March Sadness? Horse Racing Can Fill Your Gambling Void

The paddock at Gulfstream Park. Image via sunny.org.

Yes, this weekend was supposed to determine college basketball’s Final Four.  While a global pandemic has eliminated team sports from our television sets for the foreseeable future, thoroughbred racing marches on – to some extent.  The Kentucky Derby has been postponed until September 5th, for now, but many of the tracks that host prep races did not have the flexibility to adjust their dates accordingly.  As such, Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida will host a 14 race card today – with no fans in attendance – featuring the Grade 1 $750,000 Florida Derby, perennially a top notch prep for the first Saturday in May.  Most of the action will be shown live on some combination of TVG, FS1, and NBC Sports.  With no basketball bracket to stew over, get your gambling fix through any number of advance deposit wagering outlets – TVG, Keeneland Select, Twinspires, NYRA Bets, and Expressbet are all reputable sites.  The Florida Derby card features a mandatory payout of Gulfstream’s Rainbow Six, with an estimated $5 million pool and only a twenty cent minimum bet.  Here is a preview of the sequence:

Race 9 – The Sand Springs

A former Breeders’ Cup champion making her four-year old debut, Newspaperofrecord headlines this contest.  While a return to the winners’ circle would be no surprise for the 9-5 morning line favorite, she seems far removed from her 2018 championship campaign.  The daughter of Lope de Vega was winless in three trips to the post last year, and her early speed will be put to the test by several others in the field, namely Jakarta.  She opened up on an allowance field after cruising through a half mile in :44 flat in her first start for Mike Maker just ten days ago.  The daughter of Bustin Stones will likely set the pace again here and make things tough for anyone looking to match strides with her early on.   Getmotherarose won the Honey Fox at this same distance last month, continues to train well, and should once again get a lively pace to set up her late run.  Valedictorian has won four, and hit the board in eight of her twelve appearances at Gulfstream.  The Temple City mare won this race last year, but she’s likely to be engaged early from her outside draw, and you have to wonder whether she can reserve enough stamina to hold off the late runners.  Zofelle, La Signare, East Moon, and Angel of Mischief are all competitive on their best day.

Race 10 – The Grade 3 Orchid

Gentle Ruler has won six of her last seven starts, including two Grade 3 events at this distance or further.  She certainly has the endurance necessary to outlast her competition, but it is a tall task off the five-month layoff.  Mean Mary and Elizabeth Way will contend for the pace setting spot, and both have shown a prior affinity for the south Florida sod.  If they can relax and not wear each other down early, they may only increase their early advantage through the stretch run.

Race 11 – The Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks

Tonalist’s Shape is perfect in five career outings, with four of them coming over Gulfstream’s main oval.  She set an honest enough pace last time out in the Davona Dale and was able to repel a late bid from Spice is Nice to earn her second straight graded victory.  Expect improvement from that returning foe as she gets some added ground in her attempt to turn the tables on the deserving favorite.  Lake Avenue was a major disappointment in the Busher at Aqueduct earlier this month, but she’s been well thought of by the Mott barn since the fall and could certainly rebound here.  Lucrezia exits a pair of stakes triumphs at Tampa for the highly respectable outfit of Arnaud Delacour.  She appears to be maintaining her sharp form following a bullet breeze at her home track last Saturday, and the daughter of sire sensation Into Mischief offers some value in this step up in competition.  Four Grands could make some noise for Dale Romans if she draws in.

Race 12 – The Grade 2 Pan American

Three-year olds hold the feature spot on the card, but the star of the day is Zulu Alpha.  The seven-year old Street Cry gelding has captured 4 of his 5 tries over the Gulfstream lawn, and he has never looked better than in his last two – a tour de force in the Grade 1 Pegasus Turf at the end of January and a similarly striking performance in last month’s Mac Diarmada.  While the lack of pace is a slight concern, he has proven that he can lay close early when necessary.  Expect another scintillating score from the uber talented veteran.

Race 13 – The Grade 3 Appleton

This is by far and away the most difficult race to decipher in the sequence.  Most of these have been running against each other, taking turns finding the wire first by the slimmest of margins.  It is, almost assuredly, an all-button race on my ticket.  A forced opinion yields the outside pair of Mr. Dumas and El Tormenta.  The former just has more upside than most in here, a four-year old making his second start for Mike Maker and ninth overall.  The latter owns arguably the most impressive performance of the bunch to date, a driving half-length decision over Breeders’ Cup runner-up Got Stormy in the Woodbine Mile last September.

Race 14 – The Grade 1 Florida Derby

At the risk of sounding like a chalk-eating weasel once again, this race really seems to set up well for Tiz the Law.  He has had ample time to recover from his Holy Bull trouncing of the re-opposing Ete Indien and continues to train well at Barclay Tagg’s Palm Meadows base.  It is highly unlikely that Ete Indien will get the same unopposed front-running frolic he enjoyed in the Fountain of Youth, given the presence of Independence Hall several spots to his inside.  The pace should be honest enough and Tiz the Law will sit right in the garden spot, ready to pounce as the front-runners fade late.  Gouverneur Morris has plenty of room to move forward in his 4th lifetime start and rates as the one most likely to upset the favorite.

Best of luck to everyone choosing to get involved.