The Player’s Edge – November 8th, 2013: Gulfstream Park Sunshine Millions Preview
Gulfstream Park – Millions Juvenile Filly Turf
Gulfstream Park - Millions Juvenile Filly Sprint
Gulfstream Park - Millions Filly and Mare Turf
Gulfstream Park - Juvenile Turf
Gulfstream Park – Millions Juvenile Filly Turf Fourteen Two-Year-olds Go Eight
The start of the late pick-4 on Sunshine Millions Preview day Saturday at Gulfstream Park is the $100,000 Juvenile Fillies Turf. The eight furlong stakes drew a full field of 14 led by morning line favorite Courtesan.
Courtesan makes her south Florida debut after racing in New York and Kentucky to begin her career. The daughter of Street Sense is coming off a third place finish in the Grade 3 Jessamine over the Keeneland turf and is the only filly in this field to have run in a graded stakes.
The second choice on the morning line, and filly with the best overall turf route speed figure, is Super Fantasy, who drew right to the inside of the favorite. Super Fantasy has won back-to-back races over the turf at Gulfstream Park and Calder so she is family with this surface.
The filly with the best overall speed figure is Secret Kitten, who has won three straight races, including the five-furlong Catcharisingstar at Calder in late August. The Discreet Cat filly is also entered in the Juvenile Filly Sprint on Saturday so be sure to check the late scratches. If she runs in the turf race, she may be hard to catch.
In addition to Courtesan, Lemon Point is the other shipper making her first start outside of the state of New York. In three races to date, she has one win and that was at six furlongs on the Belmont inner turf. The one negative for Lemon Point is that she drew post 14, not exactly where you want to be with a short run to the first turn.
Those four are the principles in the race and would be the top picks on any pick-4 ticket. Long shot players could; however, look to a couple of other fillies that will be making their first start on the turf.
Hot Sirachi is 20-1 on the morning line and has yet to win a race in three starts. Normally that is not a good but, but she is by Rock Hard Ten out of a Saint Ballado mare, which means she should absolutely adore the turf. Trainer Marty Wolfson puts the blinkers on her for the first time and her even running style should translate to two turns.
The race that Hot Sirachi comes out of was won by Stately Defence who is cross-entered in the Juvenile Fillies Sprint and the Juvenile Fillies Turf. If she goes in the turf she may be worth including on the ticket. She was best down to 2-1 in her debut, but just found one better. Then, when stretched out to two turns, she won going away by nine lengths.
Others to consider are Cambiata and Proof Inthe Puddin, who have won over the turf before.
Post time for the Juvenile Filly Turf and start of the late pick-4 is 3:45 pm ET.
Gulfstream Park - Millions Juvenile Filly Sprint Yes Liz One to beat
The next race in the pick-4 is the Juvenile Filly Sprint and those in the Juvenile Filly Turf may want to run in there as Yes Liz looks like a tough favorite to beat.
Yes Liz has run three times in her career, two of them in stake races. The $200,000 two-year-old in training purchase in April won her debut at Belmont Park by just under three lengths then ran a very respectable fourth in the Grade 3 Schuylerville at Saratoga. Trainer Todd Pletcher then shipper Yes Liz to Monmouth Park where she ran second to Miss Behaviour in the $104,000 Sorority Stakes. Miss Behaviour came back to win her next race, making Yes Liz tough in this race.
Yes Liz did draw post 14, which could be a negative if all 14 run. Jockey Joel Rosario must work out a trip, but she looks to have enough early speed to get position. Her biggest threat; however, may be the Edward Plesa trained Puddifoot.
Puddifoot cost $150,000 at auction in April, a whopping 50 times the stud fee of her sire, Red Giant. Puddifoot wasted no time in getting some of that back as she sped away to win a maiden special weight race at Monmouth Park in September. At least one filly came back out of that race to win her next start and Puddifoot is a solid 8-1 on the morning line. Drawn in post three, jockey Paco Lopez will be rolling early.
Secret Kitten, Holiday Magic and Stately Defence are all entered in the Juvenile Filly Turf and if they decide to go in this race; they will give the favorite all she can handle.
Secret Kitten is undefeated in her three starts and while her best speed figure was on turf, she has won her two dirt starts by a combined six and three-quarter lengths. The Discreet Cat filly should be on or near the pace.
Holiday Magic and Stately Defence will be doing their best running late in a race that should unfold at a decent clip. The two fillies may be better around two turns, but the six and one-half furlong distance of this race should close the gap some.
Light Bringer has never been higher than 3-1 in her three races yet is 12-1 on the morning line. The same can be said for Flat Out Charming, who was the 5-2 favorite against Holiday Magic in the Brave Raj at Calder in September, but is now 10-1. Flat Out Charming is bred to be good around one turn and she broke her maiden over the track back in July by five and three-quarter lengths.
If Yes Liz is the real deal, then it may be five lengths back to the second place finisher.
Post time for the Juvenile Filly Sprint is 4:15 pm ET.
Gulfstream Park - Millions Filly and Mare Turf Silsita Drops to Win
The first turf race of the late pick-4 comes next with the eight and one-half furlong Filly and Mare Turf. Nine fillies and mares were drawn for the race with Silsita installed as the 3-1 morning line favorite.
Silsita should like the class relief as her last two starts have been in graded stakes. In August she race sixth in the Grade 2 Lake Placid over the Saratoga turf then last month finished ninth as the 3-1 post time favorite in the Grade 2 Raven Run over the polytrack at Keeneland.
Three starts back Silsita won a restricted stakes race at Saratoga and was second in another overnight stakes race back in June over the main track at Belmont Park. Joel Rosario has another live mount.
More than likely Rosario will have the favorite sitting in a good spot, just outside of the speed. From post nine he has plenty of options, but there does seem to be enough pace that he won't send Silsita to the lead.
Burning Truth, Awesome Belle, Creative License and Sola Gratia all do their running near the front even though none of them look to be true front-runners.
Awesome Belle won four races in 2012 and all of them were in wire-to-wire fashion. She has only won once in 2013 and has not shown the same speed as she did last year.
Creative License and Burning Truth are two long shots that look up against it, but Sola Gratia looks like she could be worth a wager at her morning line of 5-1. In her last start, the state-bred Our Dear Peggy, Sola Gratia was sent off as the even-money favorite, but checked into the first turn and never threatened. This will be her second start off the layoff, a move that has resulted in wins the last two times.
Parranda won the Our Dear Peggy and is also entered in the Filly and Mare Turf. That was the second win in the last four starts for the four-year-old filly and the third time she has won in eight career starts over the Gulfstream turf. Parranda is adaptable to any pace scenario, but does her best running from off-the-pace.
Millennia was second in the Our Dear Peggy and, even though she picks up Joe Bravo, she will be hard pressed to upset the race as she gives herself too much to do in the early stages. She will be running late though and may pick up a piece.
Nicki Starshine is another closer and will be making her first start over the Gulfstream turf. At Calder she won two of her five career turf starts including a $72,000 and a $100,000 stakes race.
Rounding out the field is Rock On Baby, winner of four starts with earnings over $150,000. She has been keeping company in allowance races in New York, but must pick it up in her first stakes start.
The fillies and mares go to post at 4:45 pm ET and is the first leg of the late daily double that ends with Juvenile Turf.
Gulfstream Park - Juvenile Turf Here's Johnny!
Going into the last leg of a pick-4 it's always great to have coverage. Nothing like hitting the first three legs only to have one or two in the last and get beat on the wire. Of course sometimes there is only one horse that jumps off the page and that is the case on Saturday in the Juvenile Turf. Here's Johnny is 5-2 on the morning line, but don't expect that price.
By Colonel John, Here's Johnny started his career with a dominant win over the turf at Churchill Downs. The connections then thought enough of the gelding to send him to France, where he ran very well, only losing by one and one-half lengths to top competition. Trainer Wesley Ward wasted no time in getting him back to the states, finishing second in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile in September.
Here's Johnny then stretched out to two turns and was a game winner of an allowance race on the polytrack at Keeneland last month. The Keeneland track at eight and one-half furlongs seemed to not play well towards speed, but Here's Johnny was good enough to wire the field. Here's Johnny is a standout against state-breds.
After the favorite the race opens up three horses between 4-1 and 8-1 on the morning line and the rest 10-1 and higher.
Union Cash is 4-1 on the line making his turf debut for trainer Kathleen O'Connell. The breeding doesn't scream turf, but O'Connell can get horses to run dirt to turf. By Dixie Union, Union Cash was second in the Foolish Pleasure stakes over the main track at Calder in mid-September.
We're All Set is also making his turf debut and, according to the Tomlinson numbers, has less turf breeding than Union Cash. Another negative is his trainer, William Kaplan, is winless with his last 19 runners making their first start on turf. One positive; however, is that Kaplan send out the colt for a workout over the Gulfstream lawn a week ago.
Brilliantlee has a 343 turf Tomlinson and as that number suggested, he took to the grass in his last start, winning by two and one-quarter lengths. The speed figure from that race was low, but any Lemon Drop Kid horse out of a Giant's Causeway mare is always worth a look. Note that jockey Jose Lezcano, winner of the 2013 Breeders' Cup Mile aboard Wise Dan, has the call.
Others that could round out the trifecta and superfecta are Gelfenstein, Telcontar, The Battle Is On and East Hall. Ucanchangethename makes his first start since June for a 21% trainer, but is 20-1 on the morning line. He may not be around for the end, but he could create a very lively pace.
This is Here's Johnny's chance to shine.
First post on Millions Preview day is 1:15 pm ET with the Juvenile Turf off four hours later at 5:15.
Thoroughbred Racing Action
Great racing action from across the country this weekend. Watch these races all on BetAmerica.com.
Saturday – November 9
- Gulfstream Park: Millions Classic Preview, $150,000, 3yo & up, 8.5f
- Gulfstream Park: Millions Distaff Preview, $150,000, 3yo & up f&m, 8.5f
- Gulfstream Park: Millions Juvenile Sprint, $125,000, 2yo, 6.5f
- Gulfstream Park: Millions Juvenile Filly Sprint, $125,000, 2yo f, 6.5f
- Gulfstream Park: Millions Turf Preview, $125,000, 3yo & up, 8.5f turf
- Gulfstream Park: Millions Filly & Mare Turf Preview, $125,000, 3yo & up f&m, 8.5f turf
- Gulfstream Park: Millions Juvenile Filly Turf, $100,000, 2yo f, 8f turf
- Gulfstream Park: Millions Juvenile Turf, $100,000, 2yo, 8f turf
- Churchill Downs: Cardinal Handicap - G3, $100,000, 3yo & up, 9f turf
- Hollywood Park: Moccasin Stakes, $100,000, 2yo f, 7f
- Charles Town: Tri-State Futurity, $100,000, 2yo, 7f
- Charles Town: My Sister Pearl Stakes, $50,000, 3yo & up f&m, 9f
- Golden Gate: Golden Nugget Stakes, $50,000, 2yo, 6f
- Laurel Park: Geisha Stakes, $100,000, 3yo & up f&m, 8f
- Laurel Park: Safely Kept Stakes, $100,000, 3yo f, 7f
- Laurel Park: City of Laurel Stakes, $100,000, 3yo, 7f
- Laurel Park: Japan Racing Association Stakes, $100,000, 3yo & up, 8.5f turf
- Hawthorne: Sun Power Stakes, $100,000, 2yo, 6f
- Hawthorne: Showtime Deb Stakes, $100,000, 2yo f, 6f
- Woodbine: Frost King Stakes, $125,000, 2yo, 7f
- Woodbine: Autum Stakes - G2, $150,000, 3yo & up, 8.5f
- Hollywood Park: Hollywood Prevue Stakes - G3, $100,000, 2yo, 7f