Previous should be sharper in second start back
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – One of the more puzzling results of the nearly 3-month-old championship meet at Gulfstream Park came in a Feb. 5 allowance in which Wind Racer ran second at 1-10 odds in a five-horse field.
If anyone was going to beat Wind Racer in the slop that day, it was supposed to be Previous, a Juddmonte Farms homebred who was sent away as the 3-1 second choice when returning from a layoff of more than eight months. Instead, Previous was beaten a half-length for second by Wind Racer while the 28-1 shot Celebrity Star ran off to a head-scratching six-length triumph.
Previous, trained by Bill Mott, stands to benefit from that needed outing when she returns to action Friday as the likely favorite in the $48,000 feature at Gulfstream, a first-level, one-mile allowance that drew a field of eight fillies and mares.
Jose Lezcano has the return call on Previous, whose maiden victory here last February stamped her as a late bloomer of promise. The 5-year-old mare will break from the favorable outside post for the long run down the backstretch.
First post for an 11-race Friday program is 1 p.m. Eastern, with the ninth-race feature set for 5. Two starter allowances are carded earlier as races 1 and 4.
Key contenders
Previous (Last 3 Beyers: 65-88-61)
* It was one year ago to the day (Feb. 27, 2014) that she ran off to a 4 3/4-length score at Gulfstream in a seven-furlong maiden race in her second career start. She figures to benefit when stretching out here from 6 1/2 furlongs to a one-turn mile.
* Mott continues to produce results for Juddmonte, having won graded stakes in the last year with standouts such as Close Hatches, Filimbi, Emollient, Seek Again, and Riposte.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 8 Previous. Trainer Bill Mott is 22-2-4-2 with a $0.57 ROI over the past five years going sprint to route on dirt at Gulfstream Park. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Streethomealabama (Last 3 Beyers: 80-72-64)
* This 4-year-old daughter of Street Sense rallied strongly while competing with identical conditions here three Fridays ago, when finishing second in a photo while well clear of the rest. She clearly has come into peak form for trainer William Heffner.
* There doesn’t appear to be a ton of speed in here, so rider Julien Leparoux might have her closer to the pace than in some of her recent outings.
Lil Honey Badger (Last 3 Beyers: 75-70-72)
* Filly won her last start, a conditioned-claiming sprint, for Heffner and Leparoux and now makes her first start off a claim by Midwest Thoroughbreds, the national wins leader in North America every year since 2010.
* Has trained since the claim at Tampa Bay Downs for Jamie Ness, who has had limited starters at this Gulfstream meet while being more active at Tampa and Laurel Park.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 4 Lil Honey Badger. Trainer Jamie Ness is 68-26-5-14 with a $2.34 ROI over the past two years in dirt routes in the first start following a claim. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 3 Second Base. Trainer Marty Wolfson is 42-3-7-5 with a $0.60 ROI over the past five years in routes at Gulfstream Park with horses returning from a layoff of 61 days or more. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan