HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Logic suggests trainer Todd Pletcher should be getting his picture taken in the winner’s circle following the conclusion of Sunday’s finale at Gulfstream Park, a $57,000 allowance and optional-claiming race for older horses going a mile on the main track. The question is, who will he be posing alongside – the likely favorite Accelerize or his stablemate Only in America? Accelerize and Only in America, both 3-year-olds, will take on six vastly more experienced rivals, including key contenders Beastly Speed, Capitan Danny, and Swashbuckle. The other entrants are Joey Muscles, Vigano, and Philarmonic. Accelerize became an instant sensation for Pletcher after debuting impressively last winter at Tampa Bay Downs, registering a 7 3/4-length victory going seven furlongs for which he earned a 92 Beyer Speed Figure. He would not return for eight months, proving a bit of a disappointment when he finally did by finishing third as a 3-5 favorite going a mile under allowance and optional-claiming conditions here on Nov. 16. “He had been off a while, was going a mile the first time back, and just got a little tired,” Pletcher said when asked about Accelerize’s most recent start. “But he’s come back with a couple of solid breezes, and from what we’ve seen of him in the morning, all signs indicate he should get a mile, although he’s still got to step up and prove it.” :: Get Gulfstream Park Clocker Reports from Mike Welsch and the Clocker Team. Available every race day.  Accelerize has worked twice since his last start, including a sharp half-mile drill last Saturday at Palm Beach Downs. He was best of a team along with Only in America, finishing extremely well while kept under a snug hold to the wire. Pletcher expects things will go much smoother for Only in America on Sunday than in his previous local start, when he lost his rider after the break while facing maiden special weight opposition on April 11. A son of Constitution, Only in America was sidelined nearly five months following the mishap but returned with a bang, winning a one-mile maiden special weight race at Saratoga by 3 1/4 lengths while posting a 93 Beyer Figure. Only in America has started just once since, finishing a distant fourth going nine furlongs over a sloppy track at Keeneland on Oct. 19. “He ran a pretty solid race off the layoff when he broke his maiden. I just don’t think he seemed to care for the slop the last time at Keeneland,” Pletcher said. Beastly Speed finished second, two lengths in front of Accelerize, when the pair met for the first time here last month. Beastly Speed continues to knock on the door but hasn’t registered a victory in six consecutive starts under the conditions of Sunday’s race dating back to last winter’s Championship meet. Capitan Danny has been freshened after turning in a couple of second-place efforts against this same kind during the summer. The Chilean-bred is still seeking his first victory since shipping to the U.S. in early 2025. Pletcher targets Dec. 20 stakes Pletcher’s barn will really start gearing up during the second half of the month with key contenders nominated on the Dec. 20 program in the Grade 3 Harlan’s Holiday, Grade 3 Fort Lauderdale, and Suwannee River Stakes. “We’re considering Captain Cook and Classicist for the Harlan’s Holiday,” said Pletcher. “Both horses are scheduled to work [Saturday] and we’ll make a decision from there.” Captain Cook has finished second in the Grade 1 Allen Jerkens and Grade 3 Perryville in his last two starts, while Classicist is riding a modest two-race winning streak that includes a popular allowance tally last month at Aqueduct. :: Play Gulfstream Park with confidence! DRF Past Performances, Picks, and Clocker Reports are available now.  “We’re hoping Captain Cook is versatile enough to be effective at multiple distances,” said Pletcher. “Classicist is probably better at a mile and an eighth, although there aren’t a lot of options for him around here right now. Hopefully the goal would be for them to earn themselves a way into the Pegasus with big efforts in the Harlan’s Holiday.” Pletcher will send out Major Dude in defense of his title in the Fort Lauderdale with the South African-bred Feather Boa expected to represent the barn in the Suwannee River. Among the other notable horses who have already joined Pletcher’s powerhouse stable at Palm Beach Downs for the winter are the Breeders’ Cup winner and likely juvenile champion Ted Noffey, along with the undefeated and unchallenged Life and Times, who shipped down from New York following his eye-catching victory in a first-level allowance race at Aqueduct on Dec. 6. “Ted Noffey is in light training, while Renegade and Courting are also here now following the Remsen,” Pletcher said. “All of them are having kind of a take-it-easy month, after which we’ll start the process of picking out races for them.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? 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