R Happy Ending eyes third straight win

R Happy Ending, a head from being perfect in three turf starts and riding a two-race win streak, is the one to beat in a first-level allowance race with a $25,000 claiming option for fillies and mares that headlines Thursday’s eight-race card at Gulfstream Park West.

R Happy Ending will break from the inside post in the five-furlong dash on turf, which drew eight horses.

R Happy Ending hasn’t raced since she was an impressive winner of a first-level allowance race with a $16,000 claiming option for Florida-breds at Gulfstream Park on June 21. With Tyler Gaffalione riding, she broke a half-step slowly, was in traffic early, and didn’t seem to mind being between horses and getting brushed when she moved into serious contention at the top of the stretch. With strong urging from Gaffalione she finished with a rush to win the five-furlong sprint on turf by three-quarters of a length.

The lengthy layoff would be a concern, but her trainer, Georgina Baxter, has a 31 percent strike rate with horses coming back from a layoff of 61 to 180 days. R Happy Ending was also coming off a little more than two-month layoff in her latest win.

Paco Lopez will be aboard the lightly raced 3-year-old filly for the first time.

Dominance, trained by Jonathan Thomas, was making her third start when she took them all the way in a maiden special weight race at Belmont Park on Sept. 14. Her win in the six-furlong sprint on the main track was validated when two of the horses in the field came back to win their next start.

She will use her speed when she breaks from post 2 with Emisael Jaramillo riding.

KEY CONTENDERS

R Happy Ending, by Prospective
Last 3 Beyers: 77-83-81

◗ Lopez will need to work out a trip breaking from the rail, but she led from start to finish when she won a maiden special weight race on April 13 and showed a lot of grit when she overcame adversity to win her last start.

Dominance, by Violence
Last 3 Beyers: 78-0-67

◗ Not sure what happened when she was eased as the heavy chalk in her second start at Gulfstream Park on March 25, but that was a big effort coming off a lengthy layoff at Belmont.

◗ She is the first foal out of an unraced mare, but being by Violence, whose progeny are 11 for 68 (16 percent), running on turf the first time, she might be okay with the surface switch.

Bright Venezuelan, by Justin Phillip
Last 3 Beyers: 68-70-74

◗ It is hard not to like a horse that tries every time and has compiled a 4-6-2 record from 13 starts in turf sprints.

◗ The Steve Klesaris-trained 3-year-old does her best running late and should have speed coming back to her. She is coming off a win in a first-level allowance race for Florida-breds with a $25,000 claiming option in her first start over this course on Oct. 8.

◗ With her enviable record, at the very least she should be part of any exotics ticket.