By Joe Quillen
Friday 1/19/24 – Gulfstream Race 9
After originally planning to head to Arkansas for today’s QPW, we head instead to Gulfstream Park for today’s race as Oaklawn has cancelled their entire slate of racing this week in Hot Springs, Arkansas. So we will pivot to Gulfstream Park for their ninth and final race of the day as $25,000 maiden claimers go a mile and a sixteenth on the synthetic.
The 9 Melody’s Kiss (5/2 morning line favorite) has run both her races on synthetic tracks at Woodbine as they wound down their season, and reappears at Gulfstream for this route rate. She does drop from 40k maiden optional claimers to this maiden claiming race. Those that like class droppers like she is in this case will be playing this angle today.
The 5 My Blessing (3/1 ML) went two turns on the synthetic back in August as a two-year-old before heading to the sidelines for the last four months or so. If she’s fit and ready to go, she wins, but I am going to let her beat me, but I think she’s still a candidate to hit the board today.
The 4 Madonnina (12/1 ML) had a dull race last time out, but I think that experience will help her today. She also picks up top jock Jose Ortiz, so that will be that added piece she might need to win here.
The 3 Kap Hoorn (8/1 ML) stretches to two turns here, and might be the answer here. On top of that, Saffie Joseph is 30% winners for maidens making their second career start, 27% first time Lasix, and 21% going from sprints to a route. Even the numbers I didn’t mention are impressive enough that I can put a line through the debut and swing for the fences here.
My pick is the 3 Kap Hoorn in the finale, and I am calling this 3-4-9-5. My play is $20 to win on the 3.
Best of luck to everyone today and I’ll be back tomorrow with some more races to ponder.
QPW Update Desk
- General Banker faded in the QPW race at Aqueduct while favored Radio Red ($4.50 to pulled away to win race 7 at Aqueduct.
- The Southwest Stakes, the next race in the Arkansas road to the Kentucky Derby has been moved back a week to February 3 due to the extreme cold that has hit most of the eastern half of the US.
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