00:00it's a pretty cool group that shows up.
00:02Let's start things out with test score.
00:03He's going to step up and face older horses,
00:05but he goes out for a really good trainer,
00:08Graham motion.
00:08And this horse had a very nice 2025 where he just showed up and ran good
00:13races all the time.
00:14This will be a little tougher though,
00:16because he's going to step up and face the older horses.
00:18And he's been really facing three-year-olds throughout the bulk of his
00:20career.
00:22Yeah.
00:22I mean,
00:23great horse.
00:23He's collected over or close to one and a half million in two years,
00:27hardly ever off the board.
00:28So you probably don't want to totally discount,
00:30but I do think he's been like declining a little bit in the last few
00:33starts and would need a bit of an improvement.
00:35Program trading feels like one of the major players in here.
00:38And what I like about him,
00:40this distance is where he's the best.
00:42He was in a little bit of a tough spot in the breeders cup because he's
00:46best at a mile and an eighth.
00:47And in the breeders cup,
00:48there's a breeders cup race at a mile and a breeders cup race at a mile
00:51and a half.
00:52So he either has to run a little too short or a little too far.
00:55And he's kind of in between races like this,
00:58or I think perfect for him from a distance standpoint.
01:01I think the class is there.
01:02He just feels like a top tier player for me.
01:05Yeah.
01:05I mean,
01:06if he runs his best race,
01:08he could absolutely win this race.
01:10I definitely think he could hit the board.
01:11So like you said,
01:12unfortunately wasn't a factor in the breeders cup turf mile,
01:14but it wasn't necessarily his preferred spot.
01:16So I think one to keep an eye on beach gold comes out of the Fort Lauderdale.
01:21He was right behind Cugino there.
01:23He's multiple graded stakes placed.
01:25He's like a really honest horse for Patrick being cone.
01:28Yeah.
01:28And the 16 lifetime starts,
01:30he's always gone shorter until this last start here at Gulfstream over the
01:33same course,
01:34but it was kind of like average mid pack.
01:36And I think this race turned up tougher.
01:38So I don't think there's a major reason to think he'll improve.
01:40One stripe is a South African runner who got a little bit of class relief in
01:45his most recent start.
01:46He was a group one winner in South Africa.
01:48When he came to North America,
01:51they put him in some really tough spots.
01:53Those were probably a little too tough because he faced notable speech,
01:56both races,
01:57the breeders cup mile winner.
01:59Once he dropped in class though,
02:00he won.
02:01What do you think about one stripe trying to put two wins together?
02:04You know,
02:05this is the farthest he'll ever run.
02:07Like you just saw he won going away.
02:09So I actually don't think the distance is a concern.
02:12I do think the level of competition is because like you said,
02:15it took them a class drop to win that.
02:16So,
02:17you know,
02:18one advantage though,
02:19there's not a ton of early speed in here.
02:20So he could try to take that position.
02:22I think that probably would be the best tactic for trainer grand motion to,
02:26to recommend.
02:28So it's possible,
02:29but not one of my top picks.
02:30That point is something that I think both you and I are kind of leaning into
02:33in our handicapping that it doesn't look like there's a lot of early
02:36speed in this race that may hurt a horse like Almond Dari.
02:39Cause he wants to sit back.
02:41He wants to make one late run.
02:42He's also not quite as good at a mile and an eighth.
02:45He looks like he's really like a miler right about that distance.
02:49Any thoughts on Almond Dari's?
02:51Yeah.
02:51Like you're saying,
02:52he hasn't run this far in over two years and he's never been able to get
02:55the win at this level in a graded six despite 11 tries.
03:00So I just think it's going to be too tough.
03:02It's a great point.
03:03He doesn't have that big win in SoCal and this is a tougher field.
03:06Call sign seven did get a big win last time out.
03:09He was 68 to one when he won the Seabiscuit.
03:12He's pretty lightly raced and he's got some upside.
03:15So he's moving in the right direction here,
03:17but is he good enough to compete with a group like this yet?
03:21He could be a sneaky play.
03:22I think the distance is going to be fine for him,
03:24even though he hasn't really gone longer than that.
03:27But first time out of California,
03:29but his trainer does really well in graded stakes.
03:31So I could see him being a sneaky play.
03:33Major dude is next up.
03:35He ran sixth in this race last year.
03:38And I feel like coming into the race last year,
03:40he was just in better form.
03:42You know,
03:42he is a multiple graded stakes winner though,
03:44but I just don't know if he's as good as he was last year at this time.
03:48Yeah.
03:49He hasn't really improved since.
03:50I don't think he's really declined a ton either.
03:53But there's stronger closers in the field.
03:55He's plateaued,
03:56right?
03:56We feel like some of these like lightly raced horses are kind of exciting
03:59because you think they still might be on the upswing for him.
04:02You sort of know what you're going to get.
04:03I think at this point we moved to Cabo spirit.
04:06He is a major player in here,
04:08Alexa,
04:09because he's a multiple graded stakes winner.
04:11He has big speed.
04:13He can sit off a little bit.
04:15And if you look at his recent form,
04:17seven of his last eight races have been top three finishes.
04:20He just always shows up.
04:22He's really honest.
04:23And he like gives a good account of himself.
04:25He is a trier.
04:27Yeah.
04:27He's got a huge advantage in this race from a pace standpoint.
04:30He's the only clear cut early speed leader in the race from my opinion.
04:36So I think he could get out there and steal it.
04:38Every race,
04:39pretty much every race he's won,
04:40he did so in that fashion.
04:42His speed figures are peaking right now.
04:43I just think he's like totally primed for this spot.
04:46Chasing the crown and Cugino.
04:49They're the next two.
04:49They both come out of the Fort Lauderdale.
04:51Chasing the crown finished fifth that day.
04:53Cugino actually finished second.
04:56Cugino is a horse who is very honest.
04:58You can see he's been in the top two in 11 of his 14 races,
05:01but he's another one Alexa through the years that has gotten me.
05:05And the funny thing about Cugino is when like he loses by like a nose.
05:09If you just read the name,
05:11see you Gino.
05:12It's basically like smacking me in the face when he gets beat right on the wire.
05:16See you Gino.
05:18Cugino.
05:19He's a big player in here.
05:20What do you think about him?
05:21He is a big player.
05:22He looks so competitive.
05:23He's been first or second, 11 out of 14 lifetime starts.
05:26He's just always, always at the party.
05:29And I think like he's the best chance for a closer to catch Cabo Spirit.
05:35Like if anybody catches him, my guess is it'll be Cugino.
05:37I think he lost to a horse Wolfie's Dyna Ghost who was setting a world record in that race
05:41last time out at the Fort Lauderdale.
05:43It's like, that's the way I lose also to horses who have those kinds of monster efforts.
05:48Astronomer is over his last 16.
05:50He likes seconds and thirds though.
05:52So if you're playing tries and supers, he's a fine under horse.
05:56He's just another that doesn't ever really win the big one.
05:58No, last one was two and a half years ago.
06:01Yay.
06:01I'm not.
06:01We round things out with Fort Washington.
06:05He's a grade one winner.
06:06He can win with wide trips.
06:08He was fifth in this race last year.
06:11And you could probably put a line through his most recent race.
06:14That was back in September.
06:15He just didn't really fire then.
06:17His best races are very, very good.
06:19What do you think about Fort Washington?
06:20So he's coming off of a four month layoff and there's been four other large layoffs in
06:25his career and he's never won first race out.
06:27So I think he might be a horse who kind of needs to race back into shape.
06:30So I'm kind of leaving him off.
06:32His trainer is that type of trainer too.
06:34He's patient.
06:35He lets them kind of build up their stamina with a few races.
06:38So we go to selections here for this one and we both have the same exact four horses just
06:44in a slightly different order.
06:45So, I mean, in a big field like that, that tells you something.
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