Stakes-caliber claimers line up

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Officially, Gulfstream Park's fourth race on Wednesday is a claiming event. But since the price tags are $250,000 down to $200,000, the race is more like a stakes, which is why it carries a purse of $57,500.

The 1 1/8-mile race went with six, including uncoupled two-horse entries from trainers Joe Orseno and Dale Romans.

Halos Sailing Sain, dropping out of a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Donn Handicap, may be the main speed and the horse to beat. While Halos Sailing Sain has recorded all four of his victories at Monmouth Park, he did run a respectable second behind Grade 1 winner Bandini in an allowance race here.

Orseno wanted to run Halos Sailing Sain in the Sunshine Millions Classic, but the horse was excluded from the field due to insufficient earnings. With nowhere else to run, Orseno put him in the Donn, where Halos Sailing Sain chased the early pace before finishing fifth, 11 lengths behind Horse of the Year Invasor.

"We thought the Donn was going to be a shorter field,'' Orseno said. "After looking at it, some of the horses that were in there I didn't really think were Grade 1 horses and some were great; I mean the Horse of the Year, we didn't expect to beat him. A couple of the other ones are just really nice horses. You run when your horse is good, and we decided to take a shot. He didn't run terrible.''

Joe Bravo will ride Halos Sailing Sain from post 4.

Orseno will also saddle Jersey Peach, whom he feels has become a better horse since stretching out in distance. Jersey Peach has a win and two seconds in New Jersey-bred stakes, but comes off a fifth-place finish in an allowance race here on Jan.o12. Orseno said Jersey Peach got sick a few days after that race.

"This will be a good test for him,'' Orseno said. "I think this horse has gone forward on me by going long.''

Romans will saddle the 7-year-old gelding Wiggins and the 8-year-old horse M B Sea in this heat.

Wiggins, unraced since finishing ninth in the Grade 1 Clark last November, finished third in this same race last year when it was a one-turn mile. He is a 14-time winner, but he may be compromised by a lack of pace.

M B Sea is 0 for 10 at Gulfstream and is winless in his last 11 starts dating back to Aug. 14, 2005.

Touched by Madness and Spite the Devil complete the field.