Horse Racing Picks - Full Card from Gulfstream Park
Padding Your Bankroll: Thursday January 28
With Aqueduct dark on Thursday we will take another trip south to sunny Florida and make a visit to Gulfstream Park.
While it will be cloudy, windy and cold in New York, the turf course should be firm at Gulfstream Park, with partly sunny skies. By the time the Late Pick 3 gets underway, it should be a toasty 73 degrees.
Get out the sunblock.
Despite no racing at the Big A today, there are plenty of opportunities to pad your bankroll. Among the other tracks in action this afternoon are Oaklawn Park, Tampa Bay Downs, Laurel Park, and Santa Anita.
Aqueduct will be back in action on Friday after a four-day hiatus.
Like yesterday, three of our four races we are looking at today are on the turf.
The play of the day is a $25,000 claiming race for three year olds going a mile on the turf course. Our top pick Scottkeith’skitten will have to overcome a tough post to find his way to the winners circle.
The final two legs of our Late Pick 3 play are on the turf, including the eighth race, which is an optional claiming race with several stakes caliber runners lining up.
The field of seven includes a pair of Group 1 winners. Celtic Princess won a pair Group 1 races in her native Brazil, and Savoir Bien, who is a three-time Group 1 winner from Argentina.
Today's Play of the Day from Gulfstream Park:
GP Race 6 Clm $25,000 (3:42 ET)
#10 Scottkeith’skitten 7/2
#3 Thisonesforelmo 4/1
#9 Big Blue Streaker 8/1
#11 Phoenix’s Force 10/1
#10 Scottkeith’skitten lost any chance of being in the mix last out when Leparoux had to take up and it appeared he might have clipped heels, losing all momentum on the far turn. The colt was the weaker half of a short priced entry owned by Ken Ramsey. His previous three starts all produced double digit length losses but those were all versus tougher, two of those efforts coming in stakes company. The colt makes his second start off a two month break for the high percentage Maker barn and I am looking for a better finish if he gets a better trip.
#3 Thisonesforelmo ships in from Woodbine where the colt is coming off a fifth place finish on poly for a $62.5K tag. His lone turf try came three back, a fifth place finish in the maiden ranks behind repeat winner Bear Tough Guy, who won the Grey Stakes (G3) in his next outing on Oct. 11. The Lynch barn is 39% winners (with a +ROI) moving runners from the fake stuff to turf. He looks well spotted here dropping in for a $25K tag.
Wagering
WIN: #3 to win at 3/1 or better.
EX: 3,10 / 3,9,10,11
TRI: 3,9 / 3,9,10,11 / 3,4,5,9,10,11
Today’s Pick 3 Play from Gulfstream Park:
Starting in Race 7: $1:
Race 7 Clm $20,000N2L (4:12 ET)
#4 British Banker, #9 No Flattery Needed, #3 Sailor’s Red Sky, #2 Fitzaslew
#4 British Banker invades from Woodbine and will be trying conventional dirt for the first time in his career. After a tough post and a wide trip, the colt only came up 3 ¼ lengths short last out against Alw-1 foes and should appreciate the drop in for a tag here. The local works are on the slow side, but this looks like a pretty weak spot and it appears he was facing tougher up north.
#9 No Flattery Needed made a good late rally but could not get by the winner last out in a runner up finish at Tampa Bay versus Alw-1 company. The colt earned the top last out speed fig in the effort and is in good hands with the Wolfon barn. Looks capable of handling the extra furlong and note Elvis is back on board, the jock having ridden this colt to a runner up finish three back at Calder in his first start against winners.
Race 8 OClm $100,000C (4:43 ET)
#4 Savior Bien, #6 Drop a Line, #1 Celtic Princess, #5 Wasted Tears
#4 Savior Bien made a middle move while caught in some traffic and weakened in the stretch to finish fourth last out at Tampa in her first start off a four-month layoff. The five-year-old mare is a Group 1 winner in Argentina on both dirt and turf, and figures to be fitter for her second start off the layoff for the Clement barn. She exits a tough race at Tampa, the winner Lemonette is a stakes winner and graded stakes placed, and the runner up Closeout is a graded stakes winner.
#6 Drop a Line makes her first start since last October for the Motion barn that is 23% with horses coming back off a 61-180 day layoff. The mare’s last three starts have come on the fake stuff and while she is just 1 for 11 on turf in her career, she has mixed it up in several tough spots. She was a good third last year in the Suwanee (G3) here on the turf course.
GP Race 9 Clm $25,000 (5:14 ET)
#5 Road Track’s Dream, #4 Star Emerald, #7 Gator’s Tracks, #3 Blue Hill Bay
#5 Road Track’s Dream invades from Hawthorne for the Canani barn that hit overall at a 37% clip in ’09 and has started six runners at this meet, with all six landing in the exacta. Last out this mare took on $18K claimers, checking in a good third while beaten just a length for the top spot. The mare has been working steadily since arriving in Florida and she looks capable of handling the rise up to a $25K tag.
#4 Star Emerald was not a factor last out when she was jammed in for $16K last out at Laurel Park, perhaps catching ground she did not care for. The mare enjoyed her trip to Florida last year, beating Alw-1 optional claimers at Calder, and then beating Alw-2 optional claimers at Tampa in her following start. She has worked well at Palm Meadows and I am expecting her to bounce back here with a better effort at a generous price.
Good luck padding your bankroll today!
