Courtesy of Mike Dempsey

Today's Featured Races of the Day from Gulfstream Park:

Gulfstream Park Race 7 Sabin Stakes (G3) Post time 4:12 ET

#7 Jessica Is Back 3/1
#1 Justwhistledixie 5/2
#2 Matchless Orinda 4/1
#8 Slides Choice 8/1

#7 Jessica Is Back acted up at the gate, and then was sent out to duel for the early lead, unable to go with the talented Sweet Repent late, settling for the runner up spot. Sweet Repent was winning her fifth race in a row. Our top pick cuts back to a mile, which should suit, and she has earned triple digit Beyers in four of her last six starts. She owns a solid pace profile throughout and will be tough to beat in this spot for the Wolfson barn.
#1 Justwhisledixie raced evenly last out in the El Encino over the Pro Ride at Santa Anita, checking in fourth. The Mott filly will appreciate the return to conventional dirt and she ahs done her best running over the main track here. Last year she won the Bonnie Miss (G2) and Davona Dale (G2), producing her two best career speed figs. She should get a good tracking trip from just off the pace and note Leparoux is off our top pick to reunite with this filly. The jock was aboard her for her Bonnie Miss victory last March.

Wagering

WIN: #7 to win at 5/2 or better.
EX: 1,7 / 1,2,7,8
TRI: 1,7 / 1,2,7,8 / 1,2,3,7,8


Gulfstream Park Race 8 Davona Dale Stakes (G2) Post time 4:43 ET

#5 Comic Marvel 6/1
#4 Bickersons 5/2
#2 Female Drama 12/1
#1 Amen Hallelujah 3/1

#5 Comic Marvel gets the call in a very competitive race where it is tough to separate the top six fillies in here. We should catch a decent price on our top pick, who beat Alw-1 company last out in her second career start to stay undefeated. The speed fig is coming up on the light side (73), but she did beat #7 mambo Fever, who was coming off a 87 Beyer earned in her runner up finish in the tempted (G3) in her previous start. She makes her second start off a three month break and has a nice pedigree. She is by Distorted Humor out of a mare that has dropped several nice runners including Burning Sun ($251K), Nebraska Tornado ($655K), Mirabilis ($277K) and Vespucci ($128K).
#4 Bickersons won the Forward Gal (G2) last out in her first go over the surface here by seven lengths. The filly earned the top last out speed fig in the effort and the switch back to conventional dirt seems to have suited this gal. She is 0 for 3 in routes, but all three of those losses came on the fake stuff around two turns. She looks like she can handle a one turn mile on the real stuff.

Wagering

WIN: #5 to win at 7/2 or better.
EX: 4,5 / 1,2,4,5
TRI: 4,5 / 1,2,4,5 / 1,2,4,5,6,8

Gulfstream Park Race 9 The Very One Stakes (G3) Post time 5:14 ET

#4 Long Approach 5/1
#9 Closeout 8/1
#2 Belle Allure 6/1
#14 Lady Shakespeare 7/2


#4 Long Approach is making just her third start since last April and looks primed for a good effort here. Last out she was pinned down along the inside and came up short once she was angled to the outside, checking in fifth while beaten 1 ½ lengths for the top spot. The extra ground should suit. Three back she was a good second in the 1 ½ mile La Prevoyante Handicap (G2). That was a tough race, three exiting the race to win next out and she finished ahead of Icon Project, who won the New York (G3) and Personal Ensign (G1). I like the switch back to Leparoux and we should catch a fair price.
#9 Closeout had to steady in the early going and finished evenly last out in a fourth place finish in the Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf. She makes her third start of her current form cycle, and while she has not been beyond nine furlongs, she has enough pedigree to handle the extra ground. She is by Reprized out of a Relaunch mare.

Wagering

WIN: #4 to win at 7/2 or better.
EX: 4,9 / 2,4,9,14
TRI: 4,9 / 2,4,9,14 / 2,3,4,9,11,14

Today's Featured Race of the Day from Santa Anita:

Santa Anita Race 8 Sham Stakes (G3) Post time 4:07 PT)

#10 Nextdoorneighbor
#5 Setsuko
#2 Kettle River
#1 The Program


#10 Nextdoorneighbor was a good looking maiden winner last out in his third career start, drawing clear to win by four lengths in his first start going two turns. It does not look like he beat much, as four have come back to run, finishing 2nd, 6th, 8th, and 9th. The colt does have the pedigree to handle nine furlongs. He is by Lido Palace out of the stakes winner Fencelineneighbor ($613K), who ran well going long on turf and dirt. The colt has posted a couple of sharp works since his last outing and still appears to have plenty of upside. Note Bejarano is off to ride our second choice, with Mike Smith picking up the mount.
#5 Setsuko made a good late rally to finish in the runner up spot last out going nine furlongs on the turf versus Alw-1 optional claimers. The colt returns to the fake stuff here and graduated at Hollywood Park two back in his fifth career start. The colt finished behind The Program four back in the maiden ranks, but had some traffic trouble and the winner got away with a fairly easy lead in a gate to wire score. It looks like this guy is on the improve and is in good hands with the Mandella barn.
#2 Kettle River owns the top last out speed fig, earned beating Alw-1 company in his first go against winners. The colt defeated The Program, who came back to beat Alw-1 foes in his next start on Feb. 3. This colt is trained by former Baffert assistant Eoin Harty and has a nice pedigree. He is by Congaree out of the stakes winner La Grande Mamma ($209K). The way he finished last out suggests he can handle nine furlongs.

Wagering

WIN: #10 to win at 5/2 or better.
EX: 5,10 / 1,2,5,10
TRI: 5,10 / 1,2,5,10 / 1,2,4,5,10

Good luck today!

Gulfstream Park Saturday

4th (2:42)
1 Mile | Open | 3 Year Olds Maiden Special Weight | Purse: $45,000

Prg. # PP Horse Jockey Trainer Wt. Claim $ Equip. Med. ML
1 1 Wildcat Gamble Lopez P Plesa Edward Jr 122 L 12-1
2 2 Grand Macho Coa E M Andrade Pablo 122 L 20-1
3 3 Ashquar Arango L E Collazo Henry 122 L 30-1
4 4 Mahfouz Bravo J Zito Nicholas P 122 FTL 8-1
5 5 Miner's Reserve Desormeaux K J Zito Nicholas P 122 L 4-1
6 6 Forward Harch Garcia Alan Violette, Jr. R A 122 L 5-2
7 7 Bushwhacked Leparoux J R Sheppard Jonathan E 122 L 3-1
8 8 Marching Tune Castellano J J Brown Chad C 122 L 6-1
9 9 Gothics Peak Nakatani C S Biancone Patrick L 122 L 6-1

Exacta / Trifecta / Superfecta / 10 Cent Superfecta / Daily Double (Races 4&5) Bet 3 (Races 4-5-6)

Battagliaspicks 7-6-5

#7 Bushwhacked- Leparoux took this one back and had a big hold on him thinking he was on the winner. When he asked for run the colt responded but was beaten less then a length going 7f. Trainer Sheppard really likes this one and we all would be shocked if he gets beat today going this one mile distance.

Santa Anita

9th (4:38)
5 Furlongs (All Weather Track) | Fillies | 3 Year Olds Maiden Claiming ($32,000 - $28,000) | Purse: $18,000

Prg. # PP Horse Jockey Trainer Wt. Claim $ Equip. Med. ML
Fancy Reader SCRATCHED
1 1 Krakow Queen Baze T C Yakteen Tim 121 $32,000 L 3-1
2 2 Hot Nurse Medina L Eurton Peter 117 $28,000 L 10-1
3 3 Dos Veinte Valdez F S DeLima Jose E 121 $32,000 10-1
4 4 Harmony's Hope Puglisi I Hofmans David 121 $32,000 L 7-2
5 5 Binky's Sister Flores D R Kasparoff James M 121 $32,000 L 9-2
6 6 Billssecondchance Gavica G P Martinez Silverio 117 $28,000 L 20-1
7 7 R. C. Storm Amador S R Martinez Silverio 117 $28,000 Blk-On L 50-1
8 8 Very Vintage Talamo J Harrington Mike 121 $32,000 L 15-1
9 9 Excessive Chatter Pedroza M A Kitchingman Adam 117 $28,000 L 5-1
10 10 Senior Security Quinonez A Stein Roger M 121 $32,000 L 5-1
11 AE Carat for C. C. Rivera C Nettles Kenneth 112 5 $28,000 Blk-Off L 50-1

$1 Exacta / $1 Trifecta / $1 Superfecta (.10 Min.) $1 Super High 5

Battagliaspicks 1-9-8-10

#1 Krakow Queen- Led the way in her debut until tiring late. She shortens up and will prove hard to catch.

Santa Anita Race #8 Courtesy of Ellis Starr

#5 Setsuko - Fair odds 7/2
#8 El Mirage King - Fair odds 7/2
#4 Outlaw Man - Fair odds 7/2
#10 Nextdoorneighbor - Fair odds 7/2

Setsuko added blinkers two races back and the result was a strong 3 length maiden victory around two turns here at Santa Anita, an effort he followed up with a half length defeat at this 9 furlong distance, but on the turf. With Bejarano riding him back after being up for the first time and having earned a field high (tied with Kettle River, who missed a week of training with a minor illness) 102 Equibase Speed Figure in his main track won on 12/27, and as one of the only 2 horses in the field to have run 9 furlongs, he figure very capable of gaining his first stakes victory and setting up a try in the Santa Anita Derby very nicely. El Mirage King may be a longshot special, well bet in his 1/9 victory on the turf down to 5 to 1 and winning with ease in an 11 horse field. Having improved to a 99 figure in that race and bred to run long with no issues, he could run a lot better than his high odds will suggest. Outlaw Man is the other horse in the field to have run 9 furlongs, having won by a nose on 1/27 on the turf in a fine effort as he battled head and head down the stretch and prevailed with a lot of maturity. With the only question being whether he can run as well on the main track, but having improved with each start to a 98 figure last out and with more improving to do, he’s certainly a contender. Nextdoorneighbor tried two turns for the 1st time last out on 1/24 in his 3rd career start and won as he pleased by 5 lengths, and being a grandson of Wild Rush he’s good for this distance as well as the Kentucky Derby distance of 1 ¼ miles. Although he loses Bejarano he picks up Smith, no stranger to top horses and top 3 year olds, and so likely to improve in his 2nd route start he rounds out our quartet of contenders in the Sham Stakes.

If you really want to get into Santa Anita racing I'll see you at 3pm et http://www.xpressbet.com/xbchat.aspx

There's some serious winning going on here!