Perchance, Little Miss Julia square off in allowance sprint
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – A slew of long prices during the final half of the Monday program at Gulfstream Park left a carryover of $81,832 in the Rainbow 6 wager, although the six-race sequence (races 5-10) on Thursday does not include a so-called feature.
The day’s feature would be the second race, a $48,000, first-level sprint that serves as the only allowance of the afternoon and is carded atypically early because of its short field. Perchance, a Stonestreet Stables homebred, is the 7-5 program favorite for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, although trainer Carlo Vaccarezza is hoping for a minor upset with his $15,000 purchase, Little Miss Julia, the 5-2 second choice. Six 3-year-old fillies are entered.
Little Miss Julia “is a quality filly, a fast filly,” Vaccarezza said. “We’ll have to see if a Florida-bred can run with the big girls.”
The Rainbow 6, as usual, is comprised by difficult, well-matched races. There is no pool guarantee for Thursday; that normally happens only on weekends. As for the 10th-race super high five, there is no carryover after the jackpot was hit Monday.
First post at Gulfstream has changed for the foreseeable future and is now 10 minutes earlier, at 12:30 p.m. Eastern. The Thursday feature goes off at 12:59.
KEY CONTENDERS
Sky Gold (Last Beyer: 66)
◗ First-and-only effort for this rail-drawn filly was commendable as she led throughout and paid a big mutuel when breaking from mid-gate amid a full field. For the record, the rail wasn’t particularly productive the last couple of days on the main track at Gulfstream, so that’s something for players to closely monitor as Thursday unfolds.
Perchance (Last Beyer: 61)
◗ This Stonestreet filly has two siblings, and both were sensational: Dreaming of Julia and Atreides. Her 1 1/2-length debut triumph last month at Aqueduct equated to just a 61 Beyer Speed Figure but did earn a noteworthy “as rider pleased” comment, which strongly hints there might be more in reserve. McLaughlin shows outstanding averages in all the categories that apply here.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: Perchance: Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin is 15-4-5-4 with a $3.55 ROI over the past five years in dirt sprints in the second career start following a winning debut. - Mike Hogan Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Savingtime (Last 3 Beyers: 66-69-52)
◗ Florida-bred homebred doesn’t carry the panache of some of these others, but she does have experience in ungraded stakes that could prove useful as she now dips down into the allowance ranks. Her young sire, Kantharos, was a Stonestreet wunderkind during an abbreviated career.
Little Miss Julia (Last 2 Beyers: 71-52)
◗ Filly caught on quickly as she led throughout in winning her second start last month after failing to be a factor in her late-November debut. Now comes favorably drawn to the outside, from where Joel Rosario can more easily play the hand dealt him as the tempo unfolds.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: Little Miss Julia: Her maiden victory has come back weak, with runners going 8-0-0-2 in their next start and none registering a Beyer Speed Figure above 40. - Mike Hogan Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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