Rachels Song looks to bounce back on Tapeta

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Thursday’s main event at Gulfstream Park is a modest $43,000 allowance/optional claimer restricted to Florida-bred fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles on the Tapeta course. The race drew a field of seven, with trainer Jose D’Angelo’s Rachels Song likely to be heavily favored once again despite having been outfinished by Victory Badge when second as the prohibitive 1-5 favorite under similar conditions Nov. 22.

Other key contenders include last-out winners Parallel, Avatal Hero, and Ashima. Parallel rallied to a popular 1 1/2-length victory over arguably her preferred surface, the turf, while racing under a $35,000 claiming tag two months earlier. She will be returning against statebreds for the first time since opening her career with a couple of third-place finishes against maiden special weight company on the main track more than a year ago.

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Parallel will be ridden by Edgard Zayas, who had a big day Sunday, winning four races including the main event aboard Portofino in a second-level allowance/optional claimer over the Tapeta. Portofino is trained by Joe Orseno, who had himself a big weekend as well, having also captured Saturday’s headliner, the Allen Jerkens Stakes, with the 60-1 Lord Eddard Stark. It was the second 60-1 winner for Orseno within a one-week span, with the veteran horseman having sent out Tell Me Some Lies to return $138 after upsetting a lower-level conditioned claiming race here Nov. 30.

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