Suwannee River, Ladies Turf Sprint to top Saturday card

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Filly-mare turf runners will take the weekend spotlight at Gulfstream Park when the Suwannee River and Ladies Turf Sprint are renewed Saturday.

The Grade 3, $100,000 Suwannee River and the $100,000 Ladies Turf Sprint will anchor a program marking a respite of sorts from the last two Saturdays here, when the Pegasus World Cup and Holy Bull highlighted huge cards on Jan. 23 and 30, respectively.

The 1 1/8-mile Suwannee River was expected to get a short field when entries were drawn Wednesday. Great Island, whose form was flattered by Always Shopping dominating the La Prevoyante on the Pegasus undercard, is among those expected, along with Don’t Blame Judy, La Signare, Logic N Reason, and probably two or three more from a nominations list of 14.

Great Island, trained by Chad Brown, finished second before being disqualified to third behind Always Shopping in the Via Borghese here Dec. 19. The 5-year-old mare was a winner of her two prior starts, both in Kentucky.

:: Enhance your handicapping with DRF’s Gulfstream Park Clocker Report

Probables from a nominations list of 17 for the five-furlong Ladies Turf Sprint include A Bit of Both, Hear My Prayer, Lagertha, Miss Auramet, and Victory Kingdom.

At least three Gulfstream jockeys – John Velazquez, Julien Leparoux, and Junior Alvarado – will miss the Saturday card to ride instead at Tampa Bay Downs, where the Sam F. Davis Stakes, a Kentucky Derby points qualifier, is one of four Festival Preview Day stakes.

The next major date at Gulfstream is Feb. 27, when the Fountain of Youth will be one of nine graded stakes.