Gulfstream Park Picks – Thursday, August 27, 2020

Gulfstream Park features a nine-race card for Thursday, August 27, 2020, of maiden, claiming, and allowance matches.

The forecast for Thursday in Hallandale Beach, Florida calls for partly cloudy skies and a 20% chance of rain, with highs in the low 90s and winds around 11 mph.

While I cover the three richest races here, remember that you can always find the complete roster of Gulfstream Park races at one of our recommended horse racing betting sites.

Post time for the first race at Gulfstream Park on Thursday is 12 PM (EDT). Now it’s time to take a look at my horse racing predictions and picks.

This is a maiden special weight race for Florida-bred two-year-olds running five furlongs for a purse of $55,000.

I’m going to stick with the 2/1 morning line favorite here: Poppy’s Pride, ridden by Jesus M. Rios. This gelding moneyed both of his career starts. His most likely challenger will be the second-favored (5/2) Lost a Legend, piloted by Emisael Jaramillo, and the finish might be of the photo variety.

No long odds here, so let’s save that money for later.

This is a maiden claiming race for two-year-old fillies running a distance of 5-1/2 furlongs for a purse of $41,500.

I’m going to stick with the 3/1 morning line favorite: Maria’s Mirage, with Jesus M. Rios in the irons. While this race is as much about the all-star jockeys aboard as it is about the fledgling fillies they’re astride, this filly’s 1-1 ratio of money finishes to career starts puts her at the head of this largely untried field. And if we need any more convincing, Rios’ own solid wins/WPS statistics are convincing.

Alas, the longest odds in this race are 8/1, and neither of the fillies awarded those odds has done anything to suggest they might see a payday at the end of the ride.

This is a maiden claiming race for three-year-olds and upwards running on turf a distance five furlongs for a purse of $29,000.

And the morning line convinces me yet again of its superior mathematical abilities, so I’ll stick with the 5/2 favorite—R Ninja J K, ridden by top jockey Edgardo Zayas. This four-year-old gelding surpasses the rest of the field with money finishes in all three of his career starts.

And despite a plethora of long-odds entries in this race (not unusual for a maiden match), I find none worthy of even a show bet.

I’ve also taken a close look at the prospects for Thursday, August 27, 2020, at these other racecourses.