Litfin At Large: Eyeing Gulfstream Turf Tests

As was the case last Saturday, the graded-stakes action Jan. 14 is on either side of the Divided States of America, at Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita Park.

Unlike last Saturday, however, Mother Nature is expected to be a bit more cooperative, because after still more rain forced the cancellation of Thursday's program at The Great Race Place, skies were expected to clear in Southern California for the holiday weekend.

Gulfstream's 12-race card includes three stakes: the Marshua's River (G3T) and the Fort Lauderdale (G2T) at 1 1/16 miles on turf, and the Hal's Hope (G3), a one-turn mile out of the chute on the main track.

Santa Anita's La Canada (G2) seems like a foregone conclusion.

Marshua's River (GP, race 6, 2:30 ET): Only four of the eight fillies and mares entered for turf are considered serious contenders, among them Todd Pletcher's uncoupled pair of Sandiva (#3), who won last year's renewal of this race at even money, and Isabella Sings (#7), the likely pacesetter who posted front-running wins last season in the Eatontown (G3T) and My Charmer (G3T).

Sandiva has lost four subsequent starts, but one of them was a good third in the Honey Fox (G2T) behind Celestine, who then won the Just A Game (G1T) in near-record time. Sandiva was given a freshening after coming up empty in the Diana (G1T), and returned four weeks ago to narrowly miss in the South Beach Stakes, which, at 7 1/2 furlongs, was shorter than she prefers but nevertheless served as a good tightener.

Isabella Sings gave Tepin fits last winter leading to deep stretch in the Hillsborough (G2T), and closed out 2016 in sharp form wiring the My Charmer over Sea Coast (#5), who was also second to the speedster in the Eatontown, and is back for another try Saturday.

Making her graded stakes debut is Dickinson (#8), a Godolphin Racing homebred who lost her form through the first half of last year, but then switched to turf and resurrected her career by winning two allowance conditions impressively for Kiaran McLaughlin.

A - 3, 7

B - 5, 8

Ft. Lauderdale (GP, race 10, 4:34 ET): The highly competitive counterpart to the Marshua's River drew a dozen older males, headed by Heart to Heart (#1) and Lukes Alley (#6), the one-two finishers in the 2016 edition; Divisidero (#7), who makes his first start in seven months; and a trio out of the Artie Schiller Stakes at Aqueduct Racetracin, race winner Macagone (#11), third finisher Night Prowler (#2), and Jay Gatsby (#10), who is better than his seventh-place finish suggests.

Heart to Heart is 3-for-3 over the Gulfstream course and 3-for-3 at the distance on turf, so he will obviously be tough from the rail. But if Diamond Bachelor (#3) applies early pace pressure, as seems likely, a cavalry charge could unfold through the stretch, which could pave the way for any of the aforementioned contenders, or perhaps the course-loving Rose Brier (#5), Chad Brown's third-time U.S. prospect Almanaar (#8), or even Fire Away (#12), a late-blooming Phipps Stable homebred seemingly on the cusp of bigger and better things.

A - 1, 6, 10

B - 2, 7

C - 5, 11, 12

Hal's Hope (GP, race 11, 5:05 ET): The "reputation" horses are Tommy Macho (#2), Ami's Flatter (#5) and Mr. Jordan (#8), but they have chinks in their armor, and the race could be a pivotal one for a trio of newly turned 4-year-olds with minimal stakes experience: Dolphus (#1), Bird Song (#3) and Realm (#4).

Tommy Macho ran a career best number taking the Fred Hooper (G3) over the track last winter, but emerged with a chipped knee that required surgery, and his two comeback races in the fall were well below par.

A layoff since late October is of no concern with Ami's Flatter, as both of his wins in 2016 came when fresh. If he runs back to the level of either victory, he wins, but his ideal distance has been seven furlongs.

Mr. Jordan was a distant fifth in the Hal's Hope last winter, but improved through the second half of 2016 after being gelded. Still, one wonders if he's better going two turns.

So, what to do with Dolphus, a half brother to Rachel Alexandra, who comes off a breakthrough performance first time in blinkers? Or with Bird Song, who, like Dolphus, most recently garnered his second-level allowance condition with a big-figure effort on the lead? Or with Realm, who needed seven tries to get through the "a-other-than" ranks, but then ran third in the Cigar Mile (G1)?

It's a fascinating race, one that seems ripe for the taking. Tommy Macho is 2-for-6 in graded stakes but questionable on form, and the rest are a combined 2-for-25 at that level. I'm downgrading Dolphus, who benefited from an easy lead in an off-the-turf race, but Bird Song and Realm have lots of intrigue.

So does Team Colors (#7), who looks to be training up a storm for his first start since a second to multiple graded stakes winner and $1 million earner Valid in the Skip Away (G3) early last spring.

A - 3, 4, 7

B - 2, 5, 8

C - 1

La Canada (SA, race 5, 2:30 PT)

In what should amount to a paid public workout, the field for the La Canada consists of the 1-2-4-6 finishers from the Bayakoa (G2) at Del Mar six weeks ago, along with a 7-year-old mare who was off the board for a $22,500 claiming tag as recently as last June.

Vale Dori (#1) was 1-2 when she defeated Wild At Heart (#3), Show Stealer (#2) and Autumn Flower (#5) in the Bayakoa, and she was much the best after withstanding a pace duel with Gloryzapper, who is not here to pester the odds-on favorite this time. Chalk up another one for Vale Dori at miserly odds.