No clear standouts in pair of $100,000 turf sprints

The El Prado and South Beach both are ungraded, $100,000 stakes to be run at 7 1/2 furlongs on the Gulfstream Park turf Saturday, but that’s not all they share in common. They’re also nearly identical in competitiveness, with both having drawn big fields with no clear-cut favorites.

The El Prado, for 3-year-olds and up, could have Excaper and Mshawish as slight choices, while its female counterpart, the South Beach, might have four or five filly-mare grass specialists in the 4-1 or 5-1 range.

The El Prado, named for the highly successful Adena Springs stallion who died in 2009, is carded as the eighth race, while the South Beach, named for the popular destination located 45 minutes south of Gulfstream, is the last of 10 races.

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EL PRADO STAKES (RACE 8)

KEY CONTENDERS

Excaper (Last 3 Beyers: 91-93-94)

◗ The gray 5-year-old began his season in terrific fashion with wins at Keeneland and Woodbine before facing many of Canada’s top turfers the rest of the year. It’ll be up to Joel Rosario to save ground while harnessing Excaper’s considerable speed before letting him roll down the lane.

Asset Inflation (Last 3 Beyers: 87-93-85)

◗ This erstwhile $40,000 New York-bred claimer has gone right up the ladder since being haltered by Mike Maker, although this initial stakes attempt should really test him for class. Still, a couple of those bigger efforts suggest this is worth a try.

Mshawish (Last 3 Beyers: 97-92-84)

◗ This distance may or may not be a tad short for a 4-year-old who has shown a pretty good miler’s kick since coming under the care of Todd Pletcher, who has regrouped the colt with a nice set of works in Del Ray.

Howe Great (Last 3 Beyers: 86-86-97)

◗ The 11-month layoff is the obvious issue with a Team Valor homebred who otherwise matches up extremely well with this brand. He shows 10 recorded workouts since mid-September after having been sent to Tom Bush.

Fredericksburg (Last 3 Beyers: 93-95-91)

◗ This Ramona Bass homebred has been freshened and sharpened with eight workouts since his last start in early September. His most recent win came over this course, after which he kept meeting some awfully nice turf milers.

SOUTH BEACH STAKES (RACE 10)

KEY CONTENDERS

Baffle Me (Last 3 Beyers: 66-86-90)

◗ The winner of this race last year as the even-money favorite, she has taken some local regrouping from Mark Hennig after five straight subsequent losses. The rail post and a typically heady Joe Bravo ride could get her back where she belongs.

Kitty Wine (Last 3 Beyers: 82-44-92)

◗ She returned with a vengeance when knocking out her second allowance condition at Keeneland and has trained forwardly in the interim for Eddie Kenneally, whose burgeoning stable recently passed the $3 million earnings mark for just the second year.

Sassy Kitten (Last 3 Beyers: 87-91-81)

◗ Yet another talented Kitten’s Joy homebred for Ken and Sarah Ramsey, this filly has had a breakthrough year and now finds herself reasonably spotted when getting a call from Rosario. She probably would do her best from just off the pace here.

Marbre Rose (Beyer: 86)

◗ Clearly the wild card in the group, this 3-year-old takes on older rivals when showing just one stateside start, a good-looking first-level allowance romp on a big Saturday at Belmont. Christophe Clement has been known to transform this type into star material.

Tokyo Time (Last 3 Beyers: 86-90-85)

◗ The outer post could make this a difficult task, but her best races clearly make her a contender. She wired maidens here in January 2013, but she probably does her best work from off the pace after getting into an early rhythm.