King: Almanaar under the radar in Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap

The public figures to bet the class on the grass in Saturday’s Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap, backing Grade 1 winners Divisidero and Beach Patrol to be the race favorites. And no argument here. Either one could prove the winner – they’re just a little too obvious.

So, in search of value, I went looking for a little hidden class, and I believe I’ve found it with 6-1 Almanaar, who comes off easily his best race since arriving in the U.S. when second in the Fort Lauderdale on Jan. 14. At his best on firm ground, he showed an obvious affinity for the Gulfstream Park course with his neck defeat last month.

I think his connections learned something about him that day. He was taken back early, and though he briefly got a little keen into the first turn, he was not nearly as eager when covered up as he had been in two prior starts since being imported to America. And it resulted in his best race since 2015, when he strung together three stakes victories in France.

Joel Rosario, aboard for the first time in the Fort Lauderdale, returns in the irons, another reason to be confident, as is the bullet work at Palm Meadows last Saturday for trainer Chad Brown.

Throw in that he drew well, landing in post 2, from which he ought to be able to save ground and get covered up again, and Almanaar seems an overlay at his 6-1 morning line.

Still, he is going to need to move forward. Beach Patrol has tactical speed in a race with precious little, and Divisidero is a candidate to improve in his second start of the year. Even Flatlined should prove a force if he replicates the effort he put forth in winning in the Fort Lauderdale.

Oaklawn: Martha Washington

One filly stands out in the Martha Washington Stakes at Oaklawn on Saturday: Perfect Wife – though thankfully not on the morning line, and hopefully not on the odds board by post time.

A winner of two of three starts, including the Trapeze Stakes by five lengths at Remington Park on Dec. 31, she seems to be a filly with ability. And though she returns from a layoff with a relatively limited work tab of three published breezes, I’m less concerned about that than usual given that she has only been away from racing for two months.

Trainer Ken McPeek also has favorable statistics with horses returning from short layoffs, and her strong work last Saturday, when she went five furlongs in 1:01 at Oaklawn, the second-fastest of 43 works at the distance that morning, further hints that she is ready.

Her combination of speed and class gives her an advantage, and the outside draw from chief rival Benner Island increases the likelihood of a wide trip for Benner Island, bettering the prospects of Perfect Wife.

Benner Island is no slouch. She impressed in winning an allowance late in the Churchill meet and seems to be improving. And everything starting for trainer Brad Cox – from Louisiana to Arkansas – is running lights-out.

But Perfect Wife just seems to be the superior filly.

Turfway: WEBN Stakes

I’m sticking with a proven angle in the WEBN Stakes at Turfway Park on Saturday night: Bet the Florida invader heading to Kentucky in the winter – which in this case happens to be Hey Mike, a 4-1 shot.

Last week, horses who last raced in Florida finished one-two in the Cincinnati Trophy Stakes at Turfway, and I believe Hey Mike is similarly poised for success. A precocious 2-year-old who won first out at Keeneland and was twice stakes-placed last spring, he didn’t fare as well when stretched out to routes, first at Churchill and later in two starts this winter at Gulfstream, fading in the stretch all three times.

Although unraced on a synthetic surface, he fits the profile for success on Turfway’s Polytrack. He is by a turf sire in Cape Blanco and out of a Borrego mare, Nina Fever, who was first or second in six of seven starts on synthetic tracks.