The elder statesmen of the Sport of Kings will be showcased on Saturday afternoon at Gulfstream Park in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Handicap.
You can find horse racing odds at BookMaker.eu at the online racebook.
ODDS ANALYSIS
1: Stanford 7/2
2: Itsaknockout 2/1
3: Hesinfront 20/1
4: Blofeld 6/1
5: Valid 5/2
6: Grande Shores 12/1
7: Anchor Down 6/1
The Gulfstream Park Handicap hasn't brought out a particularly large field, but you can already see just based on those odds that the balance is certainly there. The fact that there isn't an odds-on favorite in a field which includes several horses who know what it's like to be the odds-on choice is a testament to just how good this field is.
Itsaknockout is the very slender 2 to 1 choice just in front of Valid at 5 to 2 and Stanford at 7 to 2. There's a bit of a jump back to Blofeld and Anchor Down at 6 to 1 followed by the two longshots, Grande Shores and Hesinfront.
FAVORITE TO FOLLOW
Valid is now up to six years old, but he's still racing at a really high level. We wouldn't trust him at the end of this season, but we think he's the most talented horse in this race. He's looked good in his first two offerings at the Hal Hope Handicap and the Donn Handicap here at Gulfstream, though he didn't win either race.
Being a frontrunner should help out Valid's cause at the Gulfstream Park Handicap against a field which has a few big trailers in it, and the fact that this race is being run at his preferred distance of a mile should help him out, too.
UNDERDOG TO WATCH
When Todd Pletcher asks John Velazquez to ride a horse for him, he knows that horse has a lot of potential. We've only seen Blofeld race six times in his career, and all six have come with Johnny V on his back.
Sure, the results haven't been fantastic, especially with a fourth place finish in an optional claiming race in January, but he's trained really well and still has a lot of potential in spite of the fact that he missed out on most of his three-year old campaign due to injury.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
This is really a wide open race as we see it. Itsaknockout has a great history on this track with four wins in six races, while Stanford probably has the best pedigree of the group. Valid is the top-ranked horse via Prime Power, and Anchor Down is quietly rounding into a nice horse with seven-figure earning potential in his career.
Still, we're going to go with the Pletcher/Velazquez combination here at a racetrack that both love to come to. Blofeld ran incredibly well as a two-year old at the Grade 2 level, winning both the Belmont Futurity and the Nashua Stakes before getting hurt. He wasn't in great form in his last race, but the time away has seen him put together a lot of great workouts.
We might very well regret playing on Blofeld if he can't exceed his career-best 100 Beyer Speed Rating, but we think he has it in him to get the job done to prove Pletcher's confidence correct.
Play Blofeld to win the Gulfstream Park Handicap
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BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here, and start wagering right now! Bet on horse racing today with the Gulfstream Park Handicap, which goes to post on Saturday, March 5, 2016 at 4:58 p.m. ET at Gulfstream Park.
