US racing tips: Tom Collins thinks talented prospect can land Gulfstream feature

Just Whistle
9.52 Gulfstream Park
1pt winArt Collector
10.12 Churchill Downs
1pt win

Gulfstream's Sunday card looks extremely competitive and with the turf races likely to be moved to the dirt, it doesn't present many punting opportunities.

I originally liked Voodoo Turf to justify favouritism in the $45,000 maiden special weight contest (7.15), a race scheduled to be run over 1m½f on turf, but the likelihood that the contest will be moved to the main track presents doubts.

He is the clear standout on form in that contest and has impressed in his recent works on the dirt at Palm Meadows Training Centre, but with a morning line price of 2-1, the worry about the sloppy surface is just enough to put me off tipping him.

Instead, the sole selection at the Hallandale Beach venue is Just Whistle, who runs for trainer Michael Matz in the feature $75,000 Sunday Silence Stakes (9.52).

This five-year-old son of Pioneerof The Nile has had only 11 starts in his career and has clearly been minded throughout his first few seasons by Matz.

He looked to be a promising three-year-old in 2018 and wasn't beaten far into third in the Grade 3 Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont in June that year, but his next outing in allowance company saw him pick up an injury which led to an enforced eight-month absence.

Just Whistle returned as good as ever with an allowance optional claimer victory at this track in February last year, and has since been campaigned in Graded level without success.

He put in a career-best effort when last seen on the track in March, where he took second behind rank outsider Identifier in the Grade 3 Hal's Hope Stakes over this 1m1f trip, and has been kept ticking over at Palm Meadows Training Centre since.

A repeat of that runner-up effort makes him tough to beat in this field and he is proven on the sloppy surface too.

There are a couple of valuable contests on the Churchill Downs card, not least the $81,000 allowance optional claimer (10.12) in which Chad Brown's unexposed Toledo will be fancied.

He has only had four outings and wasn't beaten far in the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes last time at Gulfstream, but he has been off for three months and I want to take him on at the prices with Thomas Drury's Art Collector.

Brian Hernandez's mount broke his duck at the second time of asking when he landed an extremely valuable Kentucky Downs maiden special weight contest in September, and was pitched into Grade 3 company on his next start at Keeneland.

Art Collector didn't replicate the effort that day but was fanned four-wide throughout. He had excuses on his next outing at Churchill Downs, too, when he lost his action on the turn.

The three-year-old colt bounced right back to form last time when he destroyed a good field at Churchill, but was subsequently demoted after he tested positive for a banned substance.

He has been off the track for six months but has been working well of late and went well first time up as a juvenile, so hopefully he can land this prize at a nice price.

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