Turf racing resumes following last week's storms

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – After absorbing approximately 30 inches of rain in less than a 48 hour period last week, and lying dormant ever since, the Gulfstream Park turf course is expected to reopen, weather permitting, when racing resumes Thursday.

This should come as good news to the connections of the nine 3-year-old fillies entered in the afternoon’s main event to be decided at a mile under first-level allowance and optional-claiming conditions for horses competing under a $75,000 price tag.

The nine-race program also features the first 2-year-old event of the local season, a 4 1/2-furlong maiden special weight dash for juvenile fillies originally carded one week earlier but which was washed away along with last Thursday’s entire card.

Six of the eight fillies in the body of Thursday’s race are stakes tested. Blind Spot, the only stakes winner in the field, and Dontlookbackatall figure to vie for favoritism against a group that includes the Mark Casse-trained duo of Impetuous Molly and Scottish Symphony, the stakes-placed pair of Alternate Rock and Lady Azteca, and Fast Kimmie, Jellicle Katz, and X Y Lady, who is on the also-eligible list.

Blind Spot captured the Our Dear Peg over the Tapeta strip late last summer but has started just once at 3, finishing eighth after prompting the pace in the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride on March 4. Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., Blind Spot will race with both blinkers on and Lasix for the first time and is one of three members of the lineup who will compete for the $75,000 claiming tag along with Alternate Rock and Fast Kimmie.

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Dontlookbackatall, idle since finishing fourth in the Stewart Manor stakes going six furlongs at Aqueduct on Nov. 5, figures to be a pace presence while stretching beyond six furlongs for the first time when making her 3-year-old debut for trainer Christophe Clement. Dontlookbackatall owns the highest Beyer Speed Figure in the field, a 78 earned for her fourth-place finish in the Grade 3 Matron going six panels in her second career start.

Impetuous Molly was an impressive debut winner late last summer at Woodbine, rallying to a 2 3/4-length victory going five furlongs but has not started since finishing seventh and last in the Ontario Racing Stakes over the same course five weeks later.

Scottish Symphony, a half-sister to Grade 3 turf winner Fahan Mura, finished second making her debut in a restricted stakes for Pennsylvania-breds over the synthetic strip at Presque Isle Downs in late October. She won her maiden in her only other start at 2 when sent two turns for the first time at Woodbine, then showed promise in her lone turf outing when rallying to finish fourth as a tepid favorite going 7 1/2 furlongs making her 3-year-old bow here Jan. 12.

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