Sky Gold a standout in Thursday optional claimer
Toss out her races in the Grade 2 Prioress at Saratoga and the $75,000 Miss Woodford at Monmouth, and Sky Gold looks like a standout in a second-level allowance race that has a $62,500 claiming option Thursday at Gulfstream Park West. The six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares drew eight horses and goes as race 9 on a 10-race card that begins at 12:35 p.m. Eastern.
Sky Gold won two of her first three starts at Gulfstream Park for trainer Jose Garoffalo before going unplaced in the Miss Woodford, in which she got off to a slow start. In the Prioress, she was overmatched by Grade 1 winner Cavorting. She earned Beyer Speed Figures in the 90s for runner-up finishes in a $75,000 optional-claiming race at Gulfstream and a $30,000 optional-claiming race at Monmouth. If she comes remotely close to posting a similar figure Thursday, she is the winner.
Sky Gold will be making her first start for trainer Antonio Sano, and with three solid works at Gulfstream beginning Oct. 18, it looks as though Sano has her primed for a big effort. She has good speed and likely will be involved soon after she breaks from post 7 with Edgard Zayas aboard.
Sunset Silhouette looks like the main threat. Trained by Larry Pilotti, Sunset Silhouette will appreciate the class relief after finishing fourth Sept. 27 in the $75,000 Added Elegance at Gulfstream. The winner, Grade 2-placed Flutterby, has won six times and earned $335,478, but she wasn’t the favorite in the seven-furlong sprint for fillies and mares. That distinction went to the runner-up, Kiss to Remember, who was coming off a second-place finish Aug. 29 in the Grade 1 Ballerina at Saratoga.
Key contenders
Sky Gold (Last 3 Beyers: 77-69-92)
* She is the speed of the speed and could be gone if she breaks on top, but she also can stalk if she doesn’t clear early.
Sunset Silhouette (Last 3 Beyers: 74-75-27)
* The top money earner in the field could be sitting on a big race in the third start of her form cycle. She also should have an honest pace to work with and could get up in time if they get carried away early.
Don’t Tell Vanessa (Last 3 Beyers: 70-74-74)
* She has won two of her last three starts for trainer Monte Thomas and showed an affinity for the Gulfstream Park West surface as the runner-up in a $25,000 optional-claiming race there Oct. 8.