US expert Tom Collins likes morning line price on smart prospect at Gulfstream

Zitman
6.31 Tampa Bay Downs
1pt winHauntedbythemusic
11.01 Gulfstream Park
2pts winIl Faraone
11.32 Gulfstream Park
1pt each-wayTonight's 12-race card at Gulfstream Park is one you should not miss, especially given we will witness the return of 2019 Preakness Stakes winner War Of Will in the feature $75,000 Sunshine Forever Stakes (9.49).

Mark Casse's four-year-old star landed the second leg of the Triple Crown at Pimlico in fine fashion last May but failed to repeat that form in four subsequent starts and begins this campaign with questions to answer.

This is undoubtedly a prep run for bigger and better things and his morning line price of 10-1 reflects that. On his best form he would win this race with plenty in hand, but he has been drawn wide in gate 12 and with the likes of Admission Office and Halladay in the field he looks to have a pretty tough task.

I think he is overpriced but I don't want to back him after a six-month layoff and Admission Office's stamina will probably see him come out on top.

I will save the punting at the Hallandale Beach track until later on the card, beginning with a wager on an exceptionally interesting colt from a lesser-known yard.

The runner in question is Hauntedbythemusic, who will make just his second outing in the penultimate $41,000 allowance optional claimer (11.01) for 40-year-old trainer Baltazar Galvan.

The Mexican handler has had just two winners from 21 runners in 2020, but he could have a superstar on his hands in Hauntedbythemusic, a three-year-old son of The Big Beast, who won the Grade 1 King's Bishop Stakes early in his career.

Hauntedbythemusic showed clear ability in his works before making his debut in a maiden claimer at Tampa Bay Downs in early December, for which he was sent off a 13-2 chance under leading rider Antonio Gallardo.

You wouldn't have known it was his first race, though, as he broke like an experienced sprinter and immediately shot to the lead, where he was joined entering the turn.

The leaders went a pretty hard 45.34sec for the half and looked there to be shot at turning in, but Hauntedbythemusic picked up again and showed an extra gear inside the final furlong.

He scooted seven lengths clear of his nearest pursuer and was going further away at the line, suggesting there was plenty more in the locker. The time of his victory was good, too.

Hauntedbythemusic hasn't been seen since but he has been working well in the last couple of months and the fact Galvan has booked Irad Ortiz shows that he clearly holds this colt in high regard.

He faces a tough field on his second career outing and is perhaps drawn a little wider than ideal in gate seven over the 6f trip, but his blistering pace can be put to good use early in this race and I'm astounded to see him priced up at 6-1 on the morning line. I made him 3-1.

The closing $18,000 starter optional claimer (11.32) is another competitive contest for the grade, but I'm going to take another chance on Il Faraone, who showed absolutely nothing when I tipped him last time out.

Monica McGoey's miler went into a similar contest as this with good recent placed form in the book but was completely unfavoured by a speed bias at Gulfstream that day and never featured.

In fact, this deep closer was never even in the same picture as the leaders, except for when they left the starting gates.

There has been less of a bias in the last couple of weeks and a fast pace is granted here with plenty of front-runners in opposition, so hopes are high that the leaders will toil entering the straight and he can pick up the pieces.

Ridden by Marcos Meneses, Il Faraone is a 15-1 shot on the morning line but he has nice each-way claims in a race in which those held-up should feature at the business end.

The final selection comes at Tampa Bay Downs, where Zitman should get this column off to a flying start in the $14,500 claimer (6.31).

A seven-time winner from 40 starts, John Rigattieri's six-year-old is prolific in this grade and was unlucky not to run down the reopposing The Stiffler last month.

He was only denied by a head that day after a fast finish and would have won in another stride. The fact that he didn't have the best of trips suggests he should be reversing the form with that runner, who is drawn wide.

I wouldn't be surprised if those two performers dominated the finish once again.

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