Race 1

Allowance-Optional Claiming: 8 1/2 furlongs - TURF


Top Contenders (in post position order):
4-Hard Enough figures as a solid win contender at a decent price.  The only question is do you believe he will regain his top form today that allowed him to win a graded stakes last May?  5-Interpol was good enough to nearly spring an upset in a big stakes race AS A MAIDEN two races back.  He's been away since September, does he bring his "A" game today?  7-Lord Tronador lures top jockey Javier Castellano, and to regular handicappers at Gulfstream, anytime Castellano takes over the mount you'd better at least give him a second look.  He's no slam dunk in here, but a lot of fans will put a lot of stock into the fact that he is NOT on 10-March Reward and IS on Tronador.  March Reward has run well in all four starts here, but goes for new owners, a new trainer, and a new jockey. In his four previous starts he was never better than 5/2 on the board, so you may get the best price of the winter today on this consistent runner.

Make It Gold  In his most recent, in a nw1x allowance similar to this, he rallied from 10th, some THIRTEEN lengths behind to finish a good third, beaten less than three lengths.  It's noteworthy that this was his first start in three months.  Has every right to take a step forward today.  His last win came in a restricted non-winners of two lifetime event, which puts a bit of a damper on his natural ability.

Neoclassic Was a non-factor in his first two starts of the meet when in against similar class runners as he'll see here today.  But in his two and three back starts he ran lights out - second by a head and then a sharp win, but both of those were for a $50K tag AND in non-winners of two races lifetime company.  He stepped up to open $50K runners last time and led into the stretch, only to stop badly.  If he runs back to those sharp efforts he's a factor today.

Defining Product Showed speed for the first half mile before stopping against similar last time out, but he was coming off a layoff of eight weeks.  Stlll, the two previous races against this kind were early speed & stop badly efforts also.  It's is noteworthy that two back, in OPEN company he was beaten by today's favorite, March Reward.

Hard Enough The good news is that he should be a fair price today, and his last turf victory was in a Grade 3 event!  That gives him a huge class advantage.  The bad news is that the stakes win came LAST MAY and he's been claimed four different times and failed to win for any of the new owners.  If able to rediscover that spring form from last May he's good enough to win today!

Interpol  This guy did something quite unique in thoroughbred racing - he was entered into a turf stakes race last August, AS A MAIDEN (he'd never won a race).  And he not only was competitive, but was second, beaten only 3/4 of a length at odds of 18/1.  The winner that day is no slouch, as he was already a multiple stakes winner.  The problem is that Interpol has not been seen since September when he broke his maiden (off of the stakes try).  His workouts aren't anything special and I'm not thrilled that the barn has won with only one of fifteen runners coming back off a long break like this.  Upset chance, maybe.

Dustymour He was on a roll here last summer (albeit against lesser rivals) when he rattled off three wins in a row then was a good third, followed by an even better second in listed stakes company.  But since then his best finish was a sixth, beaten eight plus lengths.  Would need a huge turnaround to factor here today.

Lord Tronador As you will see throughout today's card, any horse, like this one, that shows top jockey Javier Castellano riding gets an immediate second look.  Castellano won FIVE races on Derby Day last spring and has won over 100 races at the meet for the fourth year in a row.  He has won twenty more races than his nearest rival and over $2 million more in purse money....HELLO!  Lord Tronador broke his maiden against tough NY maidens last spring, with Castellano in the saddle when Todd Pletcher trained him.  He was moved into a new barn for this season and he matched his speed figure in his seasonal debut here, beaten only a length and a half at this level - without Castellano.  He stopped badly in his most recent, again without the top rider.  Castellano on today and it's his third race off a vacation, often a horse's best effort.  Very interesting.

Artempus He broke his maiden in his last race - first time against winners is never a good bet.  That race was at Calder in September.......2013!  Oh.  He's only raced on turf once, and was a good second, but his speed figure that day was double digit lengths behind what it would take to win today.  But hold on a second there my friends.....the trainer is one of the sharpest in the business - Jorge Navarro.  He's brought six horses back off of long layoffs like this over the last two years and WON with THREE of them!  And all at good prices. Jockey Edgar Zayas is winning at a sharp 35% clip for Navarro.  Hmmmm, the price play if you're willing to take a shot.

Special Selection He does come off a win (against $20K claimers) and it did earn a competitive speed figure.  But the turf resume shows 22 starts and only three wins.  I'm not so sure that's the kind of horse I want to invest in.  But, stranger things have happened....and check out his odds off that last race win - 34/1!  YOWZA!

March Reward  All four starts here at Gulfstream this winter have been quality starts.  He shows two wins and was beaten less than two lengths when third and fourth in the other two starts  The speed figures in all four say he's as fast as the best of these.  But......he was claimed away from one of the best trainers here (Michael Maker) and THE best owners, Ken & Sarah Ramsey out of that last race.  Also noteworthy that in the three prior races - two of them wins - Javier Castellano was on board.  But he was NOT in the last, and he lost.  Now he goes for a new trainer, new owners, and goes from a 100 win jockey to a 10-for-101 jockey.  Oh my.  But it's the horse that races, not the jockey, right?  At Gulfstream March Reward is 3-for-8, at all other tracks he is 0-for-11.  The likely favorite, but he won't be a short priced favorite.