US racing tips: Shane Ketteridge with his advice on two big meetings

Drain The Clock
8.45pm Gulfstream
2pts win

Miles Ahead
10.16pm Churchill Downs
1pt win

There are two valuable stakes races at Gulfstream Park on Saturday and my attention is drawn to the $100,000 Grade 3 Smile Sprint Invitational Stakes and the Saffie Joseph Jr-trained Drain The Clock, who returns after a three month break.

This four-year old is a Grade 1 winner who knows this course well having already won four times around here and there could be more to come as he is still young for a sprinter.

2021 was a big year for him, winning five out of eight races, putting the opposition away with the minimum of fuss thanks to his trademark prominent style of racing. What is even better about this colt is that he is able to quicken off the fast fractions he sets in the final furlong, which only high-class horses can do.

Recent workouts at this track have been good and connections will have him ready to go and he should be taking this before moving back up in grade, with the long term aim being the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Keeneland in November.

The Paul McGee-trained Miles Ahead is an experienced five-year-old who has won 11 of his 23 starts to date and has an outstanding chance of adding to that tally in the $160,000 Kelly’s Landing Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs.

All of those wins have been at Gulfstream Park and he has rarely ventures away from that course, but he did so on his latest start where he finished fifth in a Listed contest here, which would have set him up nicely for this.

He was slow out of the gates on that particular occasion, which he cannot afford to do again, but that may have been down to the change of scenery and he is better than that.

This extended 6f trip is ideal as he has won at six and seven furlongs, so expect to see him delivered fast and late under a waiting ride from Joseph Talamo.

For all our exclusive free bet offers and must-have daily promotions click the free bets button or go to racingpost.com/freebets