A column by Donald Harris

Zenyatta rolls along. Had to love the little Barry Sanders shake move she pulled off inside the 3/16 pole.

Khendum (November 13 column) blew out Monday morning in 35.00 over a track I thought was a little deeper than usual. She looks great. Of course, she has always looked great.

Wash Park (March 6 column) turned in a leg stretching, maintenance move Monday morning. Rider kept him under a giant hold every step.

Gato Go Win (March 6 column) giving no signs of slow down in the a.m. Ignore the official clocking from Tuesday morning of 49.40. The final furlong was run in 11.40. Impressive burst.

Disappointments

Ziggy's Stardust (November 22 column) took a giant step backwards in his most recent start. He is nowhere near where I thought he would be heading into Derby season. I could not have been more wrong on him.

Ever a Friend (March 6 column) did not show up in the Kilroe. He got a beautiful trip and failed to quicken at the top of the lane. I have heard different excuses. None of which really matter at this point. In the end it all comes down to how a horse performs on race day...

By Noel Michaels

The Gulfstream Park meet is 2 1/2 months old and we are already approaching the centerpiece of the meet – Florida Derby Day – on Saturday, March 20. There is still one month left in the marquee East coast winter meet, but we have already seen more than enough racing at this point to give us plenty of valuable information to provide for a profitable month ahead for Florida Derby Day and beyond. The information we’ve gleaned at Gulfstream from early January until now should be enough to give us the framework for a profitable stretch-run through the end of South Florida’s premier race meet at Gulfstream.

 

Florida Derby Special! By Noel Michaels GP - Saturday 03/20/10 - $5.75

 

By Noel Michaels (Originally published by Nassau (N.Y.) OTB.)

The weather outside may be frightful for many of us around the country at this time of year, but one of the best exceptions to that rule is usually in South Florida where the weather is warm and sunny, the grass is green, and the winter racing is as good as it’s going to be all year long. And so, no matter how cold it is in your neck of the woods, there’s no excuse for horseplayers not to get themselves out to the track or favorite OTB, or, even better, no excuse not to log on online with your favorite account wagering provider and break the locks off your wallet so you can let it rip at Gulfstream Park. The meet is always very challenging for handicappers, but the winter racing at Gulfstream still features the best trainers and jockeys, and many of the season’s best stakes runners and stakes races.

The annual winter Gulfstream Park meet opened January 3 and will extend for four months until late April. Northern grass courses are frozen, but Gulfstream’s turf course is fresh and will be in full use all winter, offering one of the best turf racing programs of any track running at any time of the year. In addition to the top winter turf racing in the East, Gulfstream also offers the region’s top winter stakes program including a 3-year-old series designed to offer horses the best possible stepping stones to the Kentucky Derby and the Triple Crown...