Ten starter stakes fill Gulfstream card

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Horse racing and a history lesson are on tap for Monday at Gulfstream Park, where the traditional Presidents Day holiday card is made up mostly high-end starter allowances named in honor of late presidents or their wives.

An 11-race program that starts at 12:35 p.m. Eastern will include 10 such starter stakes, each of them worth $50,000 or $60,000. One other race, a $60,000 allowance (race 6), fills a void meant for a couple of other starters that did not draw a sufficient number of entries.

One of those intended starter stakes, the Old Hickory at 1 1/16 miles on the main track, had been under serious consideration for the standout 4-year-old Tax, but trainer Danny Gargan said Thursday he had decided against entering. It became a moot point when the Old Hickory failed to fill.

Here’s a quick rundown:

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Race 1, Little Magician (Martin Van Buren): Tiger Blood is 6 for 7 over the Gulfstream turf and has amassed 17 overall wins specializing in turf sprints, so this move into a one-mile turf race should make for an interesting dynamic amid a field stacked with early speed.

Race 2, Trust Buster (Theodore Roosevelt): It could be another big day at Gulfstream for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., who is represented in seven races. Joseph has a solid favorite in this six-furlong race in Take Charge Dude.

Race 3, Mary Todd (Mary Todd Lincoln): Lucky Long, a two-back winner of the Claiming Crown Tiara, is among a well-matched field of seven fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles on turf.

Race 4, Lady Bird (Lady Bird Johnson): Liza Star, a two-back winner of the Claiming Crown Glass Slipper, should find the opposition much more agreeable than in her latest, the Grade 2 Inside Information. A field of seven fillies and mares goes seven furlongs.

Race 5, Mrs. Presidentress (Julia Tyler): Rising Bella seems a timely last-out claim for Steve Klesaris, who will give Irad Ortiz Jr. a leg up for this one-mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies.

Race 7, Rough and Ready (Zachary Taylor): Horseplayers could have a difficult time settling on a favorite in this one-mile race for older horses, with Yodel E.A. Who and Quenane among a core of logical contenders.

Race 8, American Fabius (George Washington): Disc Jockey surely will be favored for Joseph and Ortiz in this seven-furlong race for 3-year-olds after staying unbeaten in two starts with an 85 Beyer in his last out.

Race 9, Sage of Monticello (Thomas Jefferson): The speedy Monforte will be gunning for a fourth straight victory when he faces nine other 3-year-olds in this one-mile turf race.

Race 10, Rail Splitter (Abraham Lincoln): Trainer Jorge Navarro looks formidable in this 6 1/2-furlong race for older horses with the trio of Colour Guard, First Deal, and Early Entry, all of them capable.

Race 11, Old Man Eloquent (John Q. Adams): It looks like the best race might well have been saved for last, with grizzled turf routers such as Class and Cash, Muggsamatic, Dr. Edgar, and Salute the Colonel being part of an oversubscribed lineup.

A guaranteed pool of at least $1 million was projected for Monday in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (races 6-11), assuming the jackpot was not emptied in preceding days by a solo winning ticket.

This is the fifth year Gulfstream has staged a Presidents Day card modeled after the popular Claiming Crown series. Sunshine and a high of 80 are in the forecast.

Maragh heads to Big A

Apprentice rider Romero Maragh, who on Thursday rode his first two winners since his recent return to the saddle, is taking his tack to Aqueduct for the rest of the winter.

Maragh, 19, spent nearly a year on the sidelines after being seriously injured in a spill here Jan. 31, 2019. He returned to race-riding on Jan. 19 and notched his first two winners Thursday aboard Allaboutthedrama and Lady Archa.

Maragh has been granted a medical extension because of his layoff, with his five-pound weight allowance now scheduled to expire in early May. He has hired Rudy Rodriguez Jr. as his agent in New York.

Through Friday, Maragh had ridden 87 winners, with the most notable being the first two career races for Maximum Security, the 2019 Eclipse Award winner for top 3-year-old. Sunday was to be his last day at the Gulfstream championship meet.

Juarez undergoes surgery

Jockey Nik Juarez is scheduled to undergo surgery this week for a knee injury that has bothered him for months. Juarez has been diagnosed with a torn meniscus stemming from an Aug. 11 spill at Monmouth Park.

Juarez, 26, has not ridden since Feb. 8. He has five wins at the Championship meet.