Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. has entered a trio of 3-year-old colts in the $75,000 Bear’s Den Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, effectively hedging his bets in a wide-open field. All three runners seem poised to run different races, which should give the trainer multiple chances in the stretch. If all goes to plan, Forged Steel should have the first crack at the lead. The likely pacesetter in the Bear’s Den will return to the turf at a mile after a disappointing third-place finish in the $75,000 Carry Back on dirt last time out. Earlier this year, he finished within a length of the winners in both the $158,000 Cutler Bay and $80,000 English Channel on grass. “He obviously likes to run on the lead or near it,” Joseph said. “We’re going to play the break and ride him similar.” Forged Steel is not expected to get much company on the front end in the field of nine, but Joseph is far from done if his fastest colt fades from the picture. Reach for the Rose, a stalking type for much of last year, will make his 3-year-old debut after a juvenile campaign consisting of five stakes tries in six starts. After such a grueling early slate, which included two stakes starts within a week at Kentucky Downs and two crushing defeats in graded stakes company in October, Joseph believes the layoff has served him well. :: Play Gulfstream Park with confidence! DRF Past Performances, Picks, and Clocker Reports available now. “We gave him a hard campaign last year as a 2-year-old, ran him back twice at Kentucky Downs,” Joseph said. “The first time, he ran good, and the next time, he didn’t run good. I think that kind of knocked him out and we ran him back once on the dirt [in the Grade 3 Street Sense]. After that, just backed off him and gave him time.” If his top pair fails, Joseph still has a puncher’s chance in the Bear’s Den with Culpa, who last ran in a maiden special weight in May, closing from eighth to win by a neck. The improving colt has never shown much speed out of the gate, making him an ideal complement to his more experienced stablemates. Joseph is not the only trainer taking multiple shots in the Bear’s Den, as Patrick Biancone has entered a pair of 3-year-old geldings. Layabout has won two straight races since entering Biancone’s barn and will make his stakes debut on Saturday. His classier stablemate, I Know I Know, will return to turf and try to improve again after finishing third in the $75,000 Soldier’s Dancer last time out. Joseph and Biancone are giving themselves multiple chances, but trainer Jose D’Angelo may only need one, as Iron Hand will switch to turf for his stakes debut. The colt is undefeated in four starts on the Tapeta since January and improved to overwhelm a pair of allowance fields in May and June. D’Angelo said that he is considering trips to Turfway Park or Presque Isle Downs, but the Florida-bred will try the turf at home first. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.