Gulftream: How to bet the Via Borghese Stakes Dec. 24

A talented field of eight fillies and mares will run 1 3/8 miles over the Gulfstream Park turf in Wednesday’s $125,000 Via Borghese S. #5 No Show Sammy Jo (5-1) has been runner-up in each of her prior efforts at the distance, led by second-place results in the last two runnings of the Long Island (G3) at Aqueduct, and I feel that she will break through in this well-matched field. 

Via Borghese Wagers

• $20 win #5 No Show Sammy Jo ($20)
• $6 exacta box 5-6 ($12)
• $2 trifecta key 5 with 4,6,7 ($12)

Via Borghese Analysis

Trained by Graham Motion, the five-year-old daughter of top grass influence Lope De Vega is relatively lightly raced at this stage of her development and has room to improve while making her 13th lifetime run. The bay mare was last seen finishing second to one of her main foes in this tilt last time out, but she impressed me when rallying from far back behind a dawdling early pace to finish a nice second in a good field, and the lass could get more realistic splits to rally into in her local bow. I expect her to be much closer in the early portion of the race, with Jorge Ruiz retaining the mount. 

Grade 2 heroine #6 La Mehana (5-2) is the most accomplished contender in the group and will be dangerous with her top performance beneath Irad. The French-bred mare will make her initial run for Brad Cox and also her first since attracting $500,000 at Keeneland in November. The Al Wukair six-year-old, who won the race in 2024, owns a win and four placings from five career outings on the Gulfstream lawn in advance of Wednesday, and she appears to be working well with four well-spaced morning moves as of late. The bay will stalk the early action before being asked for her best run approaching the turn for home. 

I’m not in love with morning-line choice #4 Alluring Angel (2-1) at short odds, but I do acknowledge that the five-year-old has improved since stretching out to marathon distance in her last two appearances. The Fastnet Rock mare led for the majority of the race in her Long Island tally most recently, and she has to be considered for the exotics. Junior Alvarado will guide the Bill Mott trainee. 

#7 Gallant Greta (10-1) has good value for Mike Maker. The talented New York-bred filly has been first or second in six races in succession in the Empire State and seems poised to handle the move to open company in this affair. If the bay proves capable of handling the distance, which I feel that she will, then a positive result can be expected under Micah Husbands.