How to bet Gulfstream's $2,606 Super High 5 carryover

Sunday is going to be a fun day at Gulfstream Park. The 11-race card kicks off with a $2,606 carryover in the $1 Super High 5.

Post time for Race 1 is 12:35 p.m. EDT. (Remember to change your clocks—Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday!) The race in question is a competitive maiden special weight for three-year-olds racing 1 1/8 miles on turf. With nine entries in the mix, there are 15,120 possible outcomes.

The morning line favorite is #2 Trending (3-1), and understandably so. A son of Uncle Mo out of the Grade 1-placed turf filly Theyskens’ Theory, Trending didn’t show much in his debut on dirt at Gulfstream, finishing eighth in a field of 10. But the quality of competition was deep, and Trending fared much better when switching to turf for a 1 1/8-mile maiden special weight last month.

Indeed, Trending nearly won his turf debut, tracking the pace before rallying to finish just a neck away from victory. His reward was a respectable 80 Brisnet Speed rating.

Will the third time be the charm for Trending? He certainly looks strong on paper. Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey wins at an excellent 21% rate with second-time turf starters, and hot jockey Jose Ortiz (a 25% winner at Gulfstream this meet) is picking up the mount. Plus, there isn’t much speed in Sunday’s field, so Trending figures to sit a perfect trip stalking #1 Grand David (9-2) through modest fractions.

For all these reasons, we’ll plan on keying Trending on top in the Super High 5. Underneath, we’ll definitely include Grand David, a speedster who has finished on the board in four of his five starts. Two starts back, he ran third in a one-mile turf maiden special weight at Gulfstream, beaten only two lengths with an 80 Brisnet Speed rating. #4 Tallahatchiebridge (4-1), who finished just half a length behind Grand David in fourth place, is another logical contender.

#9 Native Thunder (7-2), a Triple Crown nominee who ran fifth in his debut over 1 1/16 miles on the Gulfstream turf, can’t be dismissed either. The son of American Pharoah had a troubled trip and is eligible to step forward with a clean run on Sunday.

One longshot we’ll throw into the mix is #3 Sir Samuel (30-1). The son of Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) winner Red Rocks ran well against Trending in the above-mentioned the 1 1/8-mile turf maiden special weight, carving out the pace before weakening in the final furlong to finish fifth by 2 1/2 lengths. If you like Trending, you pretty much have to respect Sir Samuel.

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

• $1 Super High 5: 2 with 1,4,9 with 1,3,4,9 with 1,3,4,9 with 1,3,4,5,6,8,9 ($72)

Good luck!