Gulfstream Park Picks for Friday, January 16:

LOOKING HEAD WITH MR. ED: Between now and the Kentucky Derby on May 2, Mr. Ed will devote much of his VSiN handicapping commentary to tracking Triple Crown preliminary contests, with a little help from friends, at Gulfstream Park. In addition to consulting with fellow degenerates on the backstretch and top handicappers with whom he communicates regularly, he’ll rely on the folks at the Daily Racing Form, Brisnet, Horse Racing Nation, Capital OTB, In The Money Podcast and in Las Vegas to guide him along the road to the 2026 Kentucky Derby. As of January 15, here are Mr. Ed’s early Derby Dozen contenders with connections:

  1. TED NOFFEY (T. Pletcher/J. Velasquez)
  2. BRANT (B. Baffert/F. Prat)
  3. PALADIN (C. Brown/F. Prat)
  4. FURTHER ADO (B. Cox/Irad Ortiz, Jr.)
  5. NAPOLEON SOLO (C. Summers/J. Rosario)
  6. BOTTAS (M. Clement/M. Franco)
  7. ARGOS (B. Mott/F. Prat)
  8. FINAL SCORE (T. Pletcher/F. Prat)
  9. BLACKOUT TIME (K. McPeak/C. Torres)
  10. OBLITERATION (S. Asmussen/J. Rosario)
  11. NEARLY (T. Pletcher/J. Velasquez)
  12. STARK CONTRAST (McCarthy/K. Kimura)

(Standings to be updated with early morning lines each mid-month)

Mr. Ed’s Selections for Friday (1/16) at Gulfstream Park

Race 1 (12:20 p.m. ET/9:20 a.m. PT) — $36K CLAIMING FOR 4YOs & Up going 7 ½ furlongs on the grass
Mr. Ed likes either of two: #3 FAIR HAIRED BOY (5-1 morning line) for trainer Guadalupe Preciado with Luis Saez hired to ride, and #10 LIGHTS OF BROADWAY (9-5) with huge rider upgrade to Irad Ortiz, Jr. for David Fawkes barn. Take a bow, old boy.
GULFSTREAM PARK SELECTION: $5 Daily Double: 3,10/4,9. ($20)

Race 2 (12:50 p.m. ET/9:50 a.m. PT) — $26.5K MAIDEN CLAIMING for 4YOs going 6 furlongs
To successfully cash the DD ticket, Mr. Ed takes shots with lightly-raced gelding #4 JAKER (6-1 morning line) with Katie Davis in the saddle for Saffie Joseph, Jr., and #9 FINAL PAYMENT (5-2) with Irad Ortiz, Jr. returning to ride. Pay Mr. Ed.

Race 3 (1:20 p.m. ET/10:20 a.m. PT) — $28K CLAIMING for 4YOs & Up going a mile and 70 yards on the Tapeda track
Mr. Ed salutes #3 BLESS AMERICA (3-1 morning line) for super-sharp Carlos David outfit with a rider upgrade to Luis Saez. Gelding can handle the class hike after a Place finish in last.
GULFSTREAM PARK SELECTION: $10 to Win & $5 Daily Double of 3,5. ($15)

Race 4 (1:50 p.m. ET/10:50 a.m. PT) — $36K CLAIMING for 4YOs going 6 furlongs
To complete the DD, Mr. Ed likes #5 BEAR CLAW NECKLACE (2-1 morning line) for hot horseman David Fawkes, who gives Luis Saez a leg up on a newly gelded pick.
GULFSTREAM PARK SELECTION: $10 to Win. ($10)

Race 5 (2:20 p.m. ET/11:20 a.m. PT) — $84K MAIDEN SPECIAL WEIGHT for 3YO fillies going 5 furlongs on grass
I like three: #2 COPACABANA (12-1 morning line) for tough Pletcher-Gaffalione combo; #5 EPIC PRANKSTER (4-1) for Ian Wilkes with Edgard Zayas in saddle, and #6 DUTCH GIRL (7-2) for Brian Lynch with Luis Saez up.
GULFSTREAM PARK SELECTION: $5 Exacta Box of 2,5,6. ($30)

Race 6 (2:50 p.m. ET/11:50 a.m. PT) — $24.5K CLAIMING for 4YOs going 5 furlongs on the Tapeda track
#4 RIVER OF TIME (7-2 morning line) is my choice for trainer Joe Orseno with a big rider upgrade to Tyler Gaffalione. Going for a hat trick as gelding has a pair of wins over the surface.
GULFSTREAM PARK SELECTION: $10 to Win & Place. ($20)

Race 8 (3:50 p.m. ET/12:50 p.m. PT) — $86K ALLOWANCE CLAIMING for 4YOs & Up going 7½ furlongs on the grass 
Mr. Ed’s pick is #6 BITE AND STRIKE (6-1 morning line) for HOF trainer Bill Mott with regular rider Junior Alvarado. Improving gelding returns to the home of debut. He’s ready to strike Winner’s Circle at GP.
GULFSTREAM PARK SELECTION: $10 to Win & Place. ($20)

Race 9 (4:20 p.m. ET/1:20 p.m. PT) — $87K CLAIMING for 4YOs & Up going 1 1/16-mile 
Mr. Ed closes card with late DD: Mott & Alvarado team up with favorite #1 BATTEN DOWN (2-1 morning line), and speedy #3 DIGITAL OPS (7-2) for Saffie Joseph, Jr. and Tyler Gaffalione. Win by either is good enough for me.
GULFSTREAM PARK SELECTION: $5 Daily Double of 1,3/6,8. ($20)

Race 10 (4:50 p.m. ET/1:50 p.m. PT) — $40K CLAIMING for 3YOs going a mile on the turf
I like either of a pair to complete the DD: #6 NO OTHER LIKE YOU (7-2 morning line) for J.K. Sweeney with Luis Saez in the saddle, or #8 READY TO BATTLE (9-2) for HOFers Mark Casse and Johnny Velazquez. No other like VSiN’s battle-tested Mr. Ed.

TOTAL WAGERS: $135

NFL PLAYOFF PICKS:
BUF +1
SF +7.5
NE -3
LAR -3

SATURDAY AT GULFSTREAM PARK: A rather ordinary 11-race card is headlined by a pair of $75K stakes, R9 SUNSHINE TURF and R10 SUNSHINE SPRINT. First post is 12:20 p.m. ET. Hang in there, folks, better days lie ahead, beginning next Saturday with a super-competitive, deep Pegasus Day card. Mr. Ed will offer his VSiN selections on both days.

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