Nicks has the two to beat in Coast Is Clear Handicap
With 33 percent of the horses in the $50,000 Coast Is Clear Handicap on Sunday at Gulfstream Park in south Florida, trainer Ralph Nicks is almost assured of a spot on the tote board. After all, only six older horses are entered in the one-mile race.
But Gulfstream horseplayers will be expecting much more than that, as the uncoupled Nicks entry of Savoy Stomp and Mylute could be the two favorites.
Nicks said Savoy Stomp has trained particularly well in recent weeks and that he expects the 5-year-old horse to run big despite having gone unraced for more than nine months. As for Mylute, “He just got here this week” after training at GoldMark Farm in Ocala, Fla., said Nicks.
“The owners told me he was doing so well they wanted to try him another time or two,” he said.
Nicks was one of the first trainers who traditionally raced up north in the non-winter months to commit to stabling year-round in Florida after Gulfstream dramatically expanded its schedule to 10 months a year in 2013. The move has paid off handsomely for him, as he achieved career highs in wins (72) and stable earnings ($2.96 million) in 2016.
Nicks will be commuting to and from upstate New York in the coming weeks after dispatching a string of 20 horses to Saratoga. “It’s expensive, but I’m grateful to be able to break in the way we have,” he said.
The Coast Is Clear goes as the 10th of 11 races on a Sunday card that starts at 1:15 p.m. Eastern and includes one allowance (race 3). The Coast Is Clear is part of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 sequence (races 6-11), which starts at 3:54. Going into Friday, the Rainbow 6 jackpot carryover stood at $275,764. Post time for the feature is 6:04.
After Sunday, Gulfstream goes dark for three days before another four-day race week begins Thursday.
KEY CONTENDERS
Savoy Stomp, by Medaglia d’Oro
Last 3 Beyers: 69-93-92
◗ Owned by Team Valor and Southern Equine, he could prove the class of the field after posting a solid series of works following his arrival from GoldMark in late May.
◗ He was formerly trained by Todd Pletcher and makes his first start for Nicks.
Mylute, by Midnight Lute
Last 3 Beyers: 69-88-87
◗ This 7-year-old horse is less than $35,000 from hitting the $1 million earnings mark, and although his best days are clearly behind him, he still matches up well in this relatively light spot.
Conquest Big E, by Tapit
Last 3 Beyers: 91-74-76
◗ His 8 1/2-length romp over the slop in a June 7 allowance marked a sudden and welcomed reversal in form for a onetime promising gelding. He must show that that was no fluke.