When Spanish Loveaffair makes her 3-year-old debut in Saturday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Herecomesthebride Stakes at Gulfstream Park, there are two tangibles that play in her favor. First, she is returning to a course over which she went 2 for 2 last summer. Second, she is getting away from Aunt Pearl, the undefeated filly who defeated Spanish Loveaffair in two graded stakes last fall at Keeneland. The Herecomesthebride, at 1 1/16 miles, is the first of eight stakes on a 14-race card that begins at 11:30 a.m. and concludes nearly seven hours later with the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth for 3-year-olds. Last summer, Spanish Loveaffair won a maiden race and the Sharp Susan Stakes in a five-week span at Gulfstream. She finished a closing second to the speedy Aunt Pearl in the Grade 2 Jessamine, then finished a wide sixth to that same rival in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Trainer Mark Casse loves the way Spanish Loveaffair has been training for her return, and more so loves the rail draw for his filly, who was parked outside for her two graded stakes tries last fall. “I like her post,” Casse said. “She’s been training as good, if not better, than ever. I would expect a pretty good effort.” Spanish Loveaffair, ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, will likely have to run down Con Lima, who is making her fourth start of the winter meet, all for trainer Todd Pletcher. After an allowance win and a victory in the Ginger Brew, Con Lima was run down by White Frost when running second in the Grade 3 Sweetest Chant on Jan. 30. “She’s in good form and seems to run well every time, so we’re back for another try,” Pletcher said. The Herecomesthebride also marks the return to the races for Tobys Heart. A daughter of Jack Milton, Tobys Heart won twice sprinting last year, including a victory in the Bolton Landing at Saratoga, a race that produced three next-out winners. Following the Bolton Landing, Tobys Heart needed a few flakes taken out of an ankle, trainer Bryan Lynch said. Lynch believes Tobys Heart will be able to stretch out in distance. :: Enhance your handicapping with DRF’s Gulfstream Park Clocker Report “I’ve tested with her a couple of fillies that I thought would look good in this spot that are two-turn fillies, and she’s worked well with them,” Lynch said. Lijana, a maiden winner for Cherie DeVaux in her second start, and Designer Ready, third in the Ginger Brew for trainer Barbara Minshall, are other contenders. Annex steps up in Palm Beach Trainer Bill Mott hopes talent trumps experience when he sends out debut winner Annex in the $100,000 Palm Beach Stakes for 3-year-olds on Saturday. Annex, a son of Constitution, was away slowly in a one-mile maiden race on turf Jan. 16 at Gulfstream. He saved all the ground down the backside, and then stormed home a one-length winner while five wide under Junior Alvarado. :: Bet horse racing on DRF Bets. Double Your First Deposit Up to $250. Join Now. “The way he did it, he probably surpassed expectations,” Mott said. “He kind of got left a little at the gate. After getting away from the gate poorly, he ran professionally.” Mott said he passed an allowance race to point to this race, which is a sixteenth of a mile farther than his debut win. “By the way he ran the other day, it’s not going to hurt him,” Mott said. Scarlett Sky, a son of Sky Mesa trained by Shug McGaughey, is coming off a dominant five-length victory in a Jan. 14 allowance race here in his fifth start. The only time he finished worse than second was in last November’s Central Park Stakes, a race run over softer ground at Aqueduct. He shows a solid work tab over the Payson Park turf since his allowance score. Chess’s Dream has two wins and two seconds over Gulfstream Park’s turf course and pulled an 8-1 upset with a rail-skimming ride by Tyler Gaffalione in the Grade 3 Kitten’s Joy last month. He breaks from the outside in this eight-horse field Saturday. “I loved his last race,” trainer Mike Maker said. “Granted, it was a perfect trip, but, to me, he continues to improve.” Fighting Force and Cave Hill, second and third behind Kentucky Pharoah in the Dania Beach Stakes, are logical in the Palm Beach. Trainer Todd Pletcher said Fighting Force ran well despite being “a little closer to the pace than he wants to be.” Trainer Brendan Walsh believes the added distance of Saturday’s race will only help Cave Hill, a son of Frosted. “He’s a big, scopey horse. I can’t see anything but improvement from him as we go along,” Walsh said. “If he ran a little better off the Dania Beach, it should put him in a good spot for Saturday.” – additional reporting by Marty McGee