Let’s begin the Gulfstream Park week looking for a tiny score in Wednesday’s seventh race, a 1X/optional for older males sprinting 5 furlongs on turf.
No search warrant will be needed to find the favorite. Sayyaaf (7-5) won both off-turf Tapeta starts this season now return to a surface over which he’s undefeated in three tries.
Sayyaaf returns at the same level, again ridden by Javier Castellano, and still trained by Mike Maker. of course he will be a tough out.
Instead we’ll opt for a four-year-old making his third start of the year year where he faced much better than he meets here, including the accomplished favorite.
He showed speed in both those runs, the overnight Janus Stakes followed by the G3 Gulfstream Park Sprint, in which he was 45-1 and 53-1, respectively, and was not disgraced last out.
After breaking awkwardly in both starts, he chased a torrid pace from close range, especially last out, before understandably tiring. Check out his G3 run: Gulfstream Park, FEB 12, Race 5.
Drawn inside and switching to pro’s pro Emisael Jaramillo, Breakthrough (6-1) appears properly spotted here as both lifetime wins came on this course, at this trip. We’re looking for aggressive handling from the brilliant speed rider.
Taking Breakthrough to win at5-1 or greater and quinellas with the favorite and Karnak (10-1), shipping in from Tampa for Arnaud Delacour, who goes the call to Paco Lopez.
