Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Fort Lauderdale strong anchor
Florida Derby winner Audible’s return to Gulfstream Park for the Grade 3 Harlan’s Holiday may put fans in the seats on Saturday, but it is the day’s nightcap, the Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale on grass, that should prove most popular with bettors. Unlike the seven-horse Harlan’s Holiday, carded early as the day’s fifth race, the Fort Lauderdale drew a full field of 14, including four U.S. Grade 1 winners in Almanaar, Divisidero, Glorious Empire, and Hi Happy.
Beyond the wagering appeal of the race itself, the Fort Lauderdale is well positioned with three other graded races preceding it, making it the anchor leg for multi-race bets, including an all-stakes pick four. It is that wager, covering races 8-11, that is among the most attractive there Saturday. Here’s an analysis and ticket for the sequence.
Race 8, Rampart
The leading money earner in the Rampart, at a mile on the main track, is Tequilita, a filly that has made $605,340 in winning 4 of 18 starts. Among those was the Grade 2 Forward Gal in February 2017 as a 3-year-old over the Gulfstream Park surface.
Since then, however, she has won just a single race, the Charles Town Oaks. She is also winless in seven races as a 4-year-old, giving the impression that development has stalled.
She could win this race, which seems light by Grade 3 standards, but I will bypass playing her and try two others, Tweeting (2) and Electric Forest (1). Tweeting blew away allowance company in her first start for trainer Jorge Navarro before a runnerup finish in Laurel’s Shine Again, a race restricted to horses yet to win a stakes. Electric Forest brings promising but limited form to the table, having won 2 of 3 starts.
Her trainer, Chad Brown, shows a high level of confidence by testing her in graded company a race after she won a first-level allowance at Aqueduct.
Race 9, My Charmer
Although this race drew a large cast, my preference is to use just two horses, knowing that spreading will be necessary in the Fort Lauderdale to end the sequence. New York-bred La Moneda (6) and recent Belmont Park allowance winner Bellavais (1) are my preferred duo, with La Moneda being sharp and classy, while Bellavais projects as a filly poised to work out a sweet inside trip.
Though she has largely raced in restricted company, La Moneda gives every impression of being up to the standard of winning a race such as the Grade 3 My Charmer. Four for six in 2018, her only losses this year came when fifth in the slop in a race taken off the turf and when a wide second in the Ticonderoga to Fifty Five, a graded stakes-winning New York-bred.
As for Bellavais, who won the Ginger Brew at Gulfstream as a younger horse, she makes just her second start this year after winning a third-level allowance at Belmont on Oct. 24 in her first race under trainer Todd Pletcher’s care. She also drew favorably Saturday, starting from post 1, which may allow her to draft right behind the speed while saving ground.
Race 10, Sugar Swirl
Awestruck (2) and Dream Pauline (7) just ran second and third in Churchill’s Dream Supreme, a race won by Vertical Oak, one of the top six-furlong female sprinters around. They both ran well despite traffic problems, with Dream Pauline compromised a bit more of the two.
The one thing they appear to lack is early quickness, being midpack stalking types. So, in addition to using that pair in the pick four, I will toss Stormy Embrace (4) in the mix, expecting her to be aggressively placed to contend early after falling farther behind than usual when 11th in the Breeder’s Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.
Race 11, Fort Lauderdale
Competition runs incredibly deep in the 1 1/8-mile Fort Lauderdale, leading me to use seven runners, and even then I am not certain that is enough.
The edge goes to Qurbaan (4), who after narrowly taking the Bernard Baruch finished third in the Grade 1 Shadwell Mile after racing wide on the second turn. Still, if he holds an advantage, it is minimal. This race will likely come down to who gets the best trip.
In addition to Qurbaan, others that hold appeal, listed in numerical order, are Glorious Empire (1), Hi Happy (5), Blacktype (6), Almanaar (7), Divisidero (10), and Zulu Alpha (12). Each is capable with his best.
The pick four ticket
A 50-cent Late pick four at Gulfstream using the horses outlined above – 1,2 with 1,6 with 2,4,7 with 1,4,5,6,7,10,12 – costs $42.