Gulfstream Park: How to bet the $5,044 Super High 5 carryover

It isn’t easy to hit a Super High 5 wager at Gulfstream Park, as Saturday’s card vividly demonstrated. The $1 wager was offered on all 11 races, but bettors assembled the winning combination only six times.

One of the five misses came in the Saturday finale, which means there’s a $5,044 Super High 5 carryover up for grabs in the Sunday opener. Truth be told, the wager might go unclaimed again. Race 1 is a $12,500 maiden claimer taking place over 5 1/2 furlongs on the synthetic Tapeta track, and 13 horses (including one also-eligible) have been entered. It looks like a difficult race to handicap.

That said, we do have a reasonably good choice to play on top. #1 Eternal Flame (7-2) has posted solid Brisnet Speed ratings in the 72-78 range while competing in Tapeta sprints at Gulfstream. He’s been particularly sharp since returning from a three-month layoff earlier this spring, rallying to finish second in a $25,000 maiden claimer before coming home sixth in a five-furlong dash over the same class level.

Both of those sprints were won by horses who returned to win next time out, suggesting Eternal Flame has been squaring off against tougher competition than even the $25,000 claiming level implies. Dropping down to the $12,500 level should make Eternal Flame formidable for trainer Gilberto Zerpa, who wins at a 24% rate with horses descending two or more class levels.

Throw in apprentice jockey Ailsa Morrison, who rides with a seven-pound weight allowance, and Eternal Flame looks like a horse to key on top in the Super High 5. Keep in mind, Morrison and Zerpa have gone 2-for-2 teaming up together over the last two months.

#7 Pipito (3-1) has finished third in his last two starts sprinting in $12,500 maiden claimers over the Gulfstream Tapeta, earning Brisnet Speed ratings of 68 and 73. He had a little bit of homestretch trouble in his latest run and looms as a logical choice to use underneath.

#4 Senor Gee (4-1), #8 Can’t Be Broken (10-1), and #10 Rock Solid Words (8-1) also seem like good fits for this class level, while the class-dropping #11 Rare Jewel (6-1) is eligible to move forward in his first run on synthetic.

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

• $1 Super High 5: 1 with 7 with 4,8,10,11 with 4,8,10,11 with 2,3,4,8,10,11 ($48)
• $1 Super High 5: 1 with 4,8,10,11 with 7 with 4,8,10,11 with 2,3,4,8,10,11 ($48)
  Total: $96

Good luck!