Drexler, C2 Racing's Literate Scores Big Win at Gulfstream

One of the featured races on the Thursday, March 13 card at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Florida offers a reasonable betting lesson to anyone willing to take a bit of time for research.

The one mile sixth race, an allowance/optional claiming race, had a number of conditions to allow for some stakes horses to pop into what figured to be an easier race than an added-money event.

Two fillies were 4-to-5 in the five horse field: Gun Song, who raced against three-year-olds in 2024 and won the Black Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) and Just FYI, seeking her first win since 2023.

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Just FYI was making her first start since finishing off the board in the June 7 Acorn (G1) at Aqueduct. The four-year-old daughter of Justify was honoured with the Eclipse Award as the 2023 champion two-year-old filly after going undefeated in her first three career starts, including a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). Last year, she finished second in the Ashland (G1) at Keeneland and Kentucky Oaks (G1) before failing in the Acorn and going to the sidelines.

Gun Song was also making her 2025 debut in Thursday’s feature. The daughter of Gun Runner concluded her 2024 campaign with a photo-finish second behind eventual Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna in the Cotillion (G1) at Parx and a narrow loss to Tarifa in the Mother Goose (G2) at Aqueduct.

A note on the Gulfstream website previewing the race essentially told us both Bill Mott, trainer of Just FYI and Mark Hennig, trainer of Gun Song, just wanted to get their layoff horses back to action.

Read that item here.

Another entrant, Power Squeeze, usually runs in stakes races, so it was odd to see her come out of the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup into this modest event.

Meanwhile, Woodbine trainer Martin Drexler, with 14 wins at the Gulfstream meeting this year, had Literate for C2 Racing Stable, a big, attractive mare who was returning to Lasix after a modest effort in a stakes race at Tampa Bay Downs.

“The owners wanted to try the dirt one more time,” said Drexler, whose trainee had finished off the board in a Tampa Bay Downs stakes on dirt last time out. “This race came up with a short field, so ultimately they wanted to give her one more shot on dirt before they send her up to Toronto.”

Coming off a two-month break, Literate showed two three-furlong workouts on Feb. 23 and Mar. 8, but a quick half-mile move at Palm Meadows between those preps was missing from her record.

With Drexler’s go-to rider on board, Tyler Gaffalione, Literate saved ground while Just FYI went quick on the lead and kept the rail open. Literate powered on through for an easy win in 1:36.20 for a career best 87 Beyer Figure, according to Daily Racing Form. She paid 16-to-1.

That was the fifth win in 13 races for Literate, a daughter of Oscar Performance.

While not every piece of information is out there for bettors, a bit of research (and betting against heavy favourites) can sometimes be rewarding.