HORSE RACING

​Gulfstream Park Horse Racing Picks for Saturday 12/19/20

It's a great time to dive into horse racing, and FanDuel Racing gives you the chance to do just that.

Starting at 12:05 p.m. EST, we have 11 races at Gulfstream Park. Using numberFire’s projections as a guide, here are some of the best bets.

As always, check the program for scratches and changes, and check the weather and track conditions.

(I will reference Equibase's Speed Figure in selected races, which tells you how fast a horse has been running in each of its races -- adjusted for track, distances, and conditions.)

She’s Classy, Race 5

FanDuel Racing Odds: 5/1

Race 5 is a Claiming race for 2-year-old fillies, and it's going 6 furlongs. The top pick of numberFire is favorite Include the Beast (5/2), who is breaking from the outside No. 8 post, followed by Texas Reward (3/1) and She’s Classy (5/1).

Include the Beast won her debut locally two months ago and will likely be an overbet and vulnerable favorite. She’s Classy broke her Maiden at Monmouth and has improved her speed figures in two recent local tries, according to Horse Racing Radar (HRR). She set the pace against better runners before weakening late, and Guaranteed Tip Sheet makes her a best bet to make it to the winner's circle with leading jockey Paco Lopez riding.

Traipsing and Always Shopping, Race 9

FanDuel Racing Odds: 7/2 and 5/2

Race 9 is the $100K Via Borghese Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 3/16 miles on the turf. numberFire's algorithm projects Kelsey’s Cross (10/1) to pull the upset and over the two favorites with EPO trainers Chad Brown and Todd Pletcher. Great Island (3/1) makes her stakes debut off back-to-back wins and is bred for the distance as a son of Scat Daddy. Always Shopping (5/2) is a daughter of the late-great Awesome Again, and she won here in September and finished second in his recent Grade III try at Keeneland. Kelsey’s Cross (10/1) is an experienced mare with multiple graded stakes tries earlier this year but missed the money in three tries at Gulfstream.

Cap de Creus (10/1) has finished second in 3-of-6 tries at Gulfstream but missed the money in two Grade III races here earlier this year. We can look toward well-respected trainer Christophe Clement with Traipsing (7/2), who won here in March and at Belmont in April. Her first graded stakes try was a good one. HRR notes she led into the stretch when going a longer distance in that one and just missed at the wire, finishing second to the favorite in a large field and posting a 103 speed figure.

Diamond Oops and Sleepy Eyes Todd, Race 10

FanDuel Racing Odds: 3/1 and 5/1

Race 10 is the featured event with 12 runners entered to race 7 furlongs in the $100K Grade III Mr. Prospector Stakes. There are some solid runners in the field of 12 with Firenze Fire (5/2) and Diamond Oops (3/1) the two favorites. But numberFire projects Sleepy Eyes Todd (5/1) to win in front of Diamond Oops.

The implied odds at FanDuel Racing suggest a 25% chance to win for Firenze Fire, who will likely be overbet against a deeper and solid group of runners. Firenze Fire finished third in the Breeders’ Cup in front of Diamond Oops, and HRR notes he makes his local debut looking for his fourth graded stakes win this year. Top jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. rides.

Horse Racing Radar adds that Diamond Oops has five wins in eight starts at Gulfstream, and he’s the defending champ of the Mr. Prospector Stakes. HRR also notes that Sleepy Eyes Todd (5/1) won his last race with the highest last-race speed figure. Firenze Fire has hit the board in 17-of-25 starts on a fast track.