Invaders Por Que No, Bramble Bay top turf allowance

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – With horses arriving by the van load from various northern locales on a regular basis and purses on the rise, the quality of racing at Gulfstream Park has and will continue to pick up throughout December.

A case in point is Friday’s $72,000 allowance feature, which lured a full field of 12 fillies and mares, including Northeast invaders Por Que No and Bramble Bay. They figure to vie for the major awards in the 7 1/2-furlong test over the newly renovated turf course.

Por Que No will likely go postward the favorite despite breaking from the outside post. Por Que No returns locally off a career-best performance, finishing fourth after setting the pace into the stretch of the Grade 3 Noble Damsel at Aqueduct on Oct. 22. She earned a lifetime top 87 Beyer Speed Figure while beaten just 1 1/4 lengths by Evvie Jets, who finished second in the Forever Together Stakes over the same course four weeks later.

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Por Que No ran without Lasix in the Noble Damsel, and will be back on it again Friday. Trainer Tyler Servis adds blinkers to her equipment. Por Que No also returns to arguably her favorite course, having run off four consecutive victories in 2021 while with trainer J. K. Sweezey.

Bramble Bay, trained by Mike Makercomes off a big effort at Aqueduct when beaten a nose by her stablemate Lashara following a hard-fought stretch duel on Oct. 28. She earned a career-best Beyer Figure of 88. Bramble Bay won her only appearance over the Gulfstream turf, rallying from the rear of the field to defeat mid-level conditioned-claiming opposition in May of 2020.

Kahiko, trained by Sweezey, also looms a major contender switching back to her preferred surface after a sharp second-place finish over the Tapeta course under allowance conditions on Sept. 25. That was just her second start of the year and first in eight months. She is another horse for the course, having registered four of her five victories over the Gulfstream Park turf.

A pair of allowance races for statebreds going six furlongs over the main track add some additional spice to Friday’s program.

The afternoon’s third event, for 2-year-old fillies, is led by Charlie’s Wish, runner-up here in the restricted Juvenile Fillies Sprint in her last outing. She may go postward a tepid favorite over a group that includes Oh Darlin, who was second in the Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 19, and recent maiden winners Defended and Atthecrossroads.

About two hours later, a familiar and evenly matched field of seven Florida-bred fillies and mares will square off, with the recently claimed Gitana, fast-working Anna’s Dream, and runaway maiden winner Adios Baby among the notable contenders.

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