Pair of wide-open allowances anchor Sunday card
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Not that the average fan would notice or even care, but the Sunday feature at Gulfstream Park was supposed to be an overnight stakes for 3-year-old fillies at five furlongs on turf.
But the $60,000 Margate did not fill, leaving back-to-back allowances to anchor an 11-race card that starts at 12:30 p.m. Eastern.
Those $48,000 co-features carry identical conditions with the notable exception of separation by gender. Each is governed by a first-level allowance condition (with a $25,000 claiming option) and is scheduled for 7 1/2 furlongs on turf, with older male horses competing first in race 9, followed 30 minutes later by older fillies and mares in race 10.
Both drew big fields and sport wide-open looks, with perhaps Cashmere Cat worth a long look in the ninth and Charlie A seemingly as good as any in the 10th. Neither race figures to have a decisive favorite.
Racing will be held here Monday because of the Presidents Day holiday, with first post set for 1 p.m. There will be no racing Wednesday to make up for the lost dark day.
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RACE 9
KEY CONTENDERS
Cashmere Cat (Last 3 Beyers: 75-70-81)
◗ Trainer Dale Romans: “Our focus has been on getting him fresh and ready to run some of those better races he ran last year in New York. His works are telling us he’s eager to get back.”
Ginger Goose (Last 3 Beyers: 80-80-77)
◗ Straight from conditioned claimers isn’t the typical way to get through an allowance race, but this British-bred gelding has been quite steady, Beyer Speed Figure-wise and otherwise, and seems to fit very well here.
Los Borrachos (Last 3 Beyers: 83-63-74)
◗ This Bill Mott-trained colt has been close at this level on a handful of occasions and stands to benefit from a recent fifth-place finish in a bulky field.
Queequeg (Last 3 Beyers: 84-85-85)
◗ He’s a first-time gelding and makes his first start for Marty Wolfson, but the obvious question is his aptitude on turf since he’s never raced over it.
RACE 10
KEY CONTENDERS
Charlie A (Last 3 Beyers: 77-71-62)
◗ This Casa Farms homebred was right in the thick of it in a similar race here Dec. 28, and she should benefit after having been away for eight months prior.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 11 Charlie A. Trainer Michelle Nihei is 35-8-2-4 with a $2.76 ROI over the past five years in turf races at Gulfstream Park following a layoff of 45 days or more. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Tarnished (Last 3 Beyers: 69-78-76)
◗ She makes her first start in more than six months, but veteran trainer Alan Goldberg continues to show solid numbers in the categories that apply here.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 2 Tarnished. Trainer Alan Goldberg is 42-12-5-5 with a $3.00 ROI over the past five years on turf following a layoff of 180 days or more. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan