Race Preview: El Prado Stakes - December 28, 2013
Gulfstream Park
$100,000 El Prado Stakes
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Race 8, Post time 4:03 pm ET
LOOKING COOL picks a good spot to return to stakes company after blitzing an allowance field in his first turf try last month at Churchill Downs. The Candy Ride colt will be a long shot, but the Grade 3 winner looks like a good bet in the El Prado. NIKKI'S SANDCASTLE is the defending champion of the El Prado, winning last year's race by three-quarters of a length after a furious stretch run. That day he was 10 lengths back early, but still managed to get the job done. He does; however, come into this year's race off an abbreviated schedule, having last run in the Grade 2 Fayette over the Polytrack at Keeneland. He did win that race and is three-for-nine over the Gulfstream turf. SALTO is the most likely pace-setter in the field, but could be used early to get position from post 11. He finished third, two and one-quarter lengths behind Nikki's Sandcastle, in the race last year. LEA won the Grade 3 Commonwealth in November 2012, but is only one-for-five since. The four-year-old colt switches to the Bill Mott barn from Al Stall and drew the worst of the field in post 14.
LOOKING COOL picks a good spot to return to stakes company after blitzing an allowance field in his first turf try last month at Churchill Downs. The Candy Ride colt will be a long shot, but the Grade 3 winner looks like a good bet in the El Prado. NIKKI'S SANDCASTLE is the defending champion of the El Prado, winning last year's race by three-quarters of a length after a furious stretch run. That day he was 10 lengths back early, but still managed to get the job done. He does; however, come into this year's race off an abbreviated schedule, having last run in the Grade 2 Fayette over the Polytrack at Keeneland. He did win that race and is three-for-nine over the Gulfstream turf. SALTO is the most likely pace-setter in the field, but could be used early to get position from post 11. He finished third, two and one-quarter lengths behind Nikki's Sandcastle, in the race last year. LEA won the Grade 3 Commonwealth in November 2012, but is only one-for-five since. The four-year-old colt switches to the Bill Mott barn from Al Stall and drew the worst of the field in post 14.
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