Turf stakes offer betting buffet

Anyone skeptical of the depth and quality of turf racing at Gulfstream Park in the winter need only examine the three turf stakes on a terrific New Year’s Eve program at the south Florida track.

Even with purses of just $75,000 each, the three races all drew big fields and shape up as highly competitive affairs.

Here’s a quick rundown of the Gulfstream turf stakes for Saturday:

◗ Tropical Park Derby (race 7, post 3:01 p.m. Eastern): Oscar Nominated and Inspector Lynley could vie for favoritism in this 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds, with another half-dozen or so rating a solid chance.

Oscar Nominated was a runaway winner of the $346,710 Dueling Grounds Derby in September before finishing a troubled fourth as the 2-1 favorite in the Twilight Derby, the final race of the Friday Breeders’ Cup card on Nov. 4 at Santa Anita.

“He got stuck in traffic for a critical period, and I think it cost him the race,” said Mike Maker, who trains Oscar Nominated for Ken and Sarah Ramsey. “He came back to train real well in Louisville and more recently at Palm Meadows. He’s had a really good year, and we’d like to see him end it with another win.”

Inspector Lynley, trained by Shug McGaughey, won the Grade 3 Saranac on closing weekend of the Saratoga meet. A Stuart Janney-Phipps Stable homebred colt, he will be returning from a 12-week layoff.

“He’s been freshened up now, so we’ll see what happens Saturday,” said McGaughey. “I think his future is in front of him.”

Other contenders include Strike Midnight, a consistent colt trained by Leah Gyarmati; Giant Run, an earner of more than $350,000 this year who is trained by Tom Albertrani; Gimlet, a sharp last-out winner at Gulfstream West for Todd Pletcher; J R’s Holiday, a three-time winner over the local course; and Franklin Towers and Two Step Time, the one-two finishers in the Showing Up over the Gulfstream West turf last month.

◗ Via Borghese (race 9, post 4:03): Christophe Clement appears to hold the strongest hand in this 1 3/16-mile race for fillies and mares with the trio of Desiree Clary, Trophee, and Paige from his winter base of Payson Park.

Desiree Clary, like most in this 12-horse lineup, is seeking her first stakes victory. She has come close in prior attempts, most notably a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Long Island last month over the Aqueduct turf.

Evidently, the 13-1 winner of the Long Island, is among the chief opposition here, along with the British-bred Happyness, who makes her first start since May after going through her first two allowance conditions in impressive fashion for Chad Brown.

◗ Tropical Park Oaks (race 11, post 5:05): Azaelia, a sharp winner in her first start for McGaughey, is among 14 entered in this 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies.

Azaelia raced seven times in her native France before finishing off the board as the favorite in the Grade 3 Valley View at Keeneland in October. She then was sent to McGaughey in New York.

“We were impressed with what we saw and how she handled herself,” said McGaughey. “I hadn’t really planned on running her, but she got to training so well, we said, ‘Well, let’s give her a chance. The race is there for her.’ ”

Other threats include Try Your Luck, making her first start since a 7 1/2-length stakes romp at Kentucky Downs in September; Gypsy Eyes, 2 for 2 since Patrick Biancone assumed her training; Family Meeting and Stella Rose, the respective runner-up and beaten favorite behind Azaelia in the key Nov. 19 race at Aqueduct; and the uncoupled Brown duo of Penjade and Island Reward.

Both Tropical Park races are named for the defunct track that was located in metropolitan Miami in what is now Olympia Heights. Its last race was run in 1972.