Weekend Stakes Rundown: Gulfstream Stakes Bonanza

Each week BloodHorse.com looks forward to the weekend's biggest races. Consider this your weekly guide to the best stakes races in North America. This week we have nine stakes at Gulfstream Park, Unique Bella at Santa Anita Park, El Areeb at Aqueduct Racetrack, and more. Races are listed in chronological order (all times Eastern) and full previews are available through the links below.

Saturday, March 4

1:30 p.m.—$100,000 Herecomesthebride Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Park

Treadway Racing Stable's Coasted, who last raced in the Nov. 4 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T), will make her 3-year-old debut in the Herecomesthebride. Coasted finished second to New Money Honey by a half-length in the Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita.

2 p.m.—$100,000 Fred W. Hooper Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park

After a 10-month layoff and an impressive comeback race Jan. 27 in an optional-claiming allowance at Gulfstream, grade 1 winner Greenpointcrusader is set for a return to graded stakes competition. The Bernardini   colt earned his top-level win as a juvenile in 2015, when he won the Champagne (G1) at Belmont Park, but has only competed in four races since.

2:30 p.m.—$100,000 Sand Springs Stakes at Gulfstream Park

Grade 1 winners Catch a Glimpse and Celestine are each set to make their seasonal debuts in the mile turf test. Both Catch a Glimpse and Celestine share a similar narrative heading into Saturday's race, with each trying to regain top-level form after tailing off at the end of 2016.

3:01 p.m.—$150,000 The Very One Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Park

Juddmonte Farms' homebred filly Suffused will aim to flaunt her multiple graded stakes-winning form once again over the Gulfstream turf. Since running fifth in her North American debut in the 2016 Orchid Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream in April, the daughter of Champs Elysees has not finished worse than third in six subsequent starts, with two graded stakes scores—and one grade 1 near miss—part of that stretch.

4:03 p.m.—$100,000 Palm Beach Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Park

Woodford Racing's Ticonderoga, one of the top 2-year-old turf runners last season, is scheduled to make his seasonal debut. An $850,000 Keeneland September sale yearling by three-time leading sire Tapit  , Ticonderoga rallied from eighth to finish second in the Bourbon Stakes (G3T) before coming from 12th to finish fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T).

4:34 p.m.—$200,000 Davona Dale Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park

Grade 1 winner Pretty City Dancer will take on the grade 2-winning Miss Sky Warrior in the one-turn mile. Pretty City Dancer finished a sharp second in the Feb. 4 Forward Gal Stakes (G2), her first start since winning in a dead heat with Sweet Lorretta in the Spinaway Stakes (G1) in September. Miss Sky Warrior is unraced since winning the Nov. 26 Demoiselle Stakes (G2).

4:50 p.m.—$300,000 Gotham Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack

After delivering dominating victories in his first two starts this season in graded stakes at Aqueduct, El Areeb will return to the New York oval March 4 to try to continue that good form. El Areeb has won his past four races by a combined 29 1/2 lengths. The colt captured the Jerome Stakes (G3) by 11 1/4 lengths Jan. 2 and the Withers Stakes (G3) by 4 1/4 lengths Feb. 4.

5:05 p.m.—$150,000 Canadian Turf Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Park

Heart to Heart, a winner of three graded stakes and four stakes overall in 2016, will seek to reestablish his winning form. The 6-year-old will shorten up to a mile from his seasonal debut in the Fort Lauderdale Stakes (G2T), which saw the frontrunner fade late to finish fourth going 1 1/16 miles. In 2016 Heart to Heart won both the Fort Lauderdale and Canadian Turf gate to wire.

5:35 p.m.—$200,000 Mac Diarmida Stakes (G2T) at Gulfstream Park

Owner Michael Hui and trainer Mike Maker are hoping in the 1 3/8-mile turf contest to extend Taghleeb's string of stakes wins to three. The Shadwell Farm-bred 6-year-old son of Hard Spun   has an affinity for Gulfstream as indicated by his 3-2-1 record out of seven starts at the South Florida track.

6 p.m.—$100,000 Santa Ysabel Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park

Don Alberto Stable's Unique Bella has already dispatched a champion to become the overwhelming early favorite for the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1). Now she'll take on two fresh grade 1 winners—Abel Tasman and Noted and Quoted—in her next step toward Churchill Downs on the first Friday in May.

6:05 p.m.—$400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park

On the heels of his 3 3/4-length triumph in the Feb. 4 Lambholm South Holy Bull Stakes (G2)—where he dispatched a field that included reigning juvenile male champion Classic Empire—Irish War Cry can give trainer Graham Motion the distinction of having a divisional favorite in his shedrow should he prevail in the Fountain of Youth.

6:30 p.m.—$75,000 Joe Hernandez Stakes at Santa Anita Park

Danzing Candy stamped himself a Triple Crown contender with a score in the 2016 in the San Felipe Stakes (G2), but hasn't shown up in the winner's circle since. The Twirling Candy   colt will make his first start on grass in the Hernandez and his second start for trainer Bob Baffert, who took over for Cliff Sise in the middle of his 3-year-old year. Also in the field are Stormy Liberal, Forest Chatter, and No Silent, who all have stakes wins over the Santa Anita hillside turf course.

Sunday, March 5

4:30 p.m.—$100,000 Las Flores Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park

LNJ Foxwoods' grade 1 winner Constellation will look to pick up her third straight sprint stakes win in the Las Flores. In her last start Dec. 26 in the La Brea Stakes (G1), the Bellamy Road   filly sprang a 12-1 upset in the seven-furlong dirt test.