US Horse Racing Tips: Two to follow on Friday

Paul Quigley, our US Horse Racing expert, is back on Friday to provide his selections and he likes the look of two runners at Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs.

You can check out his latest US Horse Racing Tips below.

19:52 Gulfstream Park (Race 6) - The Pulse @ SP

Very rarely do runners who were beaten 20 lengths into second in a maiden go off favourite for another next time. That could happen here with Todd Pletcher’s Vino Vici (6). He ran second at a very safe distance at Keeneland in October. The winner freaked that day and confirmed that promise by winning a Grade 2 at Churchill last Saturday.

Vino Vici (6) ran a bit better in his two sprints prior to that, being placed in top maidens at Saratoga. The cut back to a one turn mile should suit. He is probably the runner to beat likely facing the weakest field he has so far.

One Reward (2) caught a deep field and a very exciting prospect when fourth on debut at Churchill in September. He ran below that form there second time out. His rider set quick fractions and he paid the price late on. He’s a rebound candidate. Redemption Hour (4) finished behind him last time. He folded after stalking the pace on what was his career debut. Second time out and with blinkers now on and he could be a different proposition.

Two runners who showed ability first time out enter calculations. Diamond Knife (3) ran well for a long way before fading to be third here. He gets a rider upgrade to Irad Ortiz.

His trainer Jose D’Angelo has a really good record with second time starters. So too does Saffie Joseph who runs The Pulse (7) here. He got well behind and finished to some effect when third on debut here. That run could have flattered him as the leaders definitely faltered. Interestingly, he was weak in the market whereas his stablemate was backed to odds on. There was enough in that first start to side with him here.

There are a couple of first time starters here. Freddie B (1) has some sneaky good workouts in Kentucky. The trainer of Gregarious (5) has won with two of his last three newcomers and at good prices.

21:29 Tampa Bay Downs (Race 9) - X Y Prime @ SP

The returning Royal Majesty (9) looks the runner to beat. He’s on a long, losing run but faced some stiff tasks during that drought. He’s been placed in graded stakes and wasn’t beaten far in back to back Grade 1’s. The four-year-old hasn’t raced since a below par run at Keeneland in April. His trainer Bill Mott has found a spot where he can gain a confidence-boosting score.

The former Roger Varaian trained runner did win first time Stateside so is proven fresh. Interestingly, regular jockey Junior Alvarado has his first ride at this meet to renew his association. At his best, he is likely to outfinish his rivals.

Street Earnings (3) didn’t show much in two starts at Colonial Downs in the summer. He’s done his best work in Florida including a fine effort in a stake here in March. He is worth considering along with X Y Prime (1). The three-year-old is unexposed on turf. He ran well in a what turned out to be a deep stake at Aqueduct in September.

His rider went to fast on the front end at Gulfstream next time. If new rider Danny Centeno can gear him down on or near the lead, he can go well.

At the age of eight Drama Chorus (7) isn’t getting any better. He did win twice at Canterbury in the summer. He is six-from-16 at Tampa with his last victory coming in May. Eldest Son (4) has back class with form in better races than this one. Maybe a victory in a claimer last month is step in the right direction.