Sunday, Jan. 4

Sunday’s card at Gulfstream looks very challenging. I will take a few small swings, but will also keep a keen eye on the 3-year-old maiden special weight events, competitive heats featuring promising horses that might do well, if not today, then in the near future.

RACE 10:

SPECTACULAR ME (4) looms a very logical play in this turf sprint. A consistent gray mare with top-two finishes in her last four races, Spectacular Me ran very well in a similar spot on Dec. 12. She dropped far out of it early while saving ground, but came with a nice late run to finish behind the pacesetting favorite.

Spectacular Me was claimed out of that race by Michael Petro, and should run well once more. The fear is that she will fall too far out of it once again, but Gabriel Saez has been riding in good form, and he might get Spectacular Me into the race a bit earlier.

If you’re looking for a price horse in the exotics, consider SWITCH TO THE LEAD (5), a mare returning from a layoff with blinkers for a new barn. She has some back races that would put her in the hunt, and has run well fresh in the past. UPBEAT MOOD (10) doesn’t win very often, but should show good speed in her second start off a short layoff.

I will play Spectacular Me to Win at 7-2 or better, and will key her with Switch to the Lead and Upbeat Mood in exotics.

RACE 9:

David Jacobson is 0 for 18 lifetime at Gulfstream, but GREAT ATTACK (10) fits perfectly at this level, and one must respect his back class. He has enough tactical speed to stay within range before attacking in the stretch. He’s a must-use for me in the multiple-race bets although I’m not sure he will be a big enough price for a win bet.

FLASHLIGHT (6) offers a bit of value. The Canadian import, trained by the red-hot Brian Lynch, returned to form with a gate-to-wire tally, albeit on a slow pace, in his most recent outing at Woodbine. He has been working swiftly at Palm Meadows.

Flashlight must be quick turning back to this abbreviated sprint distance, but he’s sharp, well-connected, and will likely sit at a nice price on the board.

Don’t count out SAUCY DON (5) at a nice mutuel. He was mired in traffic along the inside in his turf debut, and now turns back to a more appropriate distance.

I will play all three in the multiples.

RACE 4:

I will play a couple of these in the multi-race bets. Mike Hushion doesn’t win very often at Gulfstream, but the excellent New York-based trainer might have a live one in GLOBAL POSITIONING (1), a colt that should be forwardly placed from the inside under Joel Rosario. He might have to deal with more pace pressure than he faced in his maiden win at Aqueduct, so I will also use G FIVE (8), a Todd Pletcher-trained colt who gets back to his best game – racing on fast dirt. If the pace is hot, G Five, who already owns a win at this level, will be rolling late under John Velazquez.

RACE 7:

Bill Mott doesn’t win with first-time starters, but I have a feeling that ALL RISE (14) is pretty talented. A half-sister to Grade 2 winner Authenticity, All Rise sold for $400,000 as a yearling, and is working nicely for his debut. Seven furlongs should be a nice starting-off point for All Rise, but Mott’s numbers with debut horses are dismal.

What to do?

I will play a small win bet on All Rise at double-digit odds, but will also use the experienced runners (NOVAK (8), THE SON WIND (10), and the Todd Pletcher-trained debuter OUTLASH (12) in the exotics. I also won’t be discouraged if All Rise doesn’t hit the board today. If he shows a little run, I would expect major improvement next time.

RACE 8:

Let’s take a peek at three good-priced maidens.

SEASON TICKET (11) has a turf pedigree that should play well in this maiden special weight. She’s by Lemon Drop Kid from a thoroughly European family, and the barn sent out a 20-1 debut winner going long on turf during the 2013 Gulfstream meet.

GARDEN PRINCESS (9) attempted to rally over a speed-favoring track in his debut. Being trained by Mott, she wasn’t expected to win anyway. Now, she stretches out and switches to turf. His dam is kin to the excellent turf horses Paradise Creek, Forbidden Apple, and Wild Event. I think she’s going to move way up on grass.

HARASS (6) didn’t do much in two starts on dirt, but she has a nice turf pedigree. Ian Wilkes, like Mott, moves horses up after a few learning runs.

Any of the above would spice up the exotics.