HorseracingFLA Staff Report
Thursday, Sept. 3 – “Horses to Watch” will be a regular feature of HorseracingFLA.com.
We will focus on horses in several of a day’s races at Gulfstream Park, and later this year at Gulfstream Park West (Calder) and Tampa Bay Downs.
We have given ourselves a mythical bankroll of $1,000 for the remainder of Gulfstream’s summer meet, which will end on Oct. 3, and we will use it for selective mental bets.
Five of today’s ten races are scheduled for the turf. Conditions should start out fast and firm. But there is a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The turf course, which had been dry, benefited from the past weekend’s rains. One point of interest will be whether there is a continuation of the recent trend of speed not holding on the turf course. On Saturday and Sunday, on the course listed as good, horses coming from off the pace won eight of the nine turf races of 7 1/2 furlongs or longer.
* First Race — Polly My Love (3) missed by a neck at this same $12,500 claiming price at a mile on turf Aug.15. She stretches to 1 1/16 today. In the Aug. 15 race, Gold Celebrity (1) rallied to be sixth in the 12-horse field. On the stretchout she could hit the board at a price in her third start for trainer Kathleen O’Connell
$3 WPS Polly My Love (3)
$3 Show Gold Celebrity (1)
*Fourth race — feature $62,500 optional claimer for filly & mare sprinters has several win threats, including likely favorite Lemon Point (4). We’re going with the Marty Wolfson-trained My Sweet Dove (2). She has been third or better in all seven of her dirt starts (one win) at Gulfstream
$3 WPS My Sweet Dove (2)
* Fifth race — Southern Stroll (3) looks like the class in this 7 1/2 furlong turf claimer for 3-YO and up and could be the best bet of the day.
$5 WPS Southern Stroll (3)
Sixth race — Joyous Affair (8) from the on-a-roll David Fawkes barn, is a deserving favorite in this juvenile fillies $50,000 maiden claimer. My Sangria (5) by the hot first-year sire Gone Astray is a first-time starter that has turned in some fast workouts and should hit the board.
The race has 11 entrants. For a $1 exacta box ($12 bet) we will use those two with D’ chief Source (6) who is dropping from a stakes and Leila’s Way (10) who was third in her debut
$3 WPS Joyous Affair (8)
$3 Show My Sangria (5)
$1 exacta box – the four horses listed above
* Seventh race — The consistent Cheyenne Nation (3) dropping in class and trained by Fawkes, is our pick in this one-mile turf claimer for 3-YO and up.
$3 WPS Cheyenne Nation
Total suggested bets — $69