Presious Passion captures the Mac Diarmida Stakes at Gulfstream Park on 2/21/09. Ridden by Elvis Trujillo
Today’s race of the day is from Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Fl. and we’ve added a weather channel widget to help you plan for the races.
Remember the importance of knowing what the track will be like by starting with the weather.
We’ve already looked ahead for tomorrow’s race and they expect 40% chance of showers tonight but clearing by tomorrow and we expect the G2 Mac Diarmada to go as carded over the distance of 1 3/8 miles on the turf course.
It looks to be a great race!
Last years winner, Precious Passion, competes again only this time he’s not the same guy he used to be. What do you think? Nothing has changed but his age. In his defense his last win at the distance was a gate to wire sprint on a hard Monmouth surface last summer. But after that he ran in the Arlington Million and was soundly beaten by Gio Ponti and others. Signs of weakness emerged in his last race, the McKnight at Calder going 1 1/2 miles, when he finished a disappointing fifth at 4 to 5 odds. That race followed two tough attempts to win gate to wire at Santa Anita winning the Clement L. Hirsch and narrowly being defeated for the ‘crown’ by Conduit in the BC Turf. He’ll be the favorite tomorrow and we hope he is because we’re going to beat him with our free horse racing selection for the race of the day.
Just to mention a few others in the race tomorrow there’s Feel’s All Right for Biancone and it’s good to see Corey Nakatani riding the circuit on a regular basis this year. The horse gets lasix for the first time and it’s classic Patrick Biancone with a young seemingly talented and recently stateside runner from France. Only this time it appears Biancone is doing things the right way again winning with 20% of his runners at GP so far.
Johnny V. can only do one thing with Gabriel’s Hill going 1 3/8 tomorrow and that’s GO! And if he does as expected he’ll put the added pressure on Passion to set the race up for our selection.
Julien Leparoux is perhaps the best rider in America today. He’s young and extremely talented. Tomorrow he rides Expansion for Chad Brown and even though he’s 0 for 6 when teaming up with the trainer — his win in the G2 Red Smith at Aqueduct at tomorrow’s distance gave him the highest last race Beyer Speed Figure and makes him our top selection.
Selections:
8 – 1 – 2 - 7
Today’s race of the day from Tampa Bay Downs is the G3 Sam F. Davis Stakes.
