A Bit of Both aims to rebound

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Valentine’s Day comes around once a year – which is about how often you’ll see a horse returning from a resounding defeat as a 1-10 favorite.

A rare confluence of those circumstances will arise Thursday at Gulfstream Park, where a filly named A Bit of Both will try to make amends for disappointing the chalk players in her most recent race here last month. Pounded down to a dime on the dollar, the daughter of Paynter could do no better than a distant second in her first start since being privately purchased and turned over to trainer Jason Servis.

The lone allowance of an 11-race Valentine’s Day card will provide the opportunity

for A Bit of Both to set things right with her fans. She’ll be favored once again – although surely not as heavily so – when meeting seven other 3-year-old fillies in the featured 10th race, a $44,000 first-level allowance restricted to Florida-breds.

A Bit of Both, with Irad Ortiz Jr. back to ride, will break from post 4 in the seven-furlong feature. She’ll try to replicate her career debut last September, when she earned an 83 Beyer Speed Figure for her prior connections. She shows a pair of Palm Meadows breezes for Servis since her Jan. 10 defeat to I’llmakeyousmile.

First post Thursday is 12:35 p.m. Eastern. The feature is part of the Rainbow 6 (races 6-11), which had its jackpot emptied Saturday through a mandatory payout.

KEY CONTENDERS

A Bit of Both, by Paynter Beyers: 64-83

◗ They’ll all be running for second if she can revert to the kind of effort she gave in her an 11 3/4-length debut victory, one that made her a minuscule price in her first run for a fiveway partnership led by Michael Dubb.

Brunette Princess, by Bodemeister Last 3 Beyers: 61-66-66

◗ Overmatched when wearing blinkers for the first time in the Grade 3 Forward Gal just 12 days ago, she’ll have those blinkers removed Thursday. John Velazquez, who rode her to a third-place stakes finish two back, will be in the irons.

Starship Nala, by Capo Bastone Last 3 Beyers: 54-66-55

◗ A distant second in three straight Florida-bred stakes as a 2-year-old, she now goes turf to dirt off an eighth in a turf sprint in her season debut. She’s trained by Steve Dwoskin.

Busy Signal, by Dialed In Last 3 Beyers: 66-60-57

◗ Turning back from the one-mile Hut Hut, this filly has never been worse than fourth in five career starts, all for trainer Milt Wolfson.