The Texas Glitter Stakes – Race 10 at Gulfstream Park – Post Time 5:25 PM Eastern
Top Win Contenders: Intricate Spirit, Casson, I C Light
Intricate Spirit is one of three horses that have won turf sprint stakes. One of those is Throckmorton, who has only one way to win, wire-to-wire, and he gets the rail. Monster, Shipmate, and Arbiter have also only won leading from the start. However, all those early pace horses aren’t as fast in the initial stages as I C Light.
Intricate Spirit gets the outside and will be stalking the early pace, where he earned both of his wins. One of those was the Grade 3 Futurity Stakes last October, earning a 93 Equibase Speed Figure. He then ran in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Stakes, where he started seventh and never rallied. He won his career start, where he stalked, and stalked when winning the Futurity, and he has now been off for three months. With all the early pace, Intricate Spirit should win.
Casson has won two and finished second in two other sprints on turf and all-weather surfaces. In his second career start, he won the Victoria Stakes in July and finished second at the Soar Free Stakes in August. He stretched out to a two-turn race in September and led at seven furlongs, but he faded to sixth. He cut back to his best distance in the Algonquin Stakes on October 5, where he closed from fifth in the last eighth, finishing second. He can run fresh, and he is the best closer.
However, although Intricate Spirit and Casson have more probability, I C Light is the fast early horse in the field, winning his first two turf sprints both at Gulfstream Park. He earned an 89 figure on January 9, giving no horse a way to get within a length at any time. He then stretched out to a two-turn race on February 28, but he sizzled early and faded to seventh. Back at his best trip, I C Light is the horse that Intricate Spirit has to catch to win.
Handicapper Picks
Win: Intricate Spirit can bet at odds of 5 to 2 or higher.
Casson and I C Light can bet at odds of 3 to 1 or higher.
Exactas: Intricate Spirit, Casson, I C Light over Intricate Spirit, Casson, I C Light, Expressway
Race 8 at Santa Anita – Post Time 8:00 PM Eastern
Top Win Contender: Code Duello
This is a ‘Starter Optional Claiming” race, open for horses that have started from a claiming of $25,000 or less in 2025-2026. There is only one horse that “fits to a t,” Code Duello, who only raced at a $25,000 claiming price one time winning one race before January 16, where he led from the start to the wire. He stepped up to a $32K race on February 21 and finished third, beaten by a nose and a neck. His recent races earned 99 and 110 Equibase Speed Figures, the best in the field. Repeating either of those two races today gets him the win.
Handicapper Picks
Win: Code Duello can bet at odds of 3 to 2 or higher.
Doubles:
Race 8: Code Duello
Race 9: Watsonville, True Quality, City Exile
The San Luis Rey Stakes – Race 9 at Santa Anita – Post Time 8:10 PM Eastern
Top Win Contenders: Watsonville, True Quality, City Exile
Other horses for exactas: Flashiest, Balnikhov
Watsonville has raced the least of any entrant, with 14 races and four wins, including the Grade 2 Mathis Mile Stakes in October 2023, with a 107 Equibase Speed Figure. He went on a layoff for seven months in July 2024, and then from August 2024 to June 2025. He ran poorly in races during that time, but when he came back last October, he finished third with a 102 figure, then he won on January 11, earning a career-best 109 figure. He moved into graded stakes in the Thunder Road Stakes on February 7, where the winner, El Potente, led from the start in a field of five horses. Watsonville was two lengths behind in a fast six-furlong split at 1:10.6. At this much larger distance of one and a half miles, Watsonville, who has never raced this distance, has the potential to lead from the start. Mike Smith rides him for the first time and chooses to ride over True Quality, who Smith rode and finished third in a stakes by a head and one length from the winner. When “Mikey likes it,” I like it also. True Quality won the Group 2 Hollywood Turf Cup at this distance in November with a 109 figure. Since then, he finished third twice, but one was on a soggy (yielded) turf course, and the other was 10 furlongs. He won his last three races at this distance. He is back on his trip and can rebound to win his fourth at this 12-furlong distance.
City Exile has won two and had five seconds in his career. He only ran two stakes, where he finished fifth and seventh. He was first put into a claiming race and was purchased for $50K by excellent trainer Papaprodromou. City Exile won his first start for his new trainer in February, earning a 102 figure, then finished second on March 6, just two weeks ago. He stretched out to 12 furlongs and won an 11-furlong race in 2024, earning a 102 figure. He may not be as fast as either Watsonville or True Quality, but he has a shot at decent odds.
Balnikhov and Flashiest finished first and second on November 2 at a mile and three-eighths distance. They earned 96 and 93 speed figures, which weren’t good enough to be among the top three contenders. In their last races, they ran okay. Blanikhov finished third in the William McKnight Stakes on January 24 with a 107 figure at the distance of this race, and Flashiest finished second in the San Marcos Stakes on February 14 with a 112 figure in a 10-furlong race. In five races at this distance, they have two seconds in five races, and so they have a shot to be second in the exactas.
Mondego won the San Marcos on February 14, but that was at 10 furlongs, and his four races at 11 to 12 furlongs have finished seventh, fifth, and sixth. His only win was in August 2024, where he earned a 94 figure, not as fast as other top contenders.
Handicapper Picks
Win: Watsonville can bet at odds of 5 to 2 or higher.
True Quality can also be bet at odds of 5 to 2 or higher.
City Elite can be bet at odds of 4 to 1 or higher.
Exactas: Watsonville, True Quality over Watsonville, True Quality, City Exile, Balnikhov, and Flashiest
Watsonville, True Quality, City Exile over Watsonville, True Quality, City Exile, Balnikhov, and Flashiest