Staff Report
Thursday, Sept. 25 — Gulfstream Park will begin a four-day racing weekend today with a ten-race card and standard first post time of 1:15 p.m.
It will be the second-to-last weekend of Gulfstream’s summer meet that began July 1.
On Oct 8, racing will move eight miles west to Calder Casino & Race Course for a 40-day meet run by Gulfstream
That arrangement is part of the agreement the tracks announced July 1, ending a racing dates dispute in which they ran head-to-head on weekends for 12 months. Gulfstream is leasing Calder’s racing operations for six years. Churchill Downs Inc,, Gulfstream’s parent, continues to own all of Calder and continues to operate its casino.
Today’s feature is the fourth race, with scheduled post of 2:49 p.m. It is a one mile $25,000 optional claimer on turf for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, with a $39,000 purse.
Dreamlicious, Cambiata and Arissa are likely favorites in the eight-horse field. Of those three, only Dreamlicious is in for the $25,000 tag.
Dreamlicious is coming off a fourth place finish in the Soaring Softly Stakes, at one mile on turf at Gulfstream on Aug. 2. She is owned by Kenwood Racing and trained by Peter Walder. Edgar Prado will ride.
Cambiata and Dreamlicious could battle for the early lead, and Arissa is among horses that could benefit from a fast pace.
On Sept. 7, Cambiata led gate to wire and won a one mile optional claimer on turf at Gulfstream. Orlando Bocachica has the return mount on Cambiata for trainer Jose Pinchin.
Arissa finished second and then third in her last two starts, a pair of 1 1/16 mile turf allowances at Gulfstream. Diego Gomez will ride for trainer Manny Tortora.
The weekend’s feature race will be Saturday’s $90,000 Wasted Tears Stakes, at 1 1/16 miles on turf for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up.
The field will include Angelica Zapata and E,B, Ryder, the winner and second place finisher in the Soaring Softly.
