Best Horse Racing Bets Today | Gulfstream Park, January 4

Kentucky Derby hopefuls will be on display on Saturday at Gulfstream Park when a field of nine sophomore males line up for the top prize in the $165,000 Mucho Macho Man Stakes. Trainer Chad Brown sends out the pair of Septarian and Treaty of Rome against the recent impressive maiden winner Guns Loaded in what looks like a very competitive field of 3-year-old males.

The afternoon’s other stakes race, the $165,000 Ginger Brew Stakes, features a big field of 13 young turf fillies. A recent stakes winner over the course, Civetta will look to make it two in a row. For today’s handicapping, I will also be looking at the two races immediately preceding the afternoon’s two stakes races.  Without further ado, let’s get to my top picks and plays solid card of racing from South Florida.

Race #8 Md Sp Wt $50,000 6 1/2-Furlongs Dirt - 3:47 pm EST

Having faced the top 2-year-old in Florida, Rated By Merit, in his last two, Just Relax looks for some class relief when he drops into a Florida-bred maiden race as the one to beat on Saturday at Gulfstream Park. 

After running a game second in his debut at Gulfstream against fellow maidens, the son of Noble Bird moved up into stakes company in his next two starts. While he was no match for the same impressive winner in both, he was good enough to finish fourth and third in the two stakes against Rated By Merit. Things should be significantly easier for him here.

A top threat to him here could come from the Todd Pletcher first-time starter Genuine Gomo. A son of Authentic, he was a $350,000 2-year-old in training purchase in May and has been working well for his career debut. Other first-time starters in the race, Caracas and He’s a Beast, also look to have the pedigree and workouts to make some noise here.  

Looking for some value, I will use Caracas in my tickets. The son of Caracaro has a steady stream of solid works and was also well liked as a 2-year-old in training purchase. Just Relax looks tough, however, and is the top pick.

My Play

• $5 Exacta Part Wheel - Just Relax and Caracas with Just Relax, Caracas, Genuine Gomo, and He’s a Beast = $30

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Race #9 Allowance $96,000 1-Mile Turf - 4:21 pm EST

A winner in two of his last three, Echo Lane will be in search of another win when he tops a full field of allowance runners on the Gulfstream Park turf on Saturday.

Claimed for only $25,000 in December of 2023, the son of Treasure Beach has proved to be a bargain by winning five times in ten starts in 2024. Three of those wins came early in the year at Gulfstream Park. Of late, he has shown he can handle greater class. Two starts back, he finished within three lengths of the highly regarded Deterministic in the Virginia Derby, before winning an allowance race at Churchill Downs.

Chief among his rivals in this one mile turf test is the late running Ramblin’ Wreck. A stakes winner against New York-breds, he has rallied into the photo in three straight races against this class at Saratoga and Aqueduct for trainer Danny Gargan. With plenty of speed to set the table, he should come running late once again.

The Irish-bred Navy Seal was the beaten favorite last time at Churchill Downs, but has plenty of stakes experience on both sides of the pond. In three turf tries in the United States, he has run well each time and it should be just a matter of time before he gets his first win here. He is the top pick.

My Play

• $5 Exacta Box - Navy Seal, Ramblin’ Wreck, and Mount Horeb = $30

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Race #10 Mucho Macho Man Stakes $165,000 1-Mile Dirt - 4:52 pm EST

A sharp winner against maidens at Churchill Downs last time out, Guns Loaded could be the one they all have to beat when he takes on eight other Kentucky Derby hopefuls in the $165,000 Mucho Macho Man Stakes on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

After a solid second-place finish at Saratoga in his career debut, the son of Gun Runner dominated his competition running a fast 6-furlongs seven weeks ago. He will look to stretch his speed to a mile in this one, but there is plenty of other speed in the race to make that task more difficult.

Both Septarian and Treaty of Rome from the barn of leading trainer Chad Brown have the ability to pass horses and could benefit if the early pace is overly fast and contentious. The former runs for the Brown barn for the first time after winning his first two starts at Charles Town and Laurel for another trainer. Treaty of Rome, meanwhile, comes into this one off a determined win at the one mile distance last time at Aqueduct.

A number of others could factor in here, with Cool Intentions looking like perhaps the most dangerous. A good second in his debut, the son of Authentic has come back with two convincing scores over the track since then. In a pretty wide-open race, I see Cool Intentions as the most likely winner. He is the top pick.

My Plays 

• $10 Exacta Part Wheel - Cool Intentions over Septarian, Treaty of Rome, and McKellen = $30

• $5 Exacta Part Wheel - Septarian, Treaty of Rome, and McKellen over Cool Intentions = $15

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Race #11 Ginger Brew Stakes $165,000 1-Mile Turf- 5:22 pm EST

Coming in off two excellent efforts in her most recent stakes tries, Civetta will take some beating when she lines up against a dozen other sophomore fillies in Saturday’s $165,000 Ginger Brew Stakes on the turf at Gulfstream Park.

The Godolphin homebred has not run a poor race in four lifetime starts, all on the grass, for trainer Brendan Walsh. A debut winner at Ellis Park, she just missed in the Grade 3 Matron Stakes two starts back at Aqueduct, before earning her first stakes win last time with a game victory in the local Wait A While Stakes.

Trainer Mark Casse will be well represented in the Ginger Brew with the talented pair of Nitrogen and Disco Star. The former is still a maiden, but has finished third in a pair of Grade 1 races already in her three career starts. She rallied for that spot in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Fillies last out. Disco Star exits a romping maiden win in her second good looking start on the grass. 

Others to fear on Saturday include the sharp maiden winner Lover Cervere, another from the Breeders’ Cup, Correto, and the stakes winner Special Aviator. It’s a deep and talented field, but I think Casse has a big shot with his two. I will go with Disco Star on top. She is the top pick.

My Play

• $20 Win & Place - Disco Star = $40

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