1/ST BET and Xpressbet are offering a $25,000 Exacta-Thon on Saturday’s massive day of racing at Gulfstream Park. The 14-race card that features Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes hopefuls in the Fountain of Youth Stakes will provide horseplayers an extra boost to their balance.
As you play Saturday’s Gulfstream races, give extra consideration to exacta bets. That’s because players at 1/ST BET and Xpressbet who cash any exacta combination in at least 6 of the 14 Gulfstream races on Saturday will share in an additional $20,000 in free cash. The player(s) who hit the most exactas on the day will be rewarded with their share of an additional $5,000.
Bonuses paid in last week’s Exacta-Thon at Oaklawn featured $338.99 in accounts of those who had winning exactas in at least 6 races. Seven customers shared $714.29 in the pursuit of the most exactas on the day.
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Gulfstream Park // Race 1 // Handicapper: Jeremy Plonk
Notable: #6 Thornbury gets back to a preferred turf surface where his half-brother Tiz a Slam excelled and earned just shy of $1 million. The 9 furlongs should be beautifully suited. Projecting the kind of price that would merit the win play, but could be an interesting wheel top and bottom in the exactas for promo players.
Exacta-Thon Plays:
Wheel 6-ALL ($11)
Back-wheel ALL-6 ($11)
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Gulfstream Park // Race 2 // Handicapper: Brian Nadeau
Notable: It’s Best Bet time in a stellar MSW, as #9 Jefferson Street returns with bullets off a fast 3rd in his lone start on debut in September and seems primed to make a splash. Clearly #1 Big City is the one to beat after hitting the board in the two fastest MSWs of the meet, though the rail hurts, while #6 Acclaimed Victor blew the start at Tampa and will improve.
Exacta-Thon Plays:
Box 9-1 ($2)
Part-Wheel 9 with 6,3 ($2)
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Gulfstream Park // Race 3 // Colonel Liam Stakes // Handicapper: Jeremy Plonk
Notable: #9 Triple Espresso may be the best finisher in a race that appears to have a reasonably fast pace with #4 Tocayo joined by stretch-out sprinters #3 Okiro and #6 Silent Heart. But visually I loved the race by #5 Abrumar last time from a difficult post that day, racing between horses much of the trip without a breather and able to finish with flair late.
Exacta-Thon Plays:
Box 5-9 ($2)
Part-Wheel 5 with 3,4,6,7,8 ($5)
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Gulfstream Park // Race 4 // Handicapper: Brian Nadeau
Notable: The way #9 Congruent is training says he’s going to fire a big shot off the layoff in his first for Saffie, and his best was a Tapeta win at TP. The speed of #10 Exact Estimate beat #2 Skyro last time, but the added ground might not be ideal for the former, and the latter had trouble too.
Exacta-Thon Plays:
Part-Wheel 9 with 2,1,10 ($3)
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Gulfstream Park // Race 5 // Handicapper: Brian Nadeau
Notable: An inside draw makes #2 J P Hellish appealing off a big 2nd in his first turf start for Drexler. Conversely, the wide draw hurts #10 Indestructible, though getting out of graded/group stakes may negate it. Respect the consistency of returnee #5 English Bee, though he may need this.
Exacta-Thon Plays:
Part-Wheel 2,10 with 2,10,5,9 ($6)
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Gulfstream Park // Race 6 // Handicapper: Brian Nadeau
Notable: Not trying to beat G2 winner #5 Kingsbarns in his return, as he found a soft spot and lays over these on class. Getting Lasix back makes 6-Khozeiress a step-up candidate, while #9 Positive Review should like the cutback.
Exacta-Thon Plays:
Part-Wheel 5 with 6,9,4 ($3)
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Gulfstream Park // Race 7 // Mac Diarmida Stakes // Handicapper: Jeff Siegel
Notable: #3 Headline News is a lightly raced and progressive Curlin gelding trying stakes competition and a marathon trip for the first time. His middle distance numbers are strong and his stalking, grinding style from a comfortable three-hole draw should be very effective under these conditions. Proven marathoner #7 Tawny Port (6-1) likely will inherit a soft stalking trip behind the committed front runner #1 Main Event (8-1) and these two could take the field a very long way. I’ll use these 3 and press the top pick for additional plays.
Exacta-Thon Plays:
Box 3-7-1 ($6)
Part-Wheel 3 with 7,1 ($2)
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Gulfstream Park // Race 8 // Herecomesthebride Stakes // Handicapper: Jeff Siegel
Notable: #3 Ozara (Ire) is rapidly improving and is on the verge of becoming a major player in her division. Perfect in two starts over the Gulfstream Park turf course, the Irish-bred filly in Christophe Clement’s barn has good tactical speed and an electric turn of foot, and with good racing luck she should extend her winning streak to three. #7 Life’s an Audible finished second to our top pick in the Ginger Brew Stakes two runs back and then confirmed the form with a subsequent score in the Sweetest Chant S. last month. These two appear head and shoulders above the rest.
Exacta-Thon Plays:
Box 3-7 ($2)
Straight 3-7 ($1)
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Gulfstream Park // Race 9 // Davona Dale Stakes // Handicapper: Jeff Siegel
Notable: #3 Just F Y I makes her seasonal debut in a one-turn mile stakes that projects to have a quick enough early pace to set things up nicely for her late kick. Unbeaten in three starts, the champion juvenile filly of 2023 has trained well enough to be plenty fit off the bench for the Bill Mott barn, which boasts exceptional stats with the layoff angle. #2 Leslie’s Rose is unbeaten in two starts and is fast on figures, though she projects to be under pressure from her inside draw. #6 Queen’s Martini is the most dangerous of the deep closers and should have plenty of help up front.
Exacta-Thon Plays:
Part-Wheel 3 with 2,6 ($2)
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Gulfstream Park // Race 10 // The Very One Stakes // Handicapper: Ron Nicoletti
Notable: #10 R Calli Kim, my best bet on the card, is a stakes winner at the distance and turns back after rallying to finish 2nd in the 12-furlong G3 La Prevoyante, despite getting bumped.
Exacta-Thon Plays:
Part-Wheel 10 with 6,7 ($2)
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Gulfstream Park // Race 11 // Gulfstream Park Mile // Handicapper: Jeremy Plonk
Notable: A slow early pace gives track and distance winner #5 Tumbarumba the edge while still in peak form. #2 Wit is working bullets for the return and looms a danger, while #1 Castle Chaos is consistent with his late run and #4 Il Miracolo owning the strongest company lines in the race.
Exacta-Thon Plays:
Part-wheel 5 with 2,1,4 ($3)
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Gulfstream Park // Race 12 // Canadian Turf Stakes // Handicapper: Brian Nadeau
Notable: It’s Longshot time with #1 Saratoga Flash in the G3 Canadian Turf, as he’s a Lone F in a paceless race. Don’t sleep on #4 Turf King off the layoff for Brown, who is aces at improving them from 3-to-4. They have to beat defending champ #3 Emmanuel, but last year he had a prep, and this year he’s off an August layoff.
Exacta-Thon Plays:
Key-Box 1 with 4,3,6 ($6)
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Gulfstream Park // Race 13 // Honey Fox Stakes // Handicapper: Ron Nicoletti
Notable: My longshot play of the day is #8 Mohawk Trail, who is a graded stakes winner when stretching from a sprint to a route, should sit an ideal stalk/close trip behind the hot pace expected.
Exacta-Thon Plays:
Key-Box 8 with 6,3 ($4)
Gulfstream Park // Race 14 // Fountain of Youth Stakes // Handicapper: Jeremy Plonk
Notable: Inside, early speed is very effective in 1-1/16 miles races at Gulfstream, so pace players like #5 Dornoch, #3 Victory Avenue and #1 Speak Easy will get first run at the Fountain of Youth. #8 Locked will vie for favoritism but may need some pace help.
Exacta-Thon Plays:
Key-box 5 with 1,3 ($4)
Straight 5-8 ($1)
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