Patty H brings her best Beyers into Gulfstream feature
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Patience is required from any Gulfstream Park horseplayer complaining about the final Friday program of the championship meet, one that lacks so much as an allowance race. There are 10 stakes – count ’em, 10 – to be run on the Florida Derby card here Saturday, so bettors will get more than their fill of high-end racing soon enough.
In the meantime, a starter-optional claiming sprint for 3-year-old fillies with a $42,000 purse will serve as the anchor of a 10-race Friday card. It goes as race 9 with a field of nine, with trainer Brad Cox being represented by the likely favorite in Patty H.
Owned by Kent Spellman and Madaket Stables, Patty H has run the two best races of her seven-race career during the championship meet, at least in terms of her Beyer Speed Figures. The bay daughter of Flatter got a 60 in winning a December maiden-claiming race by 9 1/4 lengths, then a 74 when defeated by just a half-length for the same conditions governing the Friday feature – fillies who have started for a claiming price of $50,000 or less.
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Tyler Gaffalione has a return call on Patty H, whose chief threats appear to be Briella (post 5, Miguel Vasquez) and To a T (post 1, Junior Alvarado), the respective one-two finishers in an open $50,000 claiming sprint here last month. Briella would be making her first start since being claimed out of that race, although trainer Kelly Breen said the Florida-bred filly is a possible scratch.
The ninth is the richer of two starter races on the card, with race 6 being a sprint with a well-matched field of six fillies and mares who have started for $6,250 or less.
Both starter races are part of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (races 5-10), which was projected to offer a pool guarantee of about $1.25 million, assuming the jackpot was not swept Wednesday or Thursday by a solo winning ticket. The Rainbow 6 will be subject to a forceout both Saturday and Sunday (closing day).
First post for a 10-race card is 1:10 p.m. Eastern, with the nominal feature going at 5:22. Race 10 will be part of the Stronach 5 cross-country wager.
Sunshine and a high of 82 are in the Friday forecast, meaning all six turf races surely will proceed as scheduled.