The Gulfstream Park Championship Meet goes into full swing this weekend, with five graded stakes on Saturday's 11-race New Year's Eve program at the South Florida track. Several horses with designs on the Jan. 28 Pegasus World Cup day program will be competing.
Saturday's Gulfstream Park card gets under way at 12:10 p.m. ET.
Out west, Santa Anita has three graded stakes on Saturday and one on Sunday, the Grade 3 Santa Ynez Stakes, the latter serving as a qualifying points race for the Kentucky Oaks.
Both Saturday and Sunday's programs at Santa Anita begin at noon PT/3 p.m. ET
The first Kentucky Derby points race of the new year is also on tap Sunday with Oaklawn presenting the Smarty Jones Stakes.
Oaklawn's Sunday program kicks off at 12:30 p.m. CT/1:30 p.m. ET.
Here's a brief look at some of the New Year's weekend major stakes:
Saturday
1:10 p.m. ET – Grade 3 Sugar Swirl Stakes at Gulfstream Park
Frank's Rockette finished second as the 11-10 choice in last year's Sugar Swirl and the Bill Mott runner will be the favorite again this year. The daughter of Into Mischief is a steady check collector, with 21 of 24 in the money finishes, but she's been runner-up just as often as she wins. Philip Bauer-trained Coppelia could be the up and comer in this lineup and she bids for her third consecutive win in her South Florida debut.
3:09 p.m. ET – Grade 3 Suwannee River Stakes at Gulfstream Park
A Group 1 winner in her native Argentine, Scotish Star is 1-for-5 in this country over the last two years but seems to be going in better form on the East Coast than when she arrived in this country in California in 2021. She looks to be the speed in this field and expect Luis Saez to take advantage of the No. 1 post position draw.
4:00 p.m. ET – Grade 3 Robert J. Frankel Stakes at Santa Anita
Very contentious group of 11 fillies and mares contesting this year's Robert J. Frankel, including Queen Goddess, the 5-2 morning line favorite who won the G3 Santa Ana over the Santa Anita turf course last March. England's Rose was no match for Regal Glory in the G1 Matriarch at Del Mar Dec. 4 but she should benefit from the additional furlong here.
4:10 p.m. ET – Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale Stakes at Gulfstream Park
Colonel Liam, the 8-5 morning line favorite, really has his work cut out for him as he will break from the outside post in a field of 12 in a race that could determine whether or not he bids for a third consecutive victory Jan. 28 in the G2 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational. The 5-year-old by Liam's Map had only one start after last year's Pegasus Turf, that being a ninth-place effort in the G1 Dubai Turf at Meydan in March.
4;40 p.m. ET – Grade 3 Harlan's Holiday Stakes at Gulfstream Park
How good is the Chilean start O'Connor, who romped by six lengths in his October U.S. debut in a Gulfstream Park allowance/optional claimer for Saffie Joseph Jr.? Though he won 10-of-18 in Chile, including a G1 race, he'll get tested for class as the 8-5 morning line favorite in the Harlan's Holiday, which figures to determine whether or not he will go on to the Pegasus World Cup Jan. 28. Joseph also saddles Skippylongstocking, whose best may be good enough but isn't the most consistent type.
Sunday
5:10 p.m. ET – Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn
Brad Cox brings the unbeaten Tapwrit colt Victory Formation to Oaklawn for this $250,000 race that offers 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the winner. He's never raced around two turns but has speed and gets the riding services of Flavien Prat, who flies in from California for the mount. Denington made a belated rally to be fifth at Churchill Downs in the G2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes and figures to improve for trainer Kenny McPeek.
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