King Cab's ‘A' race would make him formidable in allowance

There are no stakes races at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, but it is a strong card with mostly competitive races, and the feature has four stakes winners among the seven horses entered.

The second-level allowance race for 3-year-olds and up going six furlongs goes as race 10 on an 11-race program that begins at 1:05 p.m. Eastern. The race is also open to horses which have not won a race since Oct. 30, and it has a $62,500 claiming option available. Real Talk, who won the $100,000 Jersey Shore at Monmouth Park last year, is the only horse entered for the price.

The Edward Plesa-trained King Cab is coming of an impressive win in the $110,000 Sophomore for 3-year-olds bred in Florida at Tampa Bay Downs on March 27. He will get a serious test Saturday, as he is facing older runners for the first time in his five-race career.

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When the son of Noble Bird is good, he is very good. In the seven-furlong Sophomore he set a fast pace and was an easy 4 3/4-length winner over Lightening Larry. He also won a first-level allowance race for Florida-breds by 7 1/4 lengths in his first start this year and romped when he debuted in a maiden special weight race for Florida-breds last year.

However, in his other two starts King Cab was eased in the $200,000 Florida-sired Affirmed in his second start as a 2-year-old, and again in a first-level allowance race March 2.

It is easy to dismiss his two poor outings as he got off to a poor start in the Affirmed and then checked sharply on the turn. In his race March 2, he set a wicked pace while going around two turns for the first time in the mile and an eighth race.

The 92 Beyer King Cab received for his blowout win in the Sophomore is the best last-race figure in the field, and if he gets away on his own he could be tough to reel in. He will break from post 6 with Emisael Jaramillo up.

Rough Entry will try to get back on track for trainer Rohan Crichton.

The 5-year-old horse by Poseidon’s Warrior never got involved in the $100,000 Sir Shackleton on April 2, but he reeled off five-straight wins last year and could be dangerous if he can avoid getting into a duel with King Cab.

In his only other start this year, he finished fourth in a race with similar conditions March 4.

The classy Well Defined makes his seasonal debut for his owner and trainer, Kathleen O’Connell.

The 6-year-old is a four-time stakes winner with $778,167 in earnings. His most important victory came in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay in 2019. Last year, he won the $100,000 Benny the Bull and $97,750 Big Drama. Both seven-furlong races at Gulfstream were restricted to horses bred in Florida.

O’Connell has solid numbers with horses coming back from a layoff of 180 days or more, but if history is any indication, Well Defined might need a race before he is ready for his best.

It’s My House, who won the $50,000 Turf Paradise Derby last year, will need to improve to keep up in a tough dash.