Litfin: How I'd play Gulfstream Park on Sunday, Dec. 21

As New York is my home circuit, I tend to play only the better quality races at other tracks. That modus operandi simplifies the approach to Sunday’s program at Gulfstream Park, where I’m passing on the two $6,250 claiming contests as well as the five races for maiden claimers.

That leaves race 6, a one-mile optional claimer at a mile; race 8, a maiden special weight for 2-year-old turf fillies; and race 9, an allowance open to all comers at five furlongs on the grass.

Sixth race: This strikes me as an ideal spot for KINGS OVER (3), a 5-year-old gelding that put together a four-race win streak earlier this year, including two wins over the track under these exact conditions. He is equally capable with or without the early lead and worth a win bet in the neighborhood of his 7-2 morning-line quote.

Eighth race: Among the nine maiden fillies with experience, I’m between a couple that showed ability in their respective unveilings at Belmont’s fall meet – MOZAMBIQUE GOLD (3) and RESILIENT ONE (5). The latter finished well for second on yielding turf against Consumer Credit, a 7-5 shot who returned five weeks later to win the Wait a While Stakes by daylight. After that, she chased a slow pace in an off-the-turf mile at Aqueduct.

The master plan is to key those two in vertical exotic wagers with VALIENTA (2), who raced wide from post 12 in her only start; and first-time starters ENTHRALLING (9), ROYAL PARISIAN (10), and SACRED LUNA (12).

Ninth race: VARSITY (5) has been sidelined since February but has trained forwardly at Payson Park and appears primed to fire off the bench. He has run well fresh before and is 4-3-0 from seven starts over the local course, which makes him a fairly reliable building block as an exacta key linked to AMELIA’S WILD RIDE (3) and BOLD THUNDER (7), who figure to hook up in a dispute for the early lead.