King: How I'll play Gulfstream on Sunday, Feb. 12

Sunday’s fourth race at Gulfstream is a race sure to attract attention to the presence of Malagacy (3), who romped by 15 lengths at first asking Jan. 4 in the slop. But a horseplayer obviously can’t expect any kind of sizable return backing that colt, who is 2-5 on the morning line.

Rather than bet against him in search of a larger return, my angle is to play a straight exacta using Malagacy on top of stakes-dropping Storming My Way (6). The latter doesn’t seem to have the ability of the top choice, but he matches up against the others, and he looks to receive a favorable outside stalking trip in this main-track sprint.

Advancing to the eighth race, I’m intrigued by the shift from dirt to turf for the speedy Lex Vegas (4). Besides having worked a couple times at Palm Meadows on the grass – quickly one time and slowly the next – he is by a sire in Street Boss whose progeny I like supporting on the grass, particularly when sprinting, which is the case Sunday with Lex Vegas.

Street Boss is somewhat of an underrated turf sire in part because most of his horses prefer running a mile or less on the grass, holding back his progeny’s turf earnings that would come from starts in lucrative stakes at longer distances.

Lastly, I’m keen to support Somethingelse (1) in the 10th race. A 5-1 shot on the morning line, she doesn’t have as flashy a pedigree as others, nor does she start for a high-profile stable. What she does have is sharp turf form, consistency, and a favorable inside draw in a 1 1/16-mile race on the grass.