Reconfigure offers value off long layoff in turf allowance

In most years, trainer Mark Casse moves his stock to Kentucky and Toronto to summer quarters, but Casse has so many horses under his care right now that he’s left a division in south Florida.

His remaining Floridians are making their presence felt at Gulfstream. From his stable’s first six starters since Gulfstream’s championship meet ended, Casse has gone 3-2-1, yet bettors still should get a price on the Casse-trained Reconfigure in the featured fifth race Saturday.

That’s because Reconfigure, entered in a first-level turf allowance carded for 1 1/16 miles, hasn’t raced since Dec. 20, 2014, and even the Casse brand won’t deter most players from avoiding a horse away that long. Maybe that’s prudent, but Casse’s raw win percentage with turf runners returning from a layoff of more than a year, 1 for 12, obscures the fact that six of those starters have finished third or better, and nearly all of them have performed creditably, almost always at an attractive-enough price.

Reconfigure, a 4-year-old son of Lemon Drop Kid, definitely hinted at quality by winning his lone pre-layoff start, using a strong turn of foot to rally from ninth and beat 10 rivals in a maiden race over 7 1/2 furlongs. The longer trip should suit Reconfigure, who was working five furlongs as far back as March 8, suggesting he’s fit enough for something solid Saturday.

Boss Man looks like the favorite for Jason Servis, another trainer off to a strong start at this phase of the Gulfstream meet, but while he was a close second at this class level last month, there are a couple of things to consider before pouncing. That last race came over 9 1/2 furlongs, and Boss Man has more grind to his game than flash. And while he’s a consistent performer, Boss Man appears to run to the level of his competition, having taken a number of losses in conditioned-claiming ranks.

Lucky Kitten, up in class off a claim by trainer David Fawkes, is headed to the front under Emisael Jaramillo, and he could stick around for a while. Tetradrachm would have bossed around this field a year ago, but his best days are receding below the horizon, and he’s down in class off a Dane Kobiskie claim. As usual, there’s some chance of rain in the local forecast, and if it hits sufficiently to force a surface switch, the stakes-dropping Ender’s Cat has to be considered.

There’s some talent entered elsewhere on the Saturday card, with decent turf maidens in race 4 and R Limo Joe set for his first start in 16 months in race 9, a Florida-bred dirt-sprint allowance. Trained now by Todd Pletcher, R Limo Joe debuted for trainer Kirk Ziadie with a comfortable win over the capable J S Bach in a performance that produced a stakes-class 97 Beyer Speed Figure.