Weekend Warrior for Feb. 8: Picks for Suwannee River, Gulfstream Park Sprint, San Marcos

Santa Anita offers a Grade 2 stakes tripleheader on Saturday consisting of the $300,000 San Antonio, the $200,000 Robert B. Lewis, and the $200,000 San Marcos. And despite moving two Grade 1 races to Sunday, Gulfstream still has a Grade 3 stakes doubleheader Saturday, comprised of the $150,000 Suwannee River and the $100,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint.

Suwannee River Stakes

Riposte just might lay over this field. The first-time U. S. starter from the Juddmonte-Bill Mott connection is half sister to Arlington Million winner Powerscourt. She was so impressive winning her first three career starts, including the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot, that she was the 2-1 favorite when fifth in the subsequent Irish Oaks. But as big a class edge as Riposte might have, there is still cause for pause. In half of her six career starts, Riposte either dwelt or broke slowly. And considering there is virtually no speed in this race, a tardy start could put Riposte in a hole she might not be able to escape.

Caroline Thomas is a logical alternative. Her narrowly beaten third in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup last fall was by far the best effort of her career, a performance that was flattered when QE II runner-up Alterite came back to be a sharp third to champion Dank in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. But Caroline Thomas is a deep closer, and the lack of pace puts her at a disadvantage.

I like Parranda. On class, Parranda doesn’t come close to Riposte and Caroline Thomas. However, Parranda is currently in career-best form, she loves the Gulfstream turf course, and her better positional speed suggests she won’t be as compromised by a slow pace as others here figure to be.

Parranda was reasonably close to an honest early pace last time out in the Florida Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf before overwhelming her field with a strong four-wide move on the far turn. Parranda went on to score with complete authority, leaving behind her, among others, Wishing Gate, a Grade 2 stakes winner. Parranda also won stakes in her prior two starts on the turf at Gulfstream, and it is worth noting that in the first of those, a paceless affair, Parranda was with the lead from the outset.

Gulfstream Park Sprint Stakes

Singanothersong and Jackson Bend are dangerous horses in this spot. And though I’m taking another horse against them, I’m not comfortable doing it.

Singanothersong has been a bit questionable at this seven-furlong distance, but he has never been better than he is right now, judging from his score last time out in the Mr. Prospector. So if Singanothersong is ever going to win going seven-eighths, now seems like the time.

Jackson Bend hasn’t won since the 2012 Grade 1 Carter 12 starts ago. But he has comparatively strong class lines, and second-place finishes in his last two outings say he’s back in good form.

Still, I can’t resist Brujo de Olleros here. Brujo de Olleros was essentially a distant, clunk-up third most recently in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, but it is to his credit he even managed that. The Dirt Mile was run on Breeders’ Cup Friday, when the Santa Anita main track was profoundly speed favoring, and decidedly against closers like Brujo de Olleros. Two starts back, however, Brujo de Olleros was a narrowly beaten second in the Kelso Handicap in a performance that would be good enough to win this race.

San Marcos Stakes

Jeranimo is a cool horse. If you filter his past performances and just look at his firm course turf starts, excluding the Breeders’ Cup, his form is strong, and that includes his score in the San Gabriel last month. But Jeranimo is an unknown at Saturday’s 1 1/4-mile distance, and that opens the door just enough for me to take Vagabond Shoes.

At 1 1/8 miles, Vagabond Shoes isn’t as good as Jeranimo. But this trip seems to be right in Vagabond Shoes’s wheelhouse off his second to the highly regarded Indy Point two starts back in the John Henry Turf Classic, and his win three back in the 1 3/8-mile Del Mar Handicap.