Casper's Touch Heads Allowance

Just because there are no 3-year-old dirt stakes at Gulfstream this weekend doesn’t mean there are no races with Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Bramds (gr. I) implications.

Saturday’s third race, a 1 1/8-mile first-level allowance test, features several potential Derby horses.

Kenny McPeek is high on Casper's Touch, a son of Touch Gold who breaks from the rail in the six-horse field under Julien Leparoux. Casper’s Touch took an unconventional route last year, finishing third in the listed Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot, a race restricted to horses whose sire won at 1 ½ miles or longer.

After getting over a slight setback upon his return, he broke his maiden at Churchill Downs, drawing off to a 2 1/4-length score going a flat mile. He comes into this race off a bullet :59 work at Gulfstream Jan. 29.