Sokie, Tasunke to settle it on the track
When Sokie and Tasunke last raced Feb. 13 at Gulfstream, it was the stewards and not the two fillies who determined the official order of finish, with Sokie being disqualified from first and placed third for impeding Tasunke, who was elevated from third to second. Those changes left Claiming Victory, who was not involved in the incident, to get kissed up from second to pick up the victory.
On Sunday, when Sokie and Tasunke meet again in the 11th race at Gulfstream, bettors can only hope for a smoother running in which the best filly is determined on the track. The $44,000, first-level allowance on turf has a $25,000 claiming condition and a full field of 12 fillies and mares.
It was difficult to determine who was best Feb. 13. Although the front-running Sokie crossed the wire clear of her rivals, she was angled toward the inside in midstretch by Paco Lopez, cutting off Tasunke and likely costing her the opportunity for a better placing.
Whether Sokie could have repelled Tasunke’s inside rally is debatable, but horseplayers can state their opinions at the betting windows in Sunday’s 11th race, which is run at the same 7 1/2-furlong distance as their last meeting.
But the race doesn’t boil down to simply these two. Wild About Jass and Share the Music were not far behind Tasunke when fourth and fifth in that Feb. 13 race, and the comebackers Mio Me and Mozambique Gold have the talent to contend if fit.
Key contenders
Tasunke, by Indian Charlie
Last 3 Beyers: 78-64-77
◗ Jockey John Velazquez replaces the injured Joel Rosario, who was aboard when she was shut off in her last start. Velazquez has ridden her twice – to a fifth-place finish on dirt at Saratoga last summer and a runner-up finish on grass at Gulfstream on Dec. 13.
Sokie, by Indian Charlie
Last 3 Beyers: 81-77-79
◗ Runs most effectively on the lead and now catches what seems to be a moderately speedy group that includes numerous fresh horses.
Mio Me, by Eskendereya
Last 3 Beyers: 69-75-81
◗ Although unraced since finishing third at Churchill Downs on Nov. 15, she became more valuable just last week when her half-sister Terra Promessa won the Grade 3 Honeybee at Oaklawn on March 12.
◗ She finished third in the Ultrafleet Stakes at Santa Anita last May, one of four times in 10 grass starts that she has earned a Beyer Speed Figure in the 80s.
Wild About Jass, by Bluegrass Cat
Last 3 Beyers: 80-78-70
◗ After running fourth, beaten 1 1/2 lengths, at this class level Feb. 13, she returned to finish third in a starter $16,000 allowance race March 4.