Stallwalkin’ Dude Makes Start No. 18 in Mr. Prospector at Gulfstream Park

Stallwalkin’ Dude Makes Start No. 18 in Mr. Prospector at Gulfstream Park: When Stallwalkin’ Dude competes in the Mr. Prospector (GIII) at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, it will be his 18th start of the year. To put this into perspective, the closest pursuer on the list will only make his 10th start.

Trained and owned by the controversial David Jacobson, the five-year-old gelding has been nothing short of consistent this year, finishing on the board in 13 races. Furthermore, take out the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (GI), and Stallwalkin’ Dude’s last 10 races look even sharper with only one finish worse than third!

Also, his three most recent wins came at margins of less than a length, which means supporters must deal with a possible heart attack coming down the stretch. Then again, some fans consider blanket finishes fun. Over the summer, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. gave an explanation for Stallwalkin’ Dude’s tight finishes after he won at Saratoga.

“He likes to play with the other horses; he likes to fight with them,” Ortiz Jr. said (as reported by The Saratogian) after winning the Tale of the Cat.

Bettors need to accept this trait if they back him. On the positive side, the excellent Javier Castellano takes the call.

In terms of class, think about the horses Stallwalkin’ Dude ran against. Just out of his last four races, quality sprinters such as Rock Fall, Salutos Amigos, Private Zone, Runhappy, Palace, Gentlemen’s Bet and Trouble Kid appear in his past performances. Most of them would run as the favorite in this spot.

If the volume of races catches up with Stallwalkin’ Dude though, other viable options are present.

From the rail, C. Zee makes his ninth start of the year, and only owns one win at the six-furlong distance. But, the son of Elusive Bluff loves Gulfstream Park with four wins and three seconds out of eight starts. Out of 20 lifetime races, he finished second seven times and third three times.

Moving on to the fourth post, Grande Shores makes his 10th current-year start. The seven-year-old horse loves Gulfstream Park as well with 15 in-the-money finishes out of 20 attempts. Expect a belated rally late from him.

The fifth post position features X Y Jet, a talented need-the-lead front runner who will be subject to endure whatever the pace scenario presents. Out of six tries at this racetrack, he owns four runner-up finishes and zero wins.

Defending champion Speechify and Weekend Hideaway take up the sixth and seventh post positions. The two horses dueled each other in a five-furlong sprint at Gulfstream Park West last time, with Weekend Hideaway prevailing and drawing away by over six lengths. Speechify faded to fifth place, but his trainer offers an excuse.

“After him falling at Keeneland he might have been a little bit intimidated down inside,” said Ralph Nicks, as read on Blood-Horse.

Both competitors will be positioned close to X Y Jet.

Overall, Stallwalkin’ Dude holds the advantage with good tactical speed and class. Key him on top, with X Y Jet, Speechify and Weekend Hideaway deserving long consideration too. Use C. Zee and Grande Shores underneath.

Also, be aware of the early post time for this Grade III event. The race begins at 1:35 EST as Race 4.

Mr. Prospector Stakes 2015 Post Positions & Odds
Race 4 1:35 PM ET
1 C. Zee Zayas/Gold
2 Singanothersong Corrales/Pellegrini
3 Stallwalkin’ Dude Castellano/Jacobson
4 Grande Shores Sanchez/Gold
5 X Y Jet Jaramillo/Navarro
6 Speechify Rosario/Nicks
7 Weekend Hideaway Lopez/Serpe
*Odds updated upon release.