How to bet the 2024 Gulfstream Park Mile Stakes

A well-matched field of eight will go a one-turn mile in Saturday’s $200,000 Gulfstream Park Mile S. (G2). The race, surprisingly, lacks early speed and I will tab the runners that I expect to be in the mix from the start. 

• Gulfstream Mile Wagers
• $30 win #5 Tumbarumba ($30)
• $5 exacta key box 5 with 2,4 ($20)
• $3 trifecta box 2,4,5 ($18)

Brian Lynch’s #5 Tumbarumba was especially game in taking the Fred W. Hooper S. (G3) on the surface in his four-year-old debut and the son of Oscar Performance seems poised to make it two in succession on Saturday. Bred in Louisiana, the bargain $30,000 yearling purchase had a very good sophomore campaign when elevating his game as the season progressed, and he picked up where he left off last time out. 

Tumbarumba has been close to rapid early splits in his past two outings and lands in a field on Saturday that lacks a confirmed frontrunner. The likely post-time favorite retains the services of the aggressive Luis Saez, and I envision the gelding to inherit the early edge and never look back. 

Todd Pletcher’s #2 Wit stretches out following a six-furlong event in his 2023 finale and might be sharp in the early going off the layoff under Irad Ortiz, Jr. By Practical Joke, the five-year-old has been a solid performer dating back to his juvenile season, both on the dirt and the turf, and he has posted bullet workouts in three of his past four morning moves, as well. The dark bay Kentucky-bred draws well near the rail and will track the tempo from second or third in the early stages of the heat, prior to being asked for his best late. 

#4 Il Miracolo is another pace presence in the field and will force the action from the opening bell for conditioner Antonio Sano. This Grade-3 winning colt tracked swift fractions before giving way late in the Pegasus (G1) to commence 2024, and he will relish the class relief as well as the cutback in distance in this spot. The Gun Runner four-year-old posted a trio of solid morning drills in advance of Saturday, and I expect the chestnut to show nice improvement in his second run of the year with Javier Castellano signed on for the voyage. 

I have respect for all of the contenders in the field, but I will focus on the trio of forwardly placed runners in my plays.