The Rainbow 6 was taken down on Thursday for a tune of over $298k, but that still leaves Gulfstream Park with a solid $80,017 in the carryover pool heading into a mandatory payout this afternoon. The sequence is bookended by a pair MSW sprints for 3YO fillies and includes the lone stake on the Sunday afternoon slate.
Grade Descriptions: Grade A=Highest degree of confidence; Grade B=Solid Play. Grade C=Least preferred or pass; Grade X=probable winner but likely at odds too short to play.
Race 5:
Grade: C+
Main Ticket: 8 Absolute Honor; 7 Midnight Myth; 1 Bon Vivant
Backups: None
Forecast: The first of the two MSW sprints for the ladies will be conducted at 6-furlongs over the main track where #7 Midnight Myth was made the heavy 9-5-morning line favorite. The $550k Keeneland September 2023 purchase has some quick morning drills leading up to her first start and attracts Luis Saez. I will use her along with the pair of Saffie Joseph Jr. first-time starters that both probably want more ground in the end, but are more than capable of handling this bunch on debut. #1 Bon Vivant is better bred than #8 Absolute Honor, being a half-sister to 2022 Fountain of Youth winner (G2) Simplification, but drew the rail. Obviously, Joseph is capable of having them ready to fire first out.
Race 6:
Grade: B
Main Ticket: 2 Victory Dash; 1 Ocean Atlantique
Backups: 8 King Elvis; 7 Betterdaysrcoming
Forecast: I have seen a lot of #1 Ocean Atlantique over the years. The 8YO son of American Pharoah began his career in Europe and had a very nice run in 2023 over the all-weather at Turfway Park before being claimed from the Mike Maker barn for $62,500 last summer. He competed a few times against that level of competition, but his former conditioner jumped back in at the first chance of a discount last month when he was in s similar $35k conditional spot. Ocean Atlantique missed by a neck with a favorable setup that day and should get another contentious pace to run at in his second start off the bench.
The Maker runner is the one to beat, but I like #2 Victory Dash quite a bit on the class hike for trainer Lauren Robson. Robson has won with 2 of the 3 starters she has sent out in the afternoons over the last 30 days and this 4YO gelding should get a favorable ground saving voyage throughout at a juicy 12-1-offering. He has to run a career best to be there at the wire, but I am expecting just that.
#8 King Elvis made a solid account of himself in his first route try over this course. He could have a move forward in him second off the bench. #7 Betterdaysrcoming gets some class relief after taking on first-level allowance foes in his first 3 starts after arriving in the States. He could be rolling late with the addition of blinkers for the initial time.
Race 7:
Grade: C+
Main Ticket: 7 Signal Caller; 1 Ayman; 4 Dimache Gras
Backups: None
Forecast: Tossing Saffie Joseph Jr. runners on a regular basis at Gulfstream Park is not usually an overly wise strategy, but I am going to do just with 5-2-favorite #6 Aussie Bound. The son of Justify was purchased for $250K at the Keeneland September 2023 sale and made one start for former trainer Chad Brown in early January going long on the grass. He finished last, has not been seen since, and now appears in Joseph’s barn entered for just $12,500 in a race over the all-weather. Sure, bouncing back against much lesser than he encountered on debut is well within the range of outcomes, but at a short price he is not for me. I will try to beat him with a pair of off the pace types exiting the February 23 race over this surface and #1 Ayman who gets blinkers, draws the rail, and tries two-turns for the first time.
Race 8:
Grade: C+
Main Ticket: 1 Center Stage; 4 Musical Romance; 6 Smart Spending
Backups: None
Forecast: I will use a pair of logicals and a wild card in hopes of getting through this open $20K claimer at two-turns over the lawn. #1 Center Stage is my lukewarm top choice. The Gormley mare was moved back to the grass late last year by trainer Robert Mosco and it has been the right decision. The 6YO rattled off a win versus lesser before putting in a solid second at this level. She has been rewarded with a two-month freshening by Mosco and draws favorably at the rail in her return. #4 Musical Romance also has been given 8 weeks since being handled by Center Stage on January 16. She gets a huge rider upgrade to Irad Ortiz Jr. #6 Smart Spending is the wild card. She has been fastest thus far in her all-weather races, but maybe is just on the improve at an older age. It is not as if she has not earned 4 wins on the turf too. At 8-1, I will include.
Race 9: Any Limit
Grade: B-
Main Ticket: 1 Rojo Rita
Backups: 3 Unchained Elaine
Forecast: The Sunday feature is a 6-furlong dash for 3YO fillies over the main track and it marks the return of #1 Rojo Rita. The Volatile filly won by a pole in her first start this fall before getting bet down to 2-1-favoritism when taking on winners for the first time in the Forward Gal (G3). She got off to a bit of a slow start and did not relax well in that Grade 3 event before tiring late to finish a mid-pack sixth. The performance against real competition was not ideal, but that was a lot to ask of her. She should bounce back on the class drop with Irad Ortiz Jr. taking the reins.
If Rojo Rita disappoints again, #3 Unbridled Elaine is the likeliest to spring the upset. The American Pharoah filly did not have a clean voyage at 30-1 in the aforementioned Forward Gal (G3), but still put forth a strong effort to finish fourth. She has an affinity for this surface and should be poised for her best third off the layoff.
Race 10:
Grade: B
Main Ticket: 4 Stay Classy; 12 Miso Spicy
Backups: 8 My Anticipation
Forecast: The Rainbow and the week of racing conclude with a wide-open 5-furlong sprint over the lawn where I like #4 Stay Classy most. It has been an outstanding meet for trainer Dale Romans, but this daughter of Promises Fulfilled did not have the best of it in her first try on the lawn on February 16. She broke well, but was caught four-wide right up and on the pace early. I thought she held together pretty well all things considered to lose by under four lengths in the end. With a better trip, she is capable at 8-1.
I will also use two fillies out of the February 15 sprint over this surface and distance. #8 My Anticipation beat #12 Miso Spicy that day, but Miso Spicy did all of the heavy lifting. If the Brendan Walsh trainee is able to cross and clear from the outside in her second start off the layoff, she will be tough to rundown. My Anticipation was finishing strong, but maybe not as fast as it looked visually since the field came back to her. That said, she just missed and is the likeliest to take advantage if the pace is hot once again.
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