GP West: Juvenile Fillies in Thursday Spotlight
By Jim Freer
Fans who have been following this season’s two-year-olds in South Florida will have a chance for some handicapping fun in Thursday’s fifth race at the Gulfstream Park West meet.
It is 7 ½ furlongs on turf for 2-year-old fillies, with a $28,000 purse and $35,000 optional claiming price. The scheduled post is 2:37 p.m.
Several of the eight entrants have recent wins or other strong showings on turf. Most notable are Takin It Easy, Shack Up and Deputy Dora
We will have coverage during the afternoon on our blog
First post is 12:35 p.m. for the nine-race card at Calder, the site of the GP West meet
The dirt track is listed as fast and the turf is listed as firm. Five races (the odd-numbered ones) are scheduled for turf with the rail at ten feet. The Weather Channel forecast is for just a ten percent chance of rain during racing hours.
Thursday Carryovers
On the first race there is an overnight carryover of $1,087.06 on the Super Hi-5.
The carryover on the Rainbow 6 has grown to $47,124. It is on races four through nine.
Wednesday Results
Blame It On Dixie beat her stablemate My Life by a length in Wednesday’s eighth and feature race.
Both are two-year-old fillies trained by Todd Pletcher. The race was a $34,000 maiden special weight at one mile on turf.
Todd Pletcher speaks with reporters following the Hal’s Hope, Jan. 9, 2016– photo by Barry Unterbrink
First-time starter My Life was ridden by Edgard Zayas and led until deep stretch when Blame It On Dixie caught and passed her. Eddie Castro rode Blame It On Dixie who won in 1:40.75, solid for a maiden race, on the course listed as firm.
Sugar and Te finished third, a neck behind My Life in the nine-horse field. Emisael Jaramillo rode Sugar and Te for trainer Bill Mott.
Blame It On Dixie was the 2-1 favorite. Sugar and Te was the 5-2 second betting choice, and My Life was 7-1.
It was the second start for Blame It On Dixie, a daughter of Blame, and for Sugar and Te, a daughter of Galileo. My Life is a daughter of Quality Road.
The $2 exacta paid $49.20. The $2 trifecta paid $193.20—a rare high return for a Pletcher-Pletcher-Mott trifecta, especially in a maiden turf race.
