Hot Blooded Back With State-Breds in Sunshine Turf

Palm Beach Racing V's Hot Blooded  is scheduled to return to state-bred company Saturday at Gulfstream Park for the first time since capturing the June 12 Soldier's Dancer Stakes six starts back.

The Carlos David-trained son of Declaration of War  is scheduled to face six fellow Florida-breds in the featured $75,000 Sunshine Turf Stakes for 4-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles on turf. The 5-year-old gelding has been more than holding his own against open company in recent starts.

"He's getting better as he gets older. He's pretty solid. He's become a nice horse. It's time to step him up a little bit," David said. "He's won stakes before, so it's nothing new to him."

Following the Soldier's Dancer, which was transferred from turf to Tapeta, Hot Blooded captured an optional claiming allowance on turf at Colonial Downs before a pair of third-place finishes on turf in the Oceanport Stakes and Red Bank Stakes at Monmouth Park. He returned to Tapeta at Gulfstream for a runner-up finish and a fourth-place finish in a pair of allowances.

"He runs good on both (surfaces). When he runs on Tapeta, he can be a little farther behind. When I run him on the turf, he likes to be a little closer," David said. "That's the only difference."

Junior Alvarado has the mount aboard Hot Blooded.

Paradise Farms and David Staudacher's Me and Mr. C , who finished second behind Hot Blooded in the Soldier's Dancer before making a pair of starts on the West Coast, figures to be the horse to beat Saturday looking to his most recent performance, a one-length victory over the David trainee in a Nov. 6 allowance on Tapeta.

Joel Rosario is scheduled to ride the 6-year-old son of Khozan   for the first time Saturday.

Ten Twenty Racing's Max K.O., who was beaten by Hot Blooded in the Soldier's Dancer and the Colonial optional claiming allowance, should be regarded as a danger looking to a subsequent allowance score on turf at Kentucky Downs.

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. has named Edgard Zayas to ride the 7-year-old son of J P's Gusto .

Borders Racing Stable's Roaring Forties  is scheduled to run at Gulfstream Park for the first time following back-to-back even efforts in graded stakes company at Woodbine. Shaun Bridgmohan is slated to ride the Katerina Vassilieva-trained son of Stormy Atlantic.

Duke Perry Stable, Jeffrey Lambert, Bob Fetkin, and Larry Buckendorf's Lure Him In , Bianco Stable's Braccio Di Ferro , and Jemstone's Indy Lyon  round out the field.