Horak: 4 value picks for Sunday's Gulfstream Park races
Gulfstream Park is the only Thoroughbred track in action on Sunday, and there is a very good chance of rain in Hallandale Beach, Fla. So let’s concentrate on the main track races as we run down four horses to bet.
RELATED: Gulfstream Park entries and odds
Gulfstream Race 2: Maiden Claiming $25,000 (1:34 p.m. ET)
Apache is a pace factor breaking from the rail with Luis Saez in the saddle, and his sire Khozan has decent success with his wet track runners. I respect him, but W W Candy (7-2) is the one I want going a bit longer. My top choice basically ran the same race in both starts at six panels and was not a serious threat in either of those events. I like the rider switch to Irad Ortiz Jr., and he would not have to improve much to win this. His wet track pedigree is solid, and there is a good chance that he will appreciate a flat mile.
Gulfstream Race 6: Maiden Special Weight (3:43 p.m. ET)
Program favorite Sweden is almost certainly going to appreciate this shorter distance, and second choice Carolyn’s Smile is going to be tough deny in this extended sprint for Florida-breds if she runs back to her strong runner-up finish on April 10. Her wet track pedigree is fine, and she is probably the one to catch. Jeanie’s Angel (6-1) is an interesting second timer who will go as my value top choice. She took action, stalked the pace and retreated in the stretch in her local bow. Saez rides back, and her new trainer David Fawkes shows a profit with his straight maiden starters.
Gulfstream Race 9: Optional Claiming $50,000 (5:17 p.m. ET)
This six-furlong sprint attracted six horses, and Frosted Grace is the 7-5 favorite. The fairly consistent colt is usually in the mix throughout but is 0-for-2 on a wet track and has only captured one of his last 10 starts. I will try to beat him with Where Paradise Lay (5-2). My top pick exits a local $35,000 claiming win in the slop, and Brendan Walsh claimed him that day. The Maryland-bred gelding won a restricted stakes at Laurel Park last summer while breaking his maiden on a wet track under Sunday’s rider Tyler Gaffalione.
Gulfstream Race 10: Claiming $35,000 (5:47 p.m. ET)
The Sunday program ends with a competitive claiming affair at six furlongs. South Sea is the favorite in his first start after the Saffie Joseph Jr. claim. He is 0-for-5 on a wet oval, however, so downgrade his chances if there is moisture in the track. There is a decent amount of pace in the paper race, and a contested pace and an off track probably helps my top pick Front Loaded (4-1). He exits an even fourth-place finish in the slop and rallied to finish a good second in a $50,000 claiming race on a fast track before that. He easily captured a local optional claimer in the slop last summer under Sunday’s pilot, Edgard Zayas.