Gulfstream Park Picks Today: Can Hot Rod Honey Stay Perfect?

Saratoga may hog the Saturday headlines, but Gulfstream Park’s summer meet serves up a solid 10-race card of its own, with first post at 12:10pm ET and the $100,000 Scandalous Act Stakes for Florida-bred juvenile fillies the centrepiece at 3:00pm.

Here are our Gulfstream Park picks today for every race, with entries, morning-line odds and best bets. All odds are morning lines and correct at time of writing.

Meeting Context

It’s a typical August afternoon in Hallandale Beach: hot, humid, and with South Florida’s customary threat of afternoon thunderstorms. Four races are carded for the turf and four for the Tapeta, so keep an eye on late scratches and surface switches if storms roll in off the Atlantic.

The rider colony is led by Samy Camacho, Jose Morelos, Leonel Reyes and Diego Herrera, who between them ride in every race, while the Victor Barboza Jr, Antonio Sano and Saffie Joseph Jr barns supply many of the shorter-priced runners. If you’re playing multiple tracks, our Saratoga picks and Monmouth Park picks cover the other big East Coast cards.

Race 1, 12:10 ET — $17,500 Claiming, 1 Mile (Turf)

No	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	ML Odds
3	Bakers Street	Samy Camacho	Antonio Sano	3/1
5	Kalik	Pedro Pena	Carlos Narvaez	7/2
10	Eddie the Great	Edgar Perez	Gerald Bennett	9/2
11	Hands of Time	Diego Herrera	Heather Smullen	8/1
6	Act a Fool	Yolber Torres	Laura Cazares	10/1
1	Virginia City	Jose Morelos	Steve Klesaris	12/1
4	Rashid	Leonel Reyes	Fausto Gutierrez	12/1
8	Rafaroo	Samuel Camacho Jr	Bobby Dibona	12/1
9	Zozan	Miguel Vasquez	Reynaldo Yanez	12/1

Plus 2 others.

The Favourites: Bakers Street, a son of Candy Ride from the in-form Sano barn, heads the market with Camacho up, ahead of the route-race regular Kalik.

The Value: Hands of Time at 8/1 gets Herrera, one of the meet’s hottest riders, from the outside post.

The Verdict: Bakers Street to give the card a favourite-backed start.

Race 2, 12:45 ET — $10,000 Claiming, 1 Mile 70 Yards (Tapeta)

No	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	ML Odds
3	Refined Honor	Diego Herrera	Joseph Orseno	2/1
7	Alinao Forever	Pedro Monterrey Jr	Dante Zanelli	3/1
2	Candy Addiction	Samy Camacho	Antonio Sano	7/2
4	Dimanche Gras	Jose Morelos	Ronald Spatz	4/1
5	Santal	Pedro Pena	Ronald Coy	10/1
6	Willing One	Miguel Vasquez	Kathleen O’Connell	10/1
1	Outta Money	Leonel Reyes	Jose Garoffalo	12/1

The Favourites: Refined Honor is the one to beat for Joe Orseno in this compact field of seven, with Alinao Forever and the Sano-trained Candy Addiction next in.

The Value: Dimanche Gras makes appeal at 4/1 for exacta players underneath.

The Verdict: Refined Honor — the Herrera/Orseno combination is hard to oppose at this level.

Race 3, 1:19 ET — $10,000 Claiming, Fillies & Mares, 1 Mile (Dirt)

No	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	ML Odds
5	Miss Valentina	Samy Camacho	Eduardo Luces	5/2
8	Somerset Mia	Diego Herrera	David VanWinkle	3/1
4	Pretty Geisha	Yolber Torres	Ronald Coy	7/2
6	Calling the Shots	Jonathan Ocasio	Heather Smullen	5/1
2	Queen Kwaina	Pedro Pena	Garrett Arscott	8/1
7	La Cyber	Jose Morelos	Jose Castro	8/1
3	Trill	Edgar Perez	Heather Smullen	12/1
1	Mischief Motion	J.G. Torrealba	Bruno Tessore	15/1

The Favourites: Miss Valentina and Somerset Mia dominate the morning line in the first dirt race on the card.

The Value: The Smullen pair, Calling the Shots and Trill, offer a double-barrelled angle at prices.

The Verdict: Somerset Mia — marginal preference for Herrera’s mount over the favourite at a shade better odds.

Race 4, 1:53 ET — $17,500 Maiden Claiming, Fillies & Mares, 1 Mile (Turf)

No	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	ML Odds
6	Senta Says	Rasheed Hughes	Saffie Joseph Jr	9/5
7	Terrimendous	Pedro Pena	Ronald Coy	2/1
3	Serrania	Leonel Reyes	Fausto Gutierrez	5/2
8	La Reina Del Flow	Wesley Henry	Debra Donaldson	10/1
4	Thirtyseven Rubies	Heriberto Figueroa	Heather Smullen	12/1
2	Megowan Street	Jose Morelos	Huber Dominguez	15/1
1	Smart Lisa	Carlos Martinez	Fernando De La Cruz	20/1
5	Solitary Passion	Jonathan Santos	Javier Morzan	20/1

The Favourites: A three-way market: Senta Says drops in for the powerful Saffie Joseph Jr stable, taking on Terrimendous and Serrania.

The Value: Serrania at 5/2 for Gutierrez if you want to take on the top pair.

The Verdict: Senta Says — Joseph’s maiden-claiming droppers are perennially profitable, and she makes the shortlist for best bet of the day.

Race 5, 2:26 ET — $10,000 Claiming, 5½ Furlongs (Tapeta)

No	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	ML Odds
1	Surf’s Up	Samy Camacho	Reynaldo Yanez	5/2
6	Fast Fixer	Rajiv Maragh	Collin Maragh	3/1
2	Seaver	Jonathan Ocasio	Amador Sanchez	7/2
9	Hottakejake	Yolber Torres	Tareq Moubarak	6/1
8	Schnittker	Pedro Pena	Beau Chapman	8/1
10	Valiant Winter	Diego Herrera	Joseph Orseno	10/1
5	Nero Tulip (GB)	Heriberto Figueroa	Rohan Crichton	15/1
3	Manhattan Boy	David Boraco	Kathy Mongeon	20/1

Plus 2 others.

The Favourites: Surf’s Up gets the rail and Camacho, but the family act of Fast Fixer — trained by Collin Maragh and ridden by former Grade 1 rider Rajiv Maragh — is bang there on the morning line.

The Value: Hottakejake at 6/1 in a sprint that could see plenty of early pace collapse in front of him.

The Verdict: Fast Fixer to give the Maraghs a family win.

Race 6, 3:00 ET — Scandalous Act Stakes, 2yo Fillies, 6 Furlongs (Dirt), $100,000

No	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	ML Odds
4	Hot Rod Honey	Leonel Reyes	Carlos David	7/5
2	Mon Coquette	Samy Camacho	Victor Barboza Jr	2/1
5	Liberty Rings	Miguel Vasquez	Nicholas Palmer	5/2
6	Colombina	Diego Herrera	Antonio Sano	8/1
1	Boots	Jose Morelos	Nicholas Tomlinson	10/1
3	Jost a Chance Yadi	Anthony Thomas	Frank Regalbuto	20/1

The Favourites: The feature for Florida-bred juvenile fillies revolves around Hot Rod Honey, unbeaten in two including the Sharp Susan Stakes, who stretches out to six furlongs off two sharp works for Carlos David. Barboza’s speedy Mon Coquette and Liberty Rings are the obvious dangers.

The Value: Colombina, four-length maiden winner and Sharp Susan runner-up for Sano, is overpriced at 8/1 and the logical exacta partner.

The Verdict: Hot Rod Honey — the best bet on the card. David has taken the patient route with her, and the late kick she showed in the Sharp Susan should be even more potent at this trip. Box her with Colombina in the exacta.

Race 7, 3:34 ET — $10,000 Claiming, 5½ Furlongs (Tapeta)

No	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	ML Odds
7	Messagefromtheking	Pedro Pena	Herbert Miller	7/2
8	Lodato	Anthony Thomas	Daniel Hurtak	4/1
5	Ky’s Law	Miguel Vasquez	Daniel Hurtak	9/2
2	Wine Candy	Leonel Reyes	Michael Yates	5/1
1	Rodhan	Yolber Torres	Ronald Coy	8/1
4	Freedom Street	Samy Camacho	Jeff Engler	8/1
9	Majestic Noir	Diego Herrera	Victor Barboza Jr	10/1
6	Sofocles	Jose Morelos	Fausto Gutierrez	12/1

Plus 3 others.

The Favourites: A wide-open dash in which Messagefromtheking narrowly heads the Daniel Hurtak pair, Lodato and Ky’s Law.

The Value: Wine Candy at 5/1 for Michael Yates, with Reyes booked in the middle of a big afternoon.

The Verdict: Messagefromtheking, with the Hurtak duo the ones for the vertical exotics.

Race 8, 4:09 ET — Maiden Special Weight, Fillies & Mares, 5 Furlongs (Turf)

No	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	ML Odds
3	Exquisite	Rasheed Hughes	Saffie Joseph Jr	8/5
1	Modo Leyenda	Diego Herrera	Victor Barboza Jr	3/1
2	London	Samy Camacho	Joseph Orseno	9/2
5	Escargot	Leonel Reyes	Fernando Abreu	6/1
8	Grand Bella	Anthony Thomas	Victor Barboza Jr	8/1
6	Amasia	Jose Morelos	Jena Antonucci	12/1
7	Al Aliyaah	Pedro Pena	Armando De La Cerda	12/1
4	Jackie Blue	Edwin Gonzalez	Mark Casse	15/1

The Favourites: The best maiden race of the day. Exquisite is a warm order for Saffie Joseph Jr, with the Barboza-trained Modo Leyenda the clear second choice in a race full of interesting turf-sprint types, including one from the Mark Casse barn.

The Value: Escargot at 6/1 for Fernando Abreu could outrun her odds in a five-furlong scramble.

The Verdict: Exquisite — the market rarely lies about Joseph’s maidens, and she goes in the accumulator.

Race 9, 4:44 ET — $10,000 Claiming, 5 Furlongs (Tapeta)

No	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	ML Odds
2	Captain Eddie	Edgar Perez	David Fawkes	2/1
5	Readier	Samy Camacho	Laura Cazares	3/1
1	Maitre D	Miguel Vasquez	Barry Croft	7/2
8	Java Buzz	Pedro Pena	Carlos David	9/2
6	Kinetic Stone	Diego Herrera	Beau Chapman	6/1
7	Rock to Fame	Jose Morelos	Heather Harney	15/1
3	Neophyte	Anthony Thomas	Manny Real	20/1
4	Chaplin	Samuel Camacho Jr	Jose Castro	20/1

The Favourites: Captain Eddie sets the standard for David Fawkes over a bare five furlongs, with Readier and Maitre D his main market rivals.

The Value: Java Buzz gives Scandalous Act trainer Carlos David another live one at 9/2.

The Verdict: Captain Eddie — the speed of the speed in a race with no obvious closer to run him down.

Race 10, 5:22 ET — $35,000 Starter Optional Claiming, Fillies & Mares, 1 Mile (Turf)

No	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	ML Odds
1	Money Trail	Edwin Gonzalez	Nicholas Tomlinson	3/1
6	Insolenta	Rasheed Hughes	Nicholas Tomlinson	7/2
4	Logistics	Samy Camacho	Andrea Puckett	4/1
2	Plagne Champagne	Diego Herrera	Victor Barboza Jr	9/2
8	Iliana	Leonel Reyes	Fernando Abreu	5/1
5	Annie Goodbody	Pedro Pena	Armando De La Cerda	10/1
9	Swing Route	Edgar Perez	Michael Lerman	10/1
3	Starship Elation	Jose Morelos	Kathy Mongeon	20/1
7	Puckered	Wesley Henry	Herold Simms	30/1

The Favourites: The finale is a Nicholas Tomlinson benefit on the morning line, with Money Trail and Insolenta first and second choices from the same barn.

The Value: Iliana at 5/1 gives Abreu and Reyes a second live turf chance late on the card.

The Verdict: Money Trail — Edwin Gonzalez, in from out of town, takes the right Tomlinson runner. If the turf races come off the grass, tread carefully here. For more East Coast turf action this weekend, see our Colonial Downs picks.

Accumulator

Our four-leg accumulator: Senta Says (1:53), Hot Rod Honey (3:00), Exquisite (4:09) and Captain Eddie (4:44). At morning-line odds of 9/5, 7/5, 8/5 and 2/1 that parlay pays around 50/1 — a small-stakes play with four of the most solid runners on the card.

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