Four Grands, Moretti lead 5 races to watch this week

The stakes schedule is looking thin for the foreseeable future, but a number of horses could position themselves for remaining added-money events with a move forward this week. Here are five races we’ll be watching…

Thursday’s ninth at Gulfstream Park (5:07 p.m. ET)

Moretti, an impressive maiden winner in December of 2018, went on to miss the board in the 2019 Withers Stakes (G3) and headed to the sidelines for most of his 3-year-old season. The Medaglia d’Oro colt has knocked on the door since then in allowance company, improving each time in three starts at Gulfstream Park West, Aqueduct and Laurel Park.

Moretti should go favored Thursday in a 1 1/16-mile allowance optional claiming feature at Gulfstream, where he’ll have jockey Luis Saez aboard leading a field of nine. Moretti sits at 9-5 on the morning line.

Thursday’s eighth race at Oaklawn Park (5:38 p.m. ET)

Tuggle, graded stakes-placed at age 2 for the Jeremiah Englehart barn, will look to do one better having missed by just a head in a local allowance race going six furlongs back on Feb. 23. That defeat, however, came with only fellow 3-year-olds in the field. This time, the Point of Entry colt is tackling older competition.

Town Champ, a 6-year-old gelding with four straight finishes in the exacta, is the slight 3-1 favorite over Tuggle, who’s 4-1 on the morning line. A victory for Tuggle could put him back in stakes company after finishes of third in the Saratoga Special (G2), sixth in the With Anticipation (G3) and ninth in the Pilgrim Stakes (G3) last season.

Friday’s eighth race at Gulfstream Park (4:41 p.m. ET)

One of trainer Dale Romans’ top clients, Albaugh Family Stables, is now producing some nice homebreds in addition to its six-figure auction buys. The 3-year-old filly Four Grands broke out March 8 with a 6 1/4-length debut victory that put her on the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) also-eligible list.

Instead of getting to run there, the Honor Code filly out of Taylor S, a stakes winner for the Albaughs, is making a more gradual climb up the ladder in this allowance optional claiming race for none-winners of two. Trainers Shug McGaughey (Finding Fame) and Christophe Clement (Super Cute) are also represented by first-out winners in a deep field of nine.

Friday’s 10th race at Gulfstream Park (5:42 p.m. ET)

Shared Legacy, the full sibling of Grade 1 winner Shared Belief, obviously doesn’t possess the talent of his older brother. But the Candy Ride colt is improving after a slow and, rather late, beginning to his career.

Just a neck away from breaking his maiden March 22 at Gulfstream, Shared Legacy is prominent in a field of 12 looking to get the right trip going five furlongs on the turf. It’s no gimme, as entries from the barns of Bill Mott and Mark Casse are gunning for a slice of the $45,000 purse as well.

Friday’s ninth race at Oaklawn Park (6:09 p.m. ET)

It would be a quick turnaround to the April 18 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) for top runners exiting this six-furlong allowance optional claiming flight. With that in mind, consider that runners here should be cranked for their best performance in what could be their last race for a while.

Principe Guilherme, from the 2018 Derby trail, remains an intriguing sort. He has passed through multiple barns since first emerging for trainer Steve Asmussen, winning a claimer last out for Robertino Diodoro. Chris Richard now has the 5-year-old by Tapit, and connections didn’t opt to put him up for the $50,000 tag. Malpais and Petrov — two other familiar names from the stakes ranks — are available for a claim.