Gulfstream: How to bet the $4,056 Super High 5 carryover

If you want to win a share of the $4,056 Super High 5 carryover up for grabs on Sunday at Gulfstream Park, you’ll have to decipher the confusing field set to contest Race 1.

The opener is a $16,000 maiden claimer for two-year-old fillies racing one mile and 70 yards on Tapeta. Eight horses have been entered, but only two have managed to crack the trifecta in any of their starts to date. The rest bring largely uninspiring form to the table, so figuring out which runners will finish in the top five isn’t easy.

At least we can start off our tickets on a strong note by keying morning line favorite #3 Nunofthisnunofthat (6-5) on top. The daughter of Catholic Boy didn’t show much in her first two starts sprinting against $35,000 maiden claiming company, but improved sharply in a $16,000 maiden claimer racing one mile and 70 yards over the Gulfstream Tapeta, tracking the pace before staying on to finish third by 1 1/2 lengths.

That fine effort yielded a 70 Brisnet Speed rating, higher than the par winning number (68) for Sunday’s conditions. A repeat can send Nunofthisnunofthat to the winner’s circle at a short price.

The other proven trifecta finisher is #1 Whats Up Buttercup (4-1), who has finished third three times against $25,000 and $16,000 maiden claiming competition over the Gulfstream dirt. Stretching out around two turns isn’t guaranteed to help the late-running daughter of Khozan, but it’s worth noting she’s getting a seven-pound weight break courtesy of apprentice jockey Gabriel Maldonado, and that could help Whats Up Buttercup land a spot in the top five.

#8 Kiki (3-1) hasn’t cracked the trifecta in two starts, but she didn’t run all that badly when finishing fifth (4 1/4 lengths behind Nunofthisnunofthat) over this course, distance, and class level on Sept. 15. That performance produced a 65 Brisnet Speed rating, suggesting another top-five finish is absolutely within reach for Kiki. In fact, we’ll count on her to finish in the top three.

#5 Danneel (5-1) is another logical contender. She never factored when finishing seventh on debut in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight over the Gulfstream Tapeta, but she has the pedigree to stretch out in distance and shouldn’t be underestimated while dropping down the class ladder.

Here’s how we’ll bet the Super High 5:

• $1 Super High 5: 3 with 8 with 1,5 with 1,5 with ALL ($8)
• $1 Super High 5: 3 with 1,5 with 8 with 1,5 with ALL ($8)
• $1 Super High 5: 3 with 8 with 1,5 with ALL with 1,5 ($8)
• $1 Super High 5: 3 with 1,5 with 8 with ALL with 1,5 ($8)
  Total: $32

Good luck!