Doors Slated to Open at Silks Simulcast Facility at 10:30 a.m. Saturday Gulfstream Stars, Pennsylvania Derby, Featured in Parx Simulcast Card
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL –Silks, Gulfstream’s state-of-the-art simulcast facility, will open at 10:30 a.m. Saturday to accommodate the early 11:30 a.m. first-race post time for the simulcast program from Parx. The 13-race card will be highlighted by the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby (G2), featuring Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome. Gulfstream Park bettors will also have a couple of local rooting interests in graded stakes earlier on the card.
Frank Calabrese’s Fast Anna, who won his first two races at Gulfstream before finishing a close second in the King’s Bishop (G1) at Saratoga in his stakes debut, is the 8-5 morning-line favorite for the $300,000 Gallant Bob Stakes (G3). The Kathy Ritvo-trained 3-year-old, who won his two starts at Gulfstream by a combined 15 lengths, set the pace into deep stretch in the seven-furlong King’s Bishop before being caught by a neck by favored The Big Beast. Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride Fast Anna for the first time in the six-furlong Gallant Bob, in which the son of Medaglia d’Oro will not be equipped with blinkers for the first time.
Priscilla Vaccarezza’s Little Alexis, who also captured her first two races at Gulfstream Park before she finished a troubled third in the Test (G1) at Saratoga, is entered in the $1 million Cotillion (G1) for 3-year-old fillies. Trained by Carlo Vaccarezza, the daughter of Mr. Greeley was squeezed at the start of the seven-furlong Test and was forced to race extremely wide into the stretch before launching a drive that fell short of victory by only a length. Joel Rosario is slated to ride Little Alexis for the first time in the 1 1/16-mile Cotillion.
Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome, who finished fourth in the Belmont Stakes is the even-money favorite in the eight-horse Pennsylvania Derby.
Hall of Fame rider and Gulfstream favorite Edgar Prado is set to ride C J’s Awesome in the Pennsylvania Derby. The former Gulfstream riding titlist will mark his return to the Hallandale Beach track Sunday, when he is scheduled to ride four horses, including Todd Pletcher-trained Love You Loads in the third. Pletcher will start his first horse at Gulfstream since wrapping up his 11th consecutive training title at the Championship Meet in Saturday’s ninth race. Sky Limit, the 3-1 morning-line favorite, is set to make his career debut.
Who’s Hot: Apprentice jockey Arny Fontanez scored a double with Rimsky ($8) in the fifth race and Dreamingofauntdiane ($3) in the seventh.
Orlando Bocachica also rode a pair of winners: Monsterbrook ($5.80) in the second and Yagodka ($9) in the eighth.
Rainbow 6 Carryover Pool: $50,000
