By Ben Massam
Saturday's GII Hardacre Mile Gulfstream Park H. features an intriguing mix of nine older horses with a combined 20 wins over the local main track. Leading the way is Paul Pompa and J Stables' rail-drawn Tommy Macho (Macho Uno), a recent much-the-best winner of the trip-and-track GIII Hal's Hope S. Jan. 14 after stumbling in traffic on the turn. A three-time graded stakes winner, the 5-year-old will be joined in the starting gate by fellow Todd Pletcher trainee Zulu (Bernardini), who returned from an eight-month layoff to annex the restricted seven-panel Tamarac S. in Hallandale Dec. 18. The 2016 GII Fountain of Youth S. runner-up has worked on a weekly interval following that effort and seeks his first graded stakes success for the Coolmore partners.
Glencrest Farm and JSM Equine's Blofeld (Quality Road) exits the Pletcher barn and makes his first start for trainer Rusty Arnold returning from a July layoff. The gray captured this race in 2016, but went off form in three subsequent appearances before being sent to the sidelines.
The pace in the race will likely come from the outside of the starting gate, with Gelfenstein Farm's GIII Pat Day Mile S. hero Sharp Azteca (Freud) and Jacks or Better Farm's Awesome Banner (Awesome of Course)–second and fifth, respectively, in the Dec. 26 GI Malibu S.–seeking to cross over and establish early position. Sharp Azteca is a perfect three-for-three at Saturday's one-turn mile trip and has posted a series of swift workouts over the sometimes fickle Gulfstream Park West strip for trainer Jorge Navarro in recent weeks.
If a fast pace materializes, Dale Romans-trained Squadron A (Unbridled's Song) could be the one to pick up the pieces. The consistent 7-year-old got the set up he needed in the six-furlong GIII Mr. Prospector S. on New Year's Day, producing a career-top effort.
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