Tropical Turf (G3) — Race 10 — 4:40 p.m. ET
Analyze It, whose multiple Grade 1 placings include a narrow loss in the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1), will look to kick start what connections will be a full campaign in Saturday’s $100,000 Tropical Turf Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park.
Sidelined throughout 2019 and for most of 2020, Analyze It returned to action last September and won the Red Bank (G3) at Monmouth Park off a 22-month layoff. However, the son of Point of Entry wasn’t quite up to repeating the following month in the Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) when favored against eight rivals.
Returning from a longer break is Admission Office, whose campaign last season was limited to four starts. He fared best in races much longer than the one-mile of the Tropical Turf, winning the 12-furlong Louisville (G3) in his most recent start on June 13.
“He’s coming back at a distance that isn’t really ideal for him, but it’s a good starting point,” trainer Brian Lynch said. “The good thing about this race is there’s plenty of pace, which ideally suits Gulfstream. But if they get going too fast up front, it could set up for someone to come off the pace.”
One of the likely pacesetters is Tusk, who is back to defend his Tropical Turf title having raced just once since his score last January, a tiring eighth-place effort in the Claiming Crown Emerald on Dec. 5.
Casa Creed, a Grade 2 winner, looks to rebound off a sub-par performance in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1). Frostmourne, has some back class, albeit from 2017, but enters off a strong allowance win at Churchill in early November in his first start for Eddie Kenneally. Ride a Comet owns a three-race win streak dating back to September 2018, including scores in the Del Mar Derby (G2) and Kennedy Road (G2).
