Gulfstream Park Picks: Drain the Clock, speedster, back in stakes competition on February 19

The Gulfstream Park Championship Meet is moving towards March at more than an honest pace! With the addition of Tapeta, plus the MT and Turf Course, it gives bettors a myriad of options!

At Horseracing.net/us we have you covered, including all of the action related to the Derby Trail! With the Holy Bull S. now in the books, is time to turn our attention to the rest of the South Florida Series ... the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth, set for early March. Then the April running of the Grade 1 Florida Derby follows, as the Sunshine State Derby Trail concludes! Today, we find ourselves in the midst of a 12-race card ...

It is a good time for some of the greatest racing that North America has to offer. Stay tuned! If you're looking for picks elsewhere around the country this Saturday be sure to check out our free Horse Racing Picks via the gold button below. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter ... Horseracing_USA !!!

Most Likely Winner: (Race 6: Nara #3, 9/2):

If you have ever watched the replay, or maybe you caught it live, of Caravaggio rolling down the undulating lane at Royal Ascot, with Ryan Moore in-tow, it was a piece of art in motion. Now a sire, he is producing some strong offspring, and they are set to handle the turf sprints. There is no better trainer of these types than Wesley Ward, and he has an Ontario bred coming to GP … sans blinkers. Even though we have not seen this young runner since last summer at Woodbine, I think he is a cinch to win in this spot. Ward, one the best gate trainers of this age, has had him tuning up down at Palm Meadows. With Lasix (yet another angle), he looks like a winner to me. Paco Lopez is a strong enough lawn jockey to handle what looks to be another Ward turf star.

Wager: $100 Win, #3

Off-the-Pace Play of the Day: (Race 9: Oooh Barracuda #4, 20/1):

If you are looking for a tasty long shot on this GP card on Saturday, then how about this mare by Taste of Paradise. She is coming off a break, last seen at the pear-shaped turf track in southern Kentucky. Even though Blake Kelly’s then-4-yr-old did not perform too well in 2021, we should recall that it was a class building year. She went up against some tough foes at Turfway, Keeneland, Churchill, and at Indiana Grand. Kelly was hoping for some kind of miracle, and it never came. Maybe the scene shifting to S. Florida will suit … In training at Palm Meadows, she looks like a new horse. Watch out folks … this barracuda is on the hunt! Her odds will be mighty good!

Wager: Graduated Wager, WPS, $100 Bankroll, #4 ($10-W, $15-P, $75-S)

Spotlight Race of the Day: (Race 11: Dirt, 6F, Gulfstream Park Sprint, $150k, 4+):

It is going to be Saffie Joseph’s experienced Drain the Clock #6 vs. a field of 5 on Saturday at the conditioner’s home-away-from-home. Last year, this talented colt by Maclean’s Music acquitted himself well facing down Steve Asmussen’s Jackie’s Warrior. That Eclipse champ was formidable, but this colt did not back down. After a “freshening” back in December, the now-4-yr-old is ready to make his ’22 debut. Irad Ortiz will be aboard, and that means that this duo will probably be very difficult to best. I think the only possible hope for the rest of this bunch is to match him … early … go right at him … and maybe the hot pace will create a speed duel. Carlos David’s Gatsby #1 could be a player, ridden by Javier Castellano, or Ed Plesa’s Miles Ahead #4, ridden by Irad’s archnemesis, Paco Lopez. The only conceivable option here is that Joseph’s prize runner misses the break. It is going to be a very long race for the rest, if he doesn’t. Here is my play …

Wager: $2 Exacta Box, 1/4

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Enjoy another fab Saturday trackside for the Championship Meet! Best of luck on another run at Gulfstream Park! Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter … Horseracing_USA !!!