Ricky’s Rockets: Gulfstream Park Picks for April 12, 2020

Nothing could be taken for granted on Saturday’s card at Gulfstream Park. The early Pick 5 paid $524,966.50 which was one of the highest Pick 5 payouts the track has ever seen! It was one of the craziest days to go along with a wacky 2020. Gulfstream is the only track open today and I have a Pick 4 ticket that I’m very confident in!

Best of luck!

Race 2: Claiming $8,000-$7,000 for 3-year-olds and upward going 6 furlongs on the dirt. Purse $17,000

#1 Strategic Outlook continues to drop in class for Leah Gyarmati. He had been running in much tougher fields in New York before coming to Gulfstream Park. The connections put him on the turf, but that didn’t work out as planned. His last start was his best in a long time and showed solid speed out of the gate. The cutback from a mile to 6 furlongs is a positive for this 5-year-old. #2 Followhisfootsteps is a logical horse and is my top choice as he makes his third straight start in this class. He drew the 11 post and was pushed out at the start last time out, making it very difficult for Saez to get position early on. He’s quicker than Strategic Outlook and will try to get away from the rest of this group on the front end. #12 London Wereworlf takes a slight step up in class today from non-winners of two lifetime to non-winners of three lifetime. He’s very versatile showing the ability to be close to the lead and come from behind. Due to his post-position his best chance will be to close, but he should be a solid price and must be included on all multi-race tickets.

Race 3: Maiden Special Weight for Florida-bred 3-year-olds and upward going 6 furlongs on the dirt. Purse $41,000

This is one of the more straightforward races in the sequence as two horses stood out. My top choice #3 Victory Town will make his second start off the layoff for Mark Casse. He clearly needed that race on March 14 here at Gulfstream to get back into race shape. He finished third to Cajun Brother and Ima Pharoah in that start after being second to last in the backstretch. With a start under his belt, he should be very tough to beat here. My top choice is #6 Whiskey Sunrise will make his return to the track in almost a calendar year. In his only start, he showed supreme speed out of the gate posting a :21.84 first quarter. He failed to hold off Absolute Grit in that race, but that experience should help him break his maiden status in his 2020 debut.

Race 4: Maiden Special Weight for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and upward going 6 furlongs on the dirt. Purse $45,000

I went very deep in this spot as there’s a case to be made for a lot of these runners. My top choice is #8 Pilot Episode who will be making her third career start for Shug McGaughey. She made a drastic improvement from her debut to her second start losing to Boerne by multiple lengths. Boerne went on to win by over seven lengths at the Allowance Optional Claiming level on Saturday. Assuming she can take a step up, a special performance may be next for her. #2 Nikki and Papa makes her first start at the Maiden Special level today after running in the Dovona Dale Stakes and Forward Gal Stakes She should enjoy running against a much easier field where she belongs. #5 Sixth Street makes her 3-year-old debut after not running since August 30, 2019 at Saratoga. Her debut was promising but she might need a race to get back to her best stride. #4 Saratoga Affair was purchased last year as a 2-year-old for $450,000. Expectations are sky-high for this filly and getting Paco Lopez is always a positive. She will need a big effort to beat the other runners with previous experience.

Race 5: Claiming $16,000-$14,000 for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and upward going 5 furlongs on the turf. Purse $23,000

The ticket commences with my favorite horse on today’s card #2 Blue Magic. 5-furlong turf sprints are always difficult to figure out as the race can unfold in many different ways. Blue Magic will be toward the back of the pack and need to storm home late to get to the wire first. There isn’t a ton of early speed in the field which makes me slightly worried. This 5-year-old has a tremendous kick from the back of the pack, and she’s done it against much better competition. The lone speed that can prevent Blue Magic from hitting the winners’ circle is #7 Heir Ball. She has finished in the money in four straight starts since coming to Gulfstream Park. She’s one of the few that has the ability to get away on the front end. Victor Lebron will look for every opportunity to go gate-to-wire with this mare as he knows Blue Magic won’t be far away in the stretch.

THE TICKET

$1 PICK 4 (Races 2-5) – 1,2,12 / 3,6 / 2,4,5,7,8 / 2,7 – $60

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