Three starter-allowance races on turf serve as co-features

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – With one of the biggest days of the 2020-21 championship meet on tap for Saturday, it should come as no surprise that the Thursday card at Gulfstream Park is a bit lacking in star power.

A trio of starter-allowances, all of them going two turns on turf, will serve as highlights of a 10-race program that starts at 12:35 p.m. Eastern. Two of the co-features are part of the 20-cent Rainbow 6, which spans races 5-10 and is expected to offer a guaranteed pool of at least $800,000, assuming the growing jackpot was not emptied Wednesday by a solo winning ticket.

The $3 million Pegasus World Cup and six accompanying stakes, including the $1 million Pegasus Turf, will be run here Saturday. The weather outlook for the entire week is very promising, with sunshine and high temperatures around 80 forecasted throughout.

Here’s a quick glance at the top Thursday races:

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Race 3

Valletta, fresh off a maiden victory in New York, will face winners for the first time when going 1 1/16 miles on the turf for trainer Danny Gargan, who continues to win at a high percentage. The 4-year-old daughter of Into Mischief figures to have Camellia Gal as the one to beat. Camellia Gal will have Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard in her first start since being claimed by Mike Maker.

Seven fillies and mares are entered in this $38,000 race, with Stripping and Wicked Mercury among the notable fringe players.

Race 7

I Get It and Sweet Pearl, both exiting the Ginger Brew earlier this month, are among the top contenders in a well-matched field of nine 3-year-old fillies in this one-mile turf race with a $37,000 purse. I Get It had a three-race win streak snapped when fourth in the Jan. 2 Ginger Brew, while Sweet Pearl was coming off a nose defeat for these same starter conditions when finishing last of eight in the Ginger Brew.

Other possibilities include Hadley, Viburnum, and Terry’s Dream.

Race 9

This is arguably the deepest race of the whole day, with a field of 11 3-year-olds going a mile on turf for a $38,0000 purse. Honorable, with Edgard Zayas riding for Todd Pletcher, is a lukewarm 3-1 morning-line favorite seeking a third straight victory in a lineup that also includes Richiesgotgame, Zippy Baby, and Fulmini as major players.

Gulfstream continues to ban ontrack spectators amid the ongoing pandemic, except for Pegasus Day, when ticketing is available on a limited basis.