Claiming Crown at Gulfstream Park

Time is of the essence, so I will dispense with the flowery prose.

The Claiming Crown races at GP will offer many good betting opportunities.  The one that jumps off the Thoro-Graph sheets to me is the 6th race, the Rapid Transit.  The morning line Favorite is the 2, Coosada (7/2).  Coosada is a one run closer with no early speed.  These types do not win very often on GP's main track.  Instead I want to focus on Off The Jak (10/1).  Off The Jak may be the lone speed in the race and has the conditioning benefit of having raced over Calder's tiring race course.  Off The Jak's sheet figures, discounting the last race where he had to contend for the lead in a Fl. Bred Stakes race, are competitive with the other major contenders here.  The connections of trainer Shivananda Parbhoo and jockey Jose Alvarez are capable and not likely to draw betting attention as will some of the bigger name trainers in the race.

Also contending in this race will be Peb Hughes (6/1).  Because this horse is trained by Richard Dutrow and will be ridden by Javier Castellano, it has gotten a lot of DRF attention and is in fact their best bet.  Peb Hughes is capable of winning here, but if you think you will get 6/1 after the DRF kiss of death, you're smoking something.

Our old friend Bernie the Maestro (4/1) is back.  Bernie has a lot of back class and appears to be rounding into some semblance of good form, but he will have to do a lot of work from the 13 post to avoid having a wide trip around the turn.  Consider him on your verticals, but I think you should look elsewhere for the winner, as I have already said.

Finally, if you are looking for someone to fill out that superfecta, take a look at Won Fast Bullet (10/1) starting for Michael Maker under Alan Garcia.  Maker wins 25% first time after a trainer change, claimed from Dutrow, and they finish in the money 52% of the time for him.  Won Fast Bullet will need to run his best, or better, but has numbers which suggest he could get up for a piece of the action here.

So, to put it in plain English.  Use the 5 Off the Jak with the 7, 13, and 9.

The Fair Grounds card this weekend is a less than inspiring affair.  So rather than try to break down some state bred maiden claiming race for 2yo's that nobody cares about, I will lay out my late Pick 4 selections. 

Race 7 I like in order: 7 Counterblow (7/2), 9 Greenhavens Reward (9/2), 5 Dorsett (6/1) and 3 Cairo Six (4/1)

Race 8 looks pretty chalky: 7 Done Gone (2/1), 3 Contemporaray (5/2) and 1 Hudson's Creed (9/2).

Race 9-- 9 Wits End (9/2) , 10 Midnight Heist 6/1), 4 Banta (3/1), and 2 Manchac (7/2).

Race 10 is one of those 2 yo MCL events and you are either going to have to go with the one obvious horse 1. Hello Kitty Lou (8/5), or hit the all button.  It's up to you.

Good luck and see you next week