Gulfstream Park Picks – Saturday, February 20, 2021

Gulfstream Park brings us the Grade III Royal Delta Stakes along with 11 other maiden, allowance, and claiming matches for our Saturday wagering entertainment.

There’s plenty to cover, so let’s move straight on to my Gulfstream Park picks and betting tips for Saturday, February 20, 2021.

This is a maiden special weight race for three-year-olds running a distance of 1-1/8 miles for a purse of $50,000.

This is going to be a tighter race than the morning line odds suggest, but I’m sticking with the 8/5 favorite — Ghazaaly, ridden by Luis Saez. This colt moneyed his single career start with a show finish in January.

And at 15/1, King Cairo, with Julien Leparoux in the irons, looks good for a value show wager. This colt moneyed one of his two career starts with a third-place showing in December.

This is an allowance optional claiming race for four-year-olds and upward running a distance of one mile on turf for a purse of $47,000.

If the also-eligible Lookin At Roses (9/2 morning line odds), with Robby Albarado aboard, starts this race, bet him to win. This five-year-old gelding moneyed nine of his 19 career starts, winning four. His latest money finish was in December when he ran third in the Claiming Crown Rapid Transit Stakes at Gulfstream.

If Lookin At Roses doesn’t start, then buy a win ticket for the third-favored Ronithelimodriver (also at 9/2), ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr. This four-year-old colt won his single career start. That was at Monmouth Park in September 2019, but he has shown good performance in recent workouts.

I don’t see any long-odds entries in this field worth the risk of a show bet.

This is the Royal Delta Stakes, a Grade III stakes race for fillies and mares four years old and upward running a distance of 1-1/16 miles for a purse of $100,000.

I have to go with the second-favored (at 3/1) entry in this race — Eres Tu, with Irad Ortiz, Jr. in the irons. This five-year-old mare moneyed six of her nine career starts, winning four.

Irad’s brother, Jose, is aboard the 2/1 morning line favorite — Mrs. Danvers, a horse with an equally impressive record — and while this could be a v-e-r-y close race, the preponderance of evidence tells me Eres Tu will cross the finish line first.

At 15/1, Queen Nekia, with Corey Lanerie aboard, looks good for a value show ticket. This six-year-old mare finished in the money 22 of her 31 career starts, winning nine.

Don’t forget to check out the other two tracks I reviewed for Saturday: