We are staying warm by keeping the action in South Florida today as we look at the eighth race on the Gulfstream Park card. Today’s featured race is on their synthetic track, where seven older fillies and mares race a mile and an eighth.
Gulfstream Race 8 – Allowance Optional Claiming
Favored in today’s featured race is the 3 Aspen Dawn (9/5 morning line). She is a closer who should be able to handle the change in surface from grass to synthetic. She is a filly that will close and the cutback in distance should help her as well.
The 6 Shade of Pale (5/2 ML) is second race off of a layoff after reappearing at Tampa Bay Downs last month. She also runs on the synthetic for the first time here at Gulfstream today. She definitely needed that last race after a three-month break. I am expecting her to be closing as well like she did when she broke her maiden last September at Aqueduct.
The 2 Ms. Tart (6/1 ML) won last month here at Gulfstream on the synthetic surface. She was claimed last time out in a race where she ended up dueling in the stretch and winning by a nose. She is the only entry in today’s field that has won multiple times on the synthetic track. This filly stretches out today but could be reaching her limits with today’s distance of nine furlongs.
The 4 Awesome Spirit Gal (12/1 ML) has some trouble last time out on Woodbine’s synthetic main track. She had to check around the eighth pole as the path she was going to take was shut by the two horses in front of her. But she still closed well in a race that was a sprint to the finish after slow fractions.
Joe’s Pick
The fillies and mares here that have raced on the turf shouldn’t have an issue transitioning their form from the turf to synthetic. But I also think that sometimes it is good to have experience on the synthetic surface, which is a bit of a neutralizer.
I like the longshot here today. She ran well on dirt at Fort Erie before that race at Woodbine where she had trouble in the stretch. She races similar in terms of field size here, and she should be closing late here today. I think she gets up at a nice price.
I’m calling this 4-6-3-2 and my play is $20 to win on the 4. Best of luck everyone and I’ll see you in the winner’s circle!