1/30: Gulfstream (6th-10th); Santa Anita ($62k C/O)

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by MaTH716

Steve, I see you have Scolara as a super add play. But do you think she has any chance to win this thing? It looks like the race really has a chance of melting down and I though she was really the only dead closer in the race. But I really haven't followed the Gulfstream meet so I'm not sure if speed has been holding. Plus I'm guessing on big days like today that they will have the track souped up for the speed. Any thoughts? Thanks.

While the track generally has been fair this meet overall, there have been days where the rail was absolute death (first part of the month) or periods like this week when the track got icy fast... Check up on Welsch's Track Notes in DRF Weekend for that stuff weekly. Here's this week's:

MIKE WELSCH'S TRACK TRENDS: Once again, plenty to report in this area. The main track suddenly turned lightning-fast following a dark day Jan. 19, with lower-level claimers running six furlongs in 1:09 and change on several occasions and the 5 1/2-furlong course record falling to 3-year-old Paizano in a mid-level starter allowance dash last Saturday. Not surprisingly, speed became a treasured commodity for most of the week, with closers having little chance to make up sufficient ground to find the winner s circle, especially in main-track sprints. Despite this trend, however, the rail still appeared to be the deeper part of the strip again throughout the week.

My hang up with Scolara is that she is 'all grass, all the time' and if there was any particular talent or aptitude for the main, we'd have already seen her contest something of importance on it. That said, her lone try on dirt came here two years ago when she nearly wired 4 ALW opponents before African Violet caught her. Doesn't it also reflect negatively that Desormeaux (aboard for 10 of her 17 career starts) takes Unforgotten over her? I think she's hard to back as a serious win candidate.