Saturday’s feature at Gulfstream Park is the Grade 3 Hutcheson Stakes.

The six furlong dash over the main track for three-year-olds drew a compact group of 6, but remains an intriguing Grade 3 event nonetheless.

The field is led by 9-5-morning line favorite #1 Impact Player. The $350,000 OBS April 2017 purchase for Nk Racing enters his first try against stakes company off of two wire-to-wire victories over this surface.

The son of City Zip is all but certain to be sent from the gate by jockey , but he is likely to have company to his outside from #2 Belle Tapisserie. Trainer has won a record 7 renditions of the Hutcheson and has a strong chance to do so once again on Saturday, but I prefer #4 Tricks to Doo.

Tricks to Doo makes his second start of 2018 after a stalk and fade fourth place finish in last month’s Grade 3 Swale Stakes. The $600,000 OBS March 2017 purchase for Lael Stable ended his two-year-old campaign with consecutive wins, including a seven and a quarter length victory in the Inaugural Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

Trainer Arnaud Delacour brings this son of Into Mischief into Saturday off a steady series of drills at Classic Mile Training Complex and legs up jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. for the initial time. I expect Ortiz to try to relax this Kentucky bred right off the early pace and take control when they turn for home. It will not be easy to beat Pletcher, but the outside draw should give Tricks to Doo a tactical advantage that hopefully leads him to the winners’ circle.

#6 Soutache is an intriguing price option in the Hutcheson. The son of Backtalk makes his first start since a pair of victories in September over this surface and while he has faced mostly Florida bred fields and has yet to race at the age of three, he appears poised for a strong run on Saturday afternoon.

The Goldmark Farm colt comes into his first start versus winners off a solid series of drills and is the likeliest to take advantage of what should be an honest early pace. I do not think he is good enough to win, especially off the bench, but at 8-1 on the line I will use him underneath my top choice in the exotics.

The wild card in the group is #3 Madison’s Luna. The son of Tapit stalked early and edged away late in his debut for trainer Philip Bauer. If he can move forward off of his 94 BRIS speed rating on February 10^th at Tampa, he could be good enough to make it a perfect 2 for 2. His 6-1 morning line price makes him worth a gamble for those that are not impressed with those coming in with more racing experience.

Here is how I will wager on the $100,000 Hutcheson Stakes:

$30 Win 4

(2-1 or higher) = $40

$10 Exacta

4-6 = $10

$5 Trifecta Key

4 with 3+6 = $10

Total Budget = $50

Good luck!