US racing: Shane Ketteridge has two tips for Gulfstream Park's card

Red Danger
8.01 Gulfstream Park
1pt win

Mo Donegal
10.10 Gulfstream Park
3pt win

Todd Pletcher has recently been quoted as saying that Mo Donegal is a "major player" on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and this son of Uncle Mo can burst a few bubbles in the $250,000 Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

This race has produced Kentucky Derby winners over the years with Go For Gin and Barbaro winning in 1994 and 2006 respectively before going on to win the big one, and the first four home here will gain qualification points for the big race on the first weekend in May.

In Mo Donegal we have a horse of some potential. He was somewhat of a late bloomer as he didn’t make his debut until late September at Belmont Park. He was given a nice education by jockey Javier Castellano to finish third over an extended six furlongs, doing all his best work late.

As expected, connections then stepped him in distance to 1m½f for his second run and, although he was slowly out of the stalls, which was down to inexperience, he showed a very good level of ability to come wide of the field and win by a comfortable one and a half lengths.

He then lined up for the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct in December and showed a lovely turn of foot to win under hands and heels from today's jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.

It will will be disappointing if he doesn’t win this on his first start as a three-year-old as he has all the attributes to become a serious Kentucky Derby contender.

A field of eight promising colts are set to line up in the $100,000 Grade 3 Kitten’s Joy Stakes over 1m½f on turf and it’s the horse in stall eight, Red Danger, who can win this for Brian Lynch and his team.

This son of Orb, who won here three times as a three-year-old, showed a very good level of ability as a two-year-old when notching a pair of Listed wins, one of which was over an extended seven furlongs at this course. The general feeling is he will do even better this year.

He showed battling qualities in that victory here last time and should come into his own over these distances, so expect him to be played late from his wide draw under Julien Leparoux.

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